Category Archives: 1 Samuel

Posted on

Blessed Barrenness

Reflect:
I Samuel 1:1-3:21

“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD….‘[do] not forget your servant but give her a son…’” ~I Samuel 1:10-11

Nobody really understands the pain of desiring children but not being able to have any like the barren. Hannah was a childless woman in a culture where children meant everything—a woman’s worth and desirability to her husband, her bragging rights at family gatherings, the admiration of the other women at the market, her husband’s ammunition for one-upping the other guys hanging out at the city gates, as well as a whole host of other cultural notches on the proverbial belt that came with having kids.

There was one other benefit to having children that had an even more significant meaning to married couples in Israel: perpetual life. You see, through posterity, the family DNA, the family name, the family’s unending future would be carried forth in perpetuity.

In light of all that, Hannah’s grief over having no children is more than most of us could ever begin to understand—unless, of course, you have suffered the disappointment of barrenness yourself. Even her husband, Elkanah, didn’t get it:

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” (I Samuel 1:8, NLT)

Either he was a complete dolt or an insensitive brute—or perhaps both. But Elkannah wasn’t alone in this matter: Even Hannah’s pastor wouldn’t have placed in a Mr. Sensitive contest. He accused her of being drunk as she silently poured out her heart to the Lord:

“Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ‘Must you come here drunk?’ he demanded. ‘Throw away your wine!’” (I Samuel 1:13-14, NLT)

Hannah was alone in her grief, and even worse, she had no hope that things would be any different in the future; she was destined to a life of barrenness. So what’s a misunderstood, hopeless, devastated, childless woman to do? Here’s what Hannah did: She worshiped.

You will notice in the story that Hannah went before the Lord year after year—she persisted. She poured out her heart, time and time again—she trusted. She faithfully presented herself in sacrificial worship before the Lord not only with her husband, but also with his other wife, a mean-spirited rival named Penninah (I Samuel 1:7)—she pressed into God.

As difficult as her situation was, Hannah worshiped the One who had her life, including all its details, big and small, in his good hands. And finally, in timing understood only by God, he granted her request and Hannah bore Samuel, who grew up to be the greatest of Israel’s prophets.

Hannah worshiped! That’s what you and I must learn to do, too, until worship becomes our first and best response to not only the delightful, but to the devastating things in life. If you are a childless woman whose pain and disappointment is understood only by God—worship him. He is your only hope and the One who knows his plans for your life—plans that are always good, even when you don’t particularly like them. And if you are suffering other kinds of barrenness—in your relationships, your finances, your career, your ministry or whatever—offer him your worship. He knows your way, and he knows his plans for you. (Jeremiah 29:11)

As tough as it may be to offer your worship to the Lord when things aren’t going your way, it’s the best and only thing that will set your heart right.

“To be grateful for an unanswered prayer, to give thanks in a state of interior desolation, to trust in the love of God in the face of the marvels, cruel circumstances, obscenities, and commonplaces of life is to whisper a doxology in darkness.” ~ Brennan Manning

Reflect and Apply: Reflect on Manning’s statement. If we dare, offer a prayer of gratitude, in sincerity and by faith, for whatever unanswered prayer is on your prayer list.

 

 

 

Posted on

Heart Transplant

Reflect:
I Samuel 8:1-10:27

“As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying.” ~I Samuel 10:9-10

That’s exactly what I need—a change of heart. It is not something I can produce on my own; at least not in a way that fundamentally changes who I am, how I perceive the world, how I behave, or how I respond to God. Don’t get me wrong; I have an important part to play if my heart is ever going to get changed. I have to be willing, I need to surrender, and I must daily yield to the Great Heart Surgeon.

The kind of heart-change I that need can only come from God. That’s what happened to Saul. God had great plans for Saul, and Saul was totally unaware, unsuited (at least in his own mind) and unprepared for what God had in mind—to be the very first king of God’s chosen people, Israel. So when the prophet Samuel revealed God’s plan to Saul, this handsome, young Benjamite demurred.

Yet there was something special about Saul that God saw—a pliable heart, a humble spirit, an innate leadership quality that, with some mentoring, seasoning and Spirit-filling, could rally the Israelites. There was also in Saul a willingness to accept God’s plan, even if Saul’s first inclination was to shy away from such a lofty call. So the moment Samuel’s revelation was finished, God’s Spirit took away Saul’s heart and replaced it with one that was equal to the task of leading a leaderless people in a time of national crisis. Of course, I am not talking about a literal heart transplant, but there was certainly a spiritual heart transplant that day.

That’s exactly what I need—and want. How about you? We may not be called to lead a nation during a time of crisis, but we have been called to carry out God’s plan in a sphere of influence over which he has given us stewardship. He has called us to beat back the kingdom of darkness and proclaim freedom to those held captive to sin, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to deliver the addicted, to love the unlovely, to restore the broken, to bring back fractured families from the brink—well, you get the picture. That’s a pretty tall order isn’t it? Now you get a sense of what Saul must have felt at that moment!

So how exactly are you going to do all of that when you can barely manage your own life? Well, managing your own life plus capturing your sphere of influence for the Lord can and will happen when you invite the Great Heart Surgeon to take away your weak heart and transplant it with one that is equal to the task that he has placed before you.

I get the feeling you have your doubts about what I am suggesting. Well, join the club. But if God can do it for Saul, can’t he do it for you, too? Why not go to him right now and ask him for a heart transplant!

If you accept the belief that baptism incorporates us in the mystical body of Christ, into the divine DNA, then you might say that the Holy Spirit is present in each of us, and thus we have the capacity for the fullness of redemption, of transformation.” ~Thomas Keating

Reflect and Apply: Perhaps you are thinking that praying for a Saul-like heart transplant is a real stretch. But let me encourage you with this thought: It was God who led you to read this devotional piece today, and he did so for a purpose. He wants to do in you what he did for Saul. So go ahead and ask for a new heart—you’re only asking for what God already desires for you! As C.S. Lewis said, “Our prayers are really His prayers; He speaks to himself through us.”  

 

 

 

Posted on

Beware of Spiritual Justifiers and Scriptural Manipulators

Read I Samuel 26:1-31:13

Beware of Spiritual Justifiers and Scriptural Manipulators

“Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin King Saul to the
ground with one thrust of my spear; I won’t need to strike him twice.”
Abishai to David, I Samuel 26:8

“Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?
As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD himself will strike him; either his time
will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the
LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed.”
David to Abishai, I Samuel 26:9-11

Go Deep: You can justify pretty much anything you want to do from Scripture, but that doesn’t mean what you want to do is Scripturally justifiable!

The scary thing is, all kinds of well-intentioned people will line up to give you the green light in such matters. They’ll quote scripture, point out how circumstances have aligned in just the right way, and convince you of just how reasonable and right a certain course of action might be. But the problem is, God is not in the thing you want to do.  And to go ahead with your plan will move you out from under the blessing of God, at best, and at worst, lead to disaster down the road.

God’s people do this all the time. They convince themselves that what they want to do is God’s will when it is not, and get any number of well-wishers to justify their plans when those plans are not God’s plans.  That is why we see so many believers divorcing their spouse, going into business with an unbeliever, investing Kingdom resources in uncertain adventures, and moving forward with any number of good and godly sounding actions when, in fact, those plans are nothing more than their own will being done.

David was discerning enough to spot this kind of spiritual justification when it came up.  What his confidant, Abishai, suggested seemed as right as rain on its face, but David knew that no matter how many spiritually sounding justifications could make it sound like the obvious thing to do, it would never have passed the scriptural smell test, it would have violated the inner voice of the Spirit, and it would have rushed God’s sovereign timing for resolving this issue and bringing about his perfect plan for David’s life.

Be wary of spiritual justifiers, and likewise, be on alert for scriptural manipulators.  Know the whole counsel of God’s Word, pay attention to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit who is there to continually guide you into divine truth, and never try to squeeze what God ultimately wants to do in your life into your methodology and timing.  That, my friend, never turns out well.

Here is the much better approach; it’s the one found in the sage advice of Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG),

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!

Just Saying… Here is something that John Calvin said that is worth considering: “Therefore the Christian heart, since it has been thoroughly persuaded that all things happen by God’s plan, and that nothing takes place by chance, will ever look to him as the principal causes of things, yet will give attention to the secondary causes in their proper place.”

 

Posted on

Cave Time

Read I Samuel 21:1-24:22

Cave Time

David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and
his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.
I Samuel 22:1

Go Deep: If you are like me, you want to live in the never-ending summer of God’s blessing—the sunshine of his grace—where you’ll flourish and enjoy a fruitful life. But to get from here to that land of spiritual fruitfulness, you will have to first endure some “cave-time”.

The cave is core curriculum in the school of spirituality. Call it whatever you want: the pit (Joseph’s “cave”), the desert (Moses’ “cave”), the prison (Paul’s “cave”), the wilderness (Jesus’ “cave”), the cave is to Christians what Camp Pendleton is to marines:  Boot camp!  It’s basic training for believers. Every believer gets cave-time!

The cave is the place of testing. It’s the blast furnace for moral fiber—where your mettle gets tested! Put a person in the cave of distress, discouragement, doubt or delayed hopes and true character is revealed.  The cave always reveals just how much work God still has to do to get you ready for great things.  In the cave of Adullam, God revealed to David that his good looks, musical skill and winsome personality weren’t enough for the kind of king Israel needed. Saul had that—looks, skill, charisma—but he didn’t have the kind of depth with God that the leader of a God’s people needed. David needed more of God; the testing of the cave clearly revealed that.

The cave is also a place of learning.  David recognized that he needed “cave time” so he could  “learn what God will do for me.” (I Samuel 22:3)  In the cave, David learned what it meant to fully depend on God, because God stripped him of all his misplaced dependencies: his position (David went from fair haired boy to fugitive overnight), his friends (David was separated from his best friend, Jonathon), his spiritual mentor (Samuel died while David was in the cave) and even his dignity (he actually had to feign insanity to escape the Philistines).  These were all good things in David’s life, yet God knew that they were a barrier to the great things he had in store for David. So God removed them.

The cave was perhaps the most frustrating period in David’s life—but in hindsight, it turned out to be the most fruitful. That’s because the cave is also the place of forging. As an unknown poet said, the cave is where you are, “pressed into knowing no helper but God.” And that’s exactly what happened to David in the cave of Adullam.  Through the discipline of that place, David came into a profound experience with God, and that is the one thing David would need to be a great king.

That’s what God does in the cave.  And by the way, God does some of his best work when we are experiencing “cave time”.  It was there in the cave of Adullam that David wrote three of his most moving psalms—Psalms 34, 57 & 142.

Psalm 142 shows us that David learned to talk openly and honestly with God—and that God could handle David’s raw emotion.  David got brutally honest with God in the cave, and it was great therapy: “I cry aloud to the Lord…I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.” (Psalm 142:1-2)

Psalm 52 shows us that David learned to toughen up in the cave, because God was training him how to “king it!” That’s why David said of his “cave time” experience, “I cry out to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2)

Finally, Psalm 34 shows us that David learned to look for God in the cave.  It was there David found that God was his all-in-all, and out of experience he penned Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

So here’s the deal: If you are in a cave right now, I want to remind you of some good news:  You are not alone—God is with you.  And furthermore, God understands all about caves.  He’s been there! You see, the son of David, Jesus, was stripped of everything, too.  He lost his position as a spiritual leader. His own family criticized him. His friends ran away. He lost the adoration of the cheering crowds.  He suffered the mockery of a trial and the humiliation of a cross. And when he died, they buried his lifeless body in a cave, and it looked like it was over!

But God does his best work in caves, because it’s where he resurrects dead stuff! That cave was where a dead Messiah became a Risen Savior…and your cave is where your dead dreams, or maybe your dead ministry, or perhaps your dead career or even your dead marriage will take on resurrection life.

Your cave may be very deep and dark and devastating to you, but here’s the thing you need to know: God works in caves!  So stay patient, pliable and trusting—your resurrection is coming!

Just Saying… What a great reminder, that, as Spurgeon said, “Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.”  Perhaps it would be a good idea right now to thank God in advance for the grandeur that he is forging from your “cave time”!

Posted on

Past Performance

Read I Samuel 16:1-20:42

Past Performance

The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear
will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
I Samuel 17:37

Go Deep: Do you ever wonder where David got his courage to fight Goliath?  Was he just a naturally brave warrior, experienced in battle, confident in his hand-to-hand technique and just spoiling for a fight with an oversized blowhard, or was there something else?

There was something else!  David, though he was just a young man, had walked with God in an unusually intimate way.  Prior to facing the Philistine giant, David had spent countless hours in the quiet and solitude of the wilderness watching over his father’s sheep.  Hour after monotonous hour of herding sheep, passing the time by plinking Coke bottles with his slingshot—well, maybe he had other targets—writing songs of worship and talking to God, were interspersed with moments of sheer danger when wild animals would attack the flock.  In those heart-pounding moments, the only thing standing between the vicious animals and the decimation of his father’s livelihood was David—and God!

David’s time as a shepherd turned out to be a critical period of preparation for what was to come, because it was then that David had come to experience the continual presence and faithfulness of God. In those moments of distress and danger, the strong help of the Almighty had never failed; time and again, God stood by David, helped him, saved him, and the young shepherd had come to know in the depth of his being that the One who walked with him was a covenantly faithful God.

So why was David so courageous when he stood before Goliath?  He was simply drawing upon the reservoir of God-confidence that had piled up in his heart.  He just knew that he knew that the same God who delivered him from every past danger would deliver him from this present one. God’s past performance was a surefire indicator of what was about to happen. How could it be any other way?

So, have you got a Goliath in your life?  I’ll bet you do—a big, hairy, intimidating problem breathing down you neck!  You see, Goliath is still around, though he comes in a variety of forms: an impossible financial situation, a nasty boss or a threatening co-worker, a rebellious child or and belligerent spouse, a physical problem or a helpless sick loved one.  All of us face Goliaths, and the natural thing to do is what the Israelites did: shrink back in depression, cower in fear and run from the battle.

But that would be to live way beneath the level of confidence, joy and victory that God has willed for his people.  So learn a lesson from David—Goliath may still be around, but so is God.  He hasn’t changed. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  And he is still a covenantly faithful God—he can’t help himself.

Has he helped you in the past?  Has he provided for you? Healed you? Protected and delivered you?  Has he brought you this far?  Why would he not do today, and tomorrow, what he has done in the past?

He will!  So put your confidence in him.  Get your eye off Goliath and on to God, because the One who delivered you from the paw of the lion and the bear will deliver you from that nasty old Philistine.  It’s just what God does!

Just Saying… The great commentator Matthew Henry wrote, “He whose head is in heaven need not fear to put his feet into the grave.”

Posted on

What Matters Most

Read I Samuel 11:1-15:35

What Matters Most

Then Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
I Samuel 15:22

Go Deep: Unfortunately for King Saul, this sad account of his fall from God’s favor was one of the lowest low points of his life, and the beginning of the end of his once promising rule over Israel.  Fortunately for us, reading this story with the advantage of 20/20 hindsight, his example brings us to the bottom line of what it means to walk in intimacy with God.

What is that bottom line?  That God wants our hearts more than anything else!

When we substitute duty, service or sacrifice, as Saul did, for a love relationship with God, it will always lead to disobedience, and therefore it will lead away from divine blessing.  But when we obey God out of love for who he is and gratitude for what he has done, then God will pour out his blessings upon us in immeasurable ways.  Everything that we hope our duty, service and sacrifice will bring, will be, at best, a poor substitute for walking in loving obedience to God.  At worst, the very things we thought would bring God’s pleasure upon us will turn around and cause it to be forfeited.

Do you want a revival of God’s favor in your life?  Begin to obey him.  Don’t obey merely out of duty—because you have to obey to be blessed. Don’t merely obey out of fear—because you know punishment awaits if you don’t obey. Do not obey from some sort of manipulative motive—trying to maneuver God to get him to give you want you want. Obey him out of love.  Obey him because you are so grateful for all that he has done for you that obedience is simply the only option for you.  As the great revivalist Charles Finney said, “A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God.”

The best sacrifice you can bring before God is your obedience. Offer it to God, early and often, with the right heart and the purest of motives, and watch what God will do for you.  The obedient heart is the one in which God takes the greatest delight.

Just Saying… Oswald Chambers wrote, “The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect, but obedience.”

Posted on

A Change of Heart

I Samuel 6:1-10:27

A Change of Heart

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these
signs were fulfilled that day. When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession
of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power,
and he joined in their prophesying.
I Samuel 10:9-10

Go Deep: That’s exactly what I need—a change of heart.  It is not something I can produce on my own; at least not in a way that fundamentally changes who I am, how I perceive the world, how I behave, or how I respond to God.  Don’t get me wrong; I have an important part to play if my heart is ever going to get changed.  I have to be willing, I need to surrender, and I must daily yield to the Great Heart Surgeon.

The kind of heart-change I that need can only come from God.  That’s what happened to Saul.  God had great plans for Saul, and Saul was totally unaware, unsuited (at least in his own mind) and unprepared for what God had in mind—to be the very first king of God’s chosen people, Israel. So when the prophet Samuel revealed God’s plan to Saul, this handsome, young Benjamite demurred.

Yet there was something special about Saul that God saw—a pliable heart, a humble spirit, an innate leadership quality that, with some mentoring, seasoning and Spirit-filling, could rally the Israelites.  There was also in Saul a willingness to accept God’s plan, even if Saul’s first inclination was to shy away from such a lofty call.  So the moment Samuel’s revelation was finished, God’s Spirit took away Saul’s heart and replaced it with one that was equal to the task of leading a leaderless people in a time of national crisis.  Of course, I am not talking about a literal heart transplant, but there was certainly a spiritual heart transplant that day.

That’s exactly what I need—and want.  How about you?  We may not be called to lead a nation during a time of crisis, but we have been called to carry out God’s plan in a sphere of influence over which he has given us stewardship.  He has called us to beat back the kingdom of darkness and proclaim freedom to those held captive to sin, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, to deliver the addicted, to love the unlovely, to restore the broken, to bring back fractured families from the brink—well, you get the picture.  That’s a pretty tall order isn’t it?  Now you get a sense of what Saul must have felt at that moment!

So how exactly are you going to do all of that when you can barely manage your own life? Well, managing your own life plus capturing your sphere of influence for the Lord can and will happen when you invite the Great Heart Surgeon to take away your weak heart and transplant it with one that is equal to the task that he has placed before you.

I get the feeling you have your doubts about what I am suggesting.  Well, join the club.  But if God can do it for Saul, can’t he do it for you, too?  Why not go to him right now and ask him for a heart transplant!

Just Saying… Perhaps you are thinking that praying for a Saul-like heart transplant is a real stretch.  But let me encourage you with this thought: It was God who led you to read this devotional piece today, and he did so for a purpose.  He wants to do in you what he did for Saul.  As C.S. Lewis wrote, “Our prayers are really His prayers; He speaks to himself through us.”  So go ahead and ask—you’re only asking for what God already desires for you!