1 Samuel

Selective Service

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1 Samuel 10:6
“Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.”

Saul was first chosen by God, then equipped for service. This seems to be a pattern. Saul, along with Moses, Jeremiah, and Peter, all resisted the idea of being selected for service by God. Their objections stemmed from a realization of their own shortcomings. What they failed to realize, was God would equip them for whatever He called them to do.

We often have the same objections. We size ourselves up, and limit the ways God can use us. Then we sense a stirring from the Lord to serve in a capacity in which we have no gifting or experience. Right away we begin to come up with the excuses. “I can’t do that, I am not a …”

It is so important to remember what God did with Saul. After selecting him, God poured His Spirit on Saul and “turned (him) into another man.” Saul, before the call of God, was definitely not qualified for the task. However, after the call, Saul was equipped with everything he would ever need.

Whatever God calls us to, He equips us for. Don’t resist the call of God out of fear of failure. Instead, trust in the power of God to transform and use you.

Pastor Jim

 

Great Expectation 

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1 Samuel 9:23

”And Samuel said to the cook, ‘Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, “Set it apart.”‘”


The intersection where Samuel and Saul meet is a crossroad between two fascinating story lines. Saul, the son of a wealthy and loving father, was commissioned to search out three stray donkeys. As they wandered through the land, they were divinely directed to the land of Zuph where they encountered Samuel. Meanwhile, the day before, while Saul was seeking donkeys, Samuel’s day was interrupted by the voice of God. We read, 


1 Samuel 9:15-16

“Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, ‘Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel…'”


It is worth noting how Samuel responded to the word he heard from the Lord. Since a feast was being prepared, he went to the head chief and instructed him to set aside a choice cut of meat for a special guest that would be arriving. The only proof he had that this guest was coming was a promise he heard from God. Yet he prepared in advance for the promise to be fulfilled. 


The confidence Samuel put in the promises of God serves as a great example for us. He acted in advance as evidence that he expected God’s word to be fulfilled. We should treat the Bible the same way. We should live with an expectation that God’s words will come to pass. When we pray for our friends to come to Christ, we should expect opportunities to arise to share with them. When we pray to be used by God, we should expect doors to open for ministry. When we pray for our relationships with others to improve, we should look for ways to love, forgive and express kindness. 


Let’s read our Bible with expectancy. 


Pastor Jim  





Will This Ever Work

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1 Samuel 7:13
“So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel…”

Israel faced a constant threat from the Philistines. They had come into the territory promised to Israel, taken land, and threatened the people. Earlier in 1 Samuel, the nation mustered all its strength to drive the Philistines out of their territories, only to suffer a devastating loss. In that earlier battle, the people gathered around a religious artifact, went forth in all the strength they had, and were defeated. Now, some years later, we find them once again facing the same threat. This time, however, their efforts resulted in a great victory. What was the difference? How were they able to defeat an enemy which had plagued them for so many years?

1 Samuel 7:3
“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.’”

Notice the steps that led to their success. First, they were to return to the LORD and put away foreign gods. The order here is of the utmost importance. Too often, we think we must make great changes in our lives, in order to come to the LORD. We think all that is wrong with us, must be cleaned up and fixed, before we can take the steps forward and receive forgiveness for sin. This may be the ultimate in putting the cart before the horse. We don’t clean up our act and come to Christ. We come to Christ and allow Him to clean us up. The first step is to come, and let Him transform our lives.

Step two in their return, was committing themselves to the things that mattered to the LORD. We read that they “Served Him only…” One of the main reasons people fall away from the LORD is they never really committed themselves to Him. There was the initial realization of the need of forgiveness, but never the commitment of their lives to Christ. If we want to ensure victory, there must be a commitment to serve. Ask yourself “In what way do I serve Jesus at my church?” If you have no answer for that question, then figure out how you can get involved. Help in a Sunday School class, hospitality, greeting, parking lot ministry, or join a Home Fellowship. The possibilities are endless and the impact in your personal walk will be tremendous.

Pastor Jim

 

Hard Heart

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1 Samuel 6:6
“Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart?”

Tucked away in the story of the Philistines return of the Ark to Israel, is this powerful exhortation regarding the danger of hardening our hearts to God. We are reminded of the difficulties Pharaoh endured because of his refusal to humble himself and obey the Word of God. The lessons from this exhortation are twofold.

First, we need to examine our lives to be certain we are not hardening our hearts. If there is any area where we are making excuses for an attitude or behavior that is unbiblical, then we are in danger of hardening our heart to the Word. This may seem obvious, but the danger of hardening our hearts is that we will ultimately end up with a hard heart. Each time God speaks and we refuse to listen, we become a little less sensitive to his voice, until one day we find it almost impossible to hear Him. This can stop immediately, all we need to do is obey what His Word teaches.

There is a second lesson here. This exhortation did not come from a Hebrew priest or king, but from the lips of an unbeliever. Here, we find a person who knew the truth of God enough to instruct others, yet he himself was unwilling to make a decision to follow God. Imagine knowing the stories recorded in Scripture, seeing the hand of God at work in the life of others, and yet refusing to surrender to the Lord personally. Sadly for some, we do not have to imagine, because that is exactly what they are doing. This man could have passed a written test on who God is, yet when it came to his own life, he refused to surrender to God and walk with Him.

Pastor Jim

 

Spoils Of War

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1 Samuel 5:7
“And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, ‘The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.’”

The Philistines mustered all their courage as they confronted Israel on the battlefield. They soon overpowered the Israeli army and took the spoils of war. In this battle, the spoils included the Ark of the Covenant. Upon returning to Ashdod, the Philistines placed the Ark in the their temple, and found themselves facing an interesting predicament; they now had two gods. As night fell, so did Dagon the Philistine god. When morning’s light appeared, they discovered the image of Dagon had fallen before the Ark of Jehovah. Their reaction was to help Dagon back to his feet. However, the next morning, they found Dagon had once again fallen, and this time, been destroyed. Realizing Jehovah would not share His position as God, the Philistines had a decision to make. Which God would they serve? Sadly, they rejected the true and living God and selected a man-made god.

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

We all face the same decision. We have before us the true and living God, who loves us, and will set us free from the bondage of sin and death. We also have countless other things demanding our worship, service, devotion, time and hearts. We must decide who we will choose to serve and follow. The Philistines not only made the wrong choice, they made a foolish one. They saw the folly of Dagon, yet chose him anyway. Their decision was no doubt influenced by many things, including the fact that for generations their fathers had worshipped Dagon.

For some, the strong tie that keeps them from coming to Christ, is the realization that in accepting Christ, they are admitting they have been doing things wrong in the past. Don’t be so foolish as to let your pride keep you from surrendering to the One who will forgive your sins and transform your life.

Pastor Jim

 

By The Word

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1 Samuel 3:21
“Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.”

Long before Jerusalem was established as the capital of Israel, Shiloh was the ancient location of the Tabernacle. It was at Shiloh, where the High Priest would meet with the LORD on the Day of Atonement. It was there, where the glory of the LORD would fill the Holiest place like a cloud.

Samuel was a prophet, not a priest. He served at the Tabernacle, but never entered the Holy place. It was not for Him to pass through the veil and meet with the LORD. Yet, we read, the LORD appeared to Samuel in Shiloh, “by the Word of the Lord.” Samuel could meet daily with the Lord. Whatever circumstance he might be facing, he could have an encounter with God and receive direction for life. He could hear God speak to his private life, family life, and ministry. Imagine young Samuel sitting down with scroll in hand and receiving direction from the LORD.

The same can be true of you and me. If we will, daily, take time to look into our Bibles, we will find that God speaks to our lives. This happens in a number of ways. First,as you commit to reading through portions of the Word, you will find God knew in advance what you were going to face, and speaks specifically to your circumstances. Second, there are times when we need to investigate specifically what the Bible has to say about certain subjects. You might be facing a problem with someone who has hurt your feelings and you are not sure how to react. In those times, we need to look through the Word to see what God says about forgiveness, and how to treat those who wrong us. Finally, this happens when the Word of God is being taught. The Bible is like a Sword in the hands of the Holy Spirit, who will strike our hearts with what we most need to hear. Coming into Bible study with an expectation to hear from God and obey, is the best way to ensure that God speaks to you.

Samuel had learned early in life,  when God spoke he was to respond, “Here I am LORD.” Let’s be sure we are responsive to the Word of the LORD by committing ourselves to obeying Him.

Pastor Jim

 

Always Watching 

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1 Samuel 2:17 

“Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.”


I read an interesting quote this morning from D.L. Moody. He said, “Out of one hundred men, one will read the Bible. The other ninety-nine will read the Christian.” 


Whether we like it or not, once we become a follower of Jesus our life is on display. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about how people observed his life as they would an exhibit.  


1 Corinthians 4:9

“For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.”


We might not like the idea of people watching our lives with a critical eye, but the fact is, they are. The way we choose to follow Christ will have an impact on others and their decision to come to Christ, or to reject Him. On the one hand, Eli’s sons lived a life that drove people away from the Lord, and filled them with excuses not to follow God. On the other hand, there are people who are watching our lives because they see a difference and they are intrigued. Jesus explained that we should, “let our light so shine before men so that they will see our good works and glorify God” (Matthew 5:16). 


As you head out the door today, keep in mind that the world is watching, and your actions can have a powerful impact on others as they make a decision regarding Jesus.


Pastor Jim  

  




Rise And Shine 

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1 Samuel 1:3
“This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh…”

1 Samuel opens by introducing us to Elkanah. We learn he was a godly man who was devoted to the Lord. We read he loved his family and sought to lead them in the things of the Lord. He made annual trips to Shiloh, to celebrate the feasts of the Lord. Time, money, or inconvenience was never used as an excuse to keep him from bringing his family to worship the Lord. However, Elkanah’s life was not without hardship. His wife Hannah was barren, and no matter what he did to express his love to her, she felt as though there was something missing. She longed for a child and he longed to make her happy.

His example is all the more powerful when we keep in mind the spiritual climate in Israel at the time. We read twice in Judges, there “was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6, 21:25). In other words, the people had left the Word of God and were doing whatever they thought would make them happy. We read of spiritual confusion and social unrest throughout the land. Even the priesthood was being affected, as men were serving the Lord only as a means to make money and obtain power.

Elkanah chose to live above the standards set by those around him. He chose to put God first in his life and in his family. He made it a practice to bring his family to worship, and to be obedient to the Word. As the spiritual climate around us becomes more and more foggy, it is critical that we commit ourselves, our ways, and our families to follow the Lord.

Pastor Jim