Wait on the Lord.

Psalms 7; 27

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. ­– Psalm 27:14 NLT

Waiting on God can be hard work. Or at least it seems to feel that way. His timing is not the same as mine. His answers don't always come when I want or expect them. Sometimes it feels as if He is delaying needlessly. But the truth is that God is always on time and His answers are always right. These are just a few of the lessons David was learning about His God. The Psalms he wrote are daily journals of his thoughts, cares and concerns – expressed to God in an open and honest style that we all should try to emulate. David didn't pull any punches with God, telling Him exactly what he was feeling. He called out for salvation because he was in trouble. He claimed his own innocence. He cried out for retribution against his enemies. But more than anything else, he placed his faith and trust in God. While he had much to fear (with Saul in hot pursuit every day), he was learning to rely on God. "The LORD is my light and my salvation – so why should I be afraid? The LORD protects me from danger – so why should I tremble?" (Psalm 27:1 NLT). Through the experiences of life, David was learning that His God could be trusted. "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" (Psalm 27:5 NLT).

While David longed for the persecution to stop and for the days of running to come to an end, he desired something even more. He wanted to know God and His plan for his life. "Teach me how to live, O LORD. Lead me along the path of honesty, for my enemies are waiting for me to fall" (Psalm 27:11 NLT). He desired a relationship with God more than anything else. He was learning to view God not based on his circumstances or situation in life, but on His character. God was good. God was faithful. He would deliver. He would protect. While David couldn't trust anyone else, He was learning that he could trust God. But sometimes that trust required waiting. It required patient endurance. God has a plan and He is always working that plan to perfection. But not always according to our desires or timing. Later on his life David would write the familiar words, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths (Psalm 3:5-6 NLT). Waiting on the Lord requires trust. Trust requires patience. Patience teaches us to seek His will, not our own. Seeking His will demands that we give up our own. But always for our own good.

Father, David was learning. Sometimes I think I'm not. At least, I seem to be a slow learner. But thank You for Your patience and mercy. You continue to teach me through the circumstances of life. Help me to see what David saw. Help me to see Your power, presence, protection, and persistent care for my spiritual and physical well-being. Amen

Learning to Trust God, Not Man.

1 Samuel 23-24

This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the LORD placed you at my mercy back there in the cave, and some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm him – he is the LORD’s anointed one. ­– 1 Samuel 24:10 NLT

David was learning. As he went through the difficult days surrounding his flight from Saul, David was getting an up-close and personal lesson from God on His faithfulness. He was learning to talk to God and seek His counsel, because he really had no one else to turn to. He no longer had Samuel to bounce ideas off of or to seek God's input. So he was learning to take his problems, which were many, directly to God. Which is probably why his Psalms reflect such a personal relationship with God. It is in the wilderness that he learned to share with and listen to God. David sought God's counsel when he heard that the Philistines were plundering Keilah, and God told him to go and that He would give them into David's hand. When David heard that Saul and his men were coming to Keilah, David asked God if the people of the city would turn him over to Saul in order to preserve their city, and God told him they would. David was able to escape unharmed.

David was under a lot of stress. He was being pursued each and every day by a madman whose sole mission in life was to eliminate him at all costs. But God was taking care of David. He was proving to David that He was watching over him. God even used Saul's son, Jonathan, as a source of encouragement to David, assuring him that he would one day be king over Israel. "'Don’t be afraid,' Jonathan reassured him. 'My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father is well aware'" (1 Samuel 23:17 NLT). Yet in spite of all the assurances and words of encouragement, David still had to spend his days running and hiding, moving from one cave to another, trying to stay one step ahead of Saul. He was sold out on more than one occasion by the residents of the areas in which he was hiding, forcing him to move on again. Saul even appointed 3,000 trained soldiers with the task of hunting down David and his men. They scoured the wilderness in search of David. And on one such occasion, Saul actually found him. But he didn't know it. Saul stopped to relieve himself in a cave, not knowing that David and his men were hiding inside. David's men strongly encouraged David to kill Saul, insinuating that this had to be God's will because Saul had walked into the one cave in which they were hiding. But David, exhibiting the character of heart that God seemed to recognize in him, refused to life his hand against Saul. It appears that David was willing to let God take care of Saul. He was not going to step in and play god. David even grieved over having cut off a piece of the hem of Saul's robe. "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD" (1 Samuel 24:6 NLT). As far as David was concerned, Saul was still the king, and until God removed him from his throne, David was going to let God decide what to do with him. Can you imagine how hard that was for David to do? In one second he could have eliminated all his problems. He could have taken matters into his own hands and removed the biggest obstacle and threat to his life. But he chose to trust God instead. He told Saul, "May the LORD judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!" (1 Samuel 24:15 NLT). David was learning to trust God. He was learning to leave his future in God's hands and not his own. Which is a lesson we could all stand to learn. God had plans for David, and whether he enjoyed it or not, the situation in which he found himself was part of those plans. God was teaching David through the circumstances of life, molding him into the kind of man He wanted him to be.

Father, You are always teaching me. I don't always recognize it, but I know You are using every situation in my life to make me more like Your Son. Help me to be a willing and ready student. I want to learn to trust You more and more with my life and my future. Amen

What A Way To Start A Kingdom!

1 Samuel 21-22

Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him. ­– 1 Samuel 22:2 NASB

David is on the run. Saul is out to kill him and David has no choice but to high-tail it out of town. But these two chapters reveal more than David's travel itinerary during these early days as an outcast. They reveal some of his weaknesses. We get to see some areas of David's life in which God is going to have to work if David is going to be the kind of king God intends for him to be. As soon as David leaves he ends up in Nob, where he seeks aid from Ahimelech the priest. David concocts a story in order to get Ahimelech to help him and walks away with the bread of the Presence, right out of the Tabernacle, and the sword of Goliath. Jesus Himself uses this story as an example to teach that compassion for the needs of men took precedence over the legalistic adherence to the Law (Matthew 12:2; 4). But Jesus was in no way justifying David's lying. He was using the actions of Ahimelech, the priest, in feeding David, as a justification of His healing the needy on the Sabbath. David's lie would have ramifications. It would result in the senseless slaughter of Ahimelech and 84 other priests as well as the destruction of the city of Nob and all its inhabitants. David got food and a sword, but he compromised the safety of an entire town.

Next, David did something that reveals his desperation and lack of leading by God. He straps on the sword of Goliath, the Philistine champion he had killed, and heads straight to the recently deceased Philistine's hometown of Gath. We aren't told what David was thinking, but it seems insane. Which is exactly what David has to pretend he is when he gets there because the residents warn the king of Gath that he should not trust David. They know who he is and what he has done. Fearing for his life, David feigns insanity, drooling into his beard and acting like a madman. King Achish allows David to leave probably because in that culture the insane were a bad omen and avoided at all costs. From there, David flees to the cave of Adullum. Here is when things get really interesting. David, the anointed king of Israel find himself hiding in a remote cave in the wilderness of Adullum. And the passage tells us that he suddenly finds himself surrounded by a rag-tag and of misfits and malcontents. The Message describes them this way: "all who were down on their luck came around--losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts." The New American Standard describes them as the distressed, indebted, and discontented. What a way to start a kingdom! David is surrounded by people with all kinds of problems. They have been abused by Saul's reign. They have personally experienced what God had warned them about when they demanded a king (1 Samuel 8:11-18).

These early days of David's exile are not pretty. They do not paint a flattering picture of Israel's future king. But they do reflect a man who is being personally trained by God and having all his weaknesses exposed in order to transform him into the kind of king God desires. David was NOT a perfect man, but he was a man after God's own heart. He had a love for God. He had a desire to serve God. But we see that he was as flawed as the next man. He was impulsive, fearful, struggled with faith at times, and prone to fits of melancholy. But we also see that David took personal responsibility. Unlike Saul, who was always blaming everyone else for his sins, David took ownership. When he finds out that Saul has murdered Ahimelech and all the priests in Nob, David confesses to Abiathar, the lone survivor, "I have brought about the death of every person in your father’s household" (1 Samuel 22:22 NLT). We are seeing God's slow, steady transformation of a man into the kind of man He desires. Transformation requires transparency, or the exposure of our flaws. It requires brokenness so that we will learn to confess or sinfulness. It requires the removal of all the other props on which we lean, so that we will lean more and more on God. God was transforming David and He is transforming us. Can you see His hand at work? Sometimes we can't, but we can rest assured that He is always at work – using every event in our lives to do His will in our lives.

Father, thank You for Your sovereign rule and reign in my life. Thank You for reminding me that I am a work in process. You are not done with me yet. You are constantly molding and making me into the kind of man You intend for me to be. You use each and every circumstance to expose my weaknesses and failings. You are always breaking me, so that I might be more like Your Son. But You are always loving me too. You are at work in my life each and every day. Help me to see Your hand in every circumstance of life. Amen

Getting to Know God Through Adversity.

1 Samuel 20; Psalm 59

But as for me, I will sing about your power. I will shout with joy each morning because of your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety in the day of distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love. ­– Psalm 59:16-17 NLT

David knew God. When we get introduced to David for the first time in the book of 1 Samuel, he is standing before King Saul and the army of Israel telling them about the exploits he had accomplished by God's power. David had defeated a lion and a bear and knew that it was because of God the he had been able to do so. He trusted in God's power. He had experienced it first hand. He knew God to be faithful. But there was a lot about God that David didn't know. He was a young man with limited experience. He had been a shepherd, working for his father. His life experiences were limited. But God had chosen him to be the next king of Israel. He had been anointed by God for the job. But there is a big difference between being anointed and being prepared. God was going to enroll David into His School of Leadership. Not just teach him what a good king should do, but to introduce him to the one true King.

I've always found it interesting that God had Samuel anoint David to be Saul's replacement, but then left Saul on the throne. Then God removed His Spirit from Saul and placed an evil spirit on him that caused him to react in rage and anger toward David. God caused David to prosper and every time David did, Saul because increasingly angry. So much so, that he tried to pin David to a wall with a spear – twice. God was behind all of this. He could have just removed Saul from his throne and put David in his place, but God had other plans. And those plans included David going through some extremely difficult days. He would lose his position, his wife, his best friend, and ultimately, his mentor Samuel. But David would gain so much more. He was going to learn things about His God he would have learned no other way. It was going to be through adversity that David learned reliability and sovereignty of God. As David experienced the hatred of Saul and was forced to run for his life, he would find himself with nothing to trust in, except his God.

That is why David's Psalms resonate so well with most of us. They are journals of his life – intimate glimpses into those dark moments of the soul where David honestly and sometimes glaringly shares his heart. Psalm 59 is just such a Psalm. In it, David expresses his feelings as he runs from Saul and his men who want to take his life. David cries to God for deliverance. He admits that he feels like God is asleep at the wheel and unaware of his circumstances. He begs God to destroy them. But through it all, he learning things about his God that he didn't know before. He already knew God was strong. But now he is learning that there is more to God than just power. He is a God of lovingkindness and tenderness. He is a refuge or place of safety when times are tough. He is a stronghold where David can hide when his enemies are out to get him. David is learning about God as he is forced to trust and lean on God. God is using adversity to educate and prepare David for what lies ahead. His reign will be a long one, and it will be filled with ups and downs, successes and failures. David is going to need God, but more than anything else, he is going to need to KNOW God. It is in the tough times that we learn the tenderness of God. It is in the difficulties of life that we learn nothing is too difficult for God. It is in our moments of despair that we discover God is a source of hope. Our adversity is God's opportunity to reveal to us just who He is in all His glory.

Father, thank You for adversity. I don't like it, but I realize that it is in the difficulties of life that I really get to know You – IF I will learn to turn to You. David had nowhere else to turn. But when he did look for You, he always found You, because You are faithful all time time. David got to know You as he went through the difficulties of life. Help me to see You in the dark moments of my life, not just the good times. Amen

A Good God Even in the Bad Times.

1 Samuel 18-19; Psalm 11

Certainly the Lord is just; he rewards godly deed; the upright will experience his favor. ­– Psalm 11:7 NET

The life of David is a roller-coaster ride filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, thrills and chills that can leave you feeling exhausted just reading about it. Here was a young shepherd boy who was thrust into the limelight one day and his life would never be the same. After his miraculous defeat of Goliath, he found himself employed by the king. He was working for the very man he was to one day replace. And while David had been anointed by Samuel as Saul's replacement, God was not going to allow him to have the throne right away. Instead, God was going to allow David to work for Saul, learning to serve someone who would grow increasingly hostile toward him. If you think you've ever had a bad employer, consider David. I can't think of one boss that I have had who tried to kill me! But Saul tried to personally murder David twice by throwing spears at him in fits of rage. He also tried to have him murdered on numerous occasions. But God protected David each and every time.

David was doing everything he was asked to do by Saul. He fought for him and won. He did exactly what Saul asked to win his daughter's hand in marriage. He served faithfully, but in return all he got in return was anger (1 Samuel 18:8), suspicion (1 Samuel 18:9), fear (1 Samuel 18:12), dread (1 Samuel 18:15), and a life-long enemy (1 Samuel 18:29). Yet David prospered because God was with him. In spite of the circumstances surrounding him and the difficult situation in which he found himself, David was blessed by God. Jonathan, the king's son, loved him and protected him. His wife Michal, the king's daughter, was willing to lie for him in order to protect him. The people highly esteemed him. Why? Because God's hand was on David.

Even when things got really bad and Saul sent men to murder David in his own home, David escaped and ran away to hide with Samuel, the prophet who had anointed him to be the future king. Saul sent me to kill David, but God intervened, turning the would-be murderers into prophets of God. This happened three different times. They came with one intention, but God changed their minds and their motives. Even when Saul came personally to take David's life, he too ended up prophesying instead of murdering. God had stepped in. He was going to protect His own. No one could do to David anything God would not allow. And these early days of David's life were going to be a schoolroom where David would learn the faithfulness of God. Psalm 11 was most likely written at this time. In his time of difficulty and loss, David was learning just how trustworthy his God was. David was under siege, but he had a shelter in God. David had a mortal enemy, but he had a protector in God. David had a king who wanted him dead and would not stop at anything to see it happen, but he had a heavenly king seated on His throne who would guarantee that it not happen. It was the very circumstances in which David found himself that allowed him to learn the truth about his God. Our difficulties are God's opportunities. It is in the dark moments that we get to see the light of God shine brightest. David's greatest days were ahead of him. But he would have to navigate the dark days of the present with the light of God's prevailing presence. We best learn to trust God when we find ourselves in situations that demand we have to.

Father, You are always there. Even when I can't see You at work, You are. You are always behind the scenes doing what only You can do. Help me to continue to learn to trust You regardless of the circumstances. Nothing is too difficult for You.  Amen

Looks Can Be Deceiving.

1 Samuel 16-17

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions." ­– 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

The story of Saul is the story of a man who looked like a king, but who failed to live like one. He had all the outward characteristics of a leader. He was tall, handsome, a warrior, and yet, he ended up being rejected by God because he was disobedient to God. He was a lousy leader because he was a lousy follower. This entire story of Saul and David seems to be filled with references to appearance, and I don't think it's just coincidence. When Samuel is sent by God to the house of Jesse to look for the one He has chosen to be Saul's replacement, looks play a significant part. God assured Samuel, "I have selected a king for Myself among his sons" (1 Samuel 16:1), but He didn't tell him how he would recognize the one chosen. So all Samuel had to go on was appearance. He was looking for someone who looked like a king. And as Jesse paraded his sons by the prophet one at a time, Samuel began choosing based on appearance. As soon as Eliab, the firstborn came into view, Samuel said, "This has got to be the one!" He had all the outward qualities of a king. We aren't given a detailed description of Eliab, but he was most likely tall, handsome, strong, and a warrior. Much like Saul had been. But Samuel hasn't seemed to learn from the lesson with Saul. God rejects Eliab and informs Samuel that He is looking for something more. He is looking beneath the surface. His interest is in the heart. He doesn't need a man with strength and the right kind of leadership skills. He needs a man with the right kind of heart. So he rejects the sons of Jesse one at after the other. Until He gets to David, the youngest. The likelihood of David being selected was so low that he had not even been brought by Jesse to appear before the prophet. He was out tending sheep. And the passage tells us that David was not only young, but "he had red hair and beautiful eyes and pleasing looks" (1 Samuel 16:12 BBE). David was a red-headed, pretty boy Jewish kid. He didn't look like a king or a warrior. But God told Samuel, "This is the one; anoint him!" (1 Samuel 16:12 NLT).

In chapter 17 we have the well-known story of David and Goliath, and once again appearance plays a major part. We get a detailed description of the Philistine champion, Goliath. He is huge, a giant of a man with superhuman strength and a personality to match. He is intimidating in all his armor as he shouts insult at the Israelites day after day. Everything about this guy is bigger than life, including his armor and weapons. And no one is willing to standagainst him. Not even Saul, who stood head and shoulders above anyone else in Israel. Then in comes David, the harp-playing shepherd boy from Bethlehem. By all appearances, he is no match for this warrior from Gath. But he has something going for him that no one else can see. He has a heart for God and the faith of a man who trusts in God. He is also anointed with the Spirit of God. But when Saul looks at David, all he sees is a boy. Yet David is brimming with confidence, not in himself, but in his God. David boldly informs Goliath, "you come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty – the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied" (1 Samuel 17:45 NLT). We all know how the story ends. David defeated Goliath with nothing more than a sling and a stone. But the truth is, David had so much more than a rock and piece of leather. He had God. More than that, he had confidence in God. He had a heart that understood the power and presence of God. He had might and right on His side. So he had nothing to fear.

Looks can be deceiving. Appearance can be misleading. But God looks at the heart. Because that's where reality is. It's what's inside that really counts.

Father, You aren't impressed with appearances. You don't need me to be strong to accomplish great things in me or through me. If fact, You seem to prefer that I am weak, so that You can prove Your strength through me. Help me to learn to stop looking at the outside and to start looking at the inside. Give me an internal perspective. Give me a greater concern about my heart than the way I appear.  Amen

We Tend To Make Lousy Kings.

1 Samuel 14-15

"I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has again refused to obey me." Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the LORD all night. ­– 1 Samuel 15:11 NLT

Saul had been appointed and anointed king by God. But he somehow forgot the source of his authority and began to believe that he had made himself king. He began to read his own press clippings and bask in the glory of his own reputation. Saul, although reluctant to be king at the start, had begun to get used to his new role. He had begun to like being king. But he forgot that God was His ultimate ruler and authority. God is the one who had put him on the throne and God could remove him at any time. But somewhere along the way Saul began to confuse his authority with God's. He began to believe that he could act apart from God's will and do things his own way. And his victories seemed to assure him that he was right. In chapter 14 Saul had put the peopleunder an oath not to eat anything until they had completely defeated the Philistines. This man-made rule would lead to some significant problems. First of all, it left his own army undernourished and exhausted so that they could not fully carry out their rout of the enemy. And it ultimately led the people to violate the command of God when they, famished and exhausted, slaughtered some of the livestock taken as spoil and ate the meat with the blood – in direct violation of God's law (Leviticus 3:17). And worse yet, Saul's own son Jonathan, who had been away fighting the enemy, unknowingly broke his father's rule by eating honey.

Whenever we try to be the king of our own lives, we can end up making some really bad decisions. Motivated by greed, ruled by our own passions, and focused on our own selfish desires, we can tend to lose sight of reality. When things go wrong, we tend to blame others. We pass the buck. We rationalize and justify our own actions, because we begin to believe that we really are king. We can't be wrong. This is exactly what happened to Saul. When the people sinned by eating the meat with the blood, he sought to find a scapegoat, someone to blame for the calamity. And he vowed to kill whoever was responsible. When he sought a word from God and didn't hear anything, he didn't blame his own sin and impulsive behavior, he looked for someone else to hang the problem on. And when it turned out to be his own son who had violated his precious oath, he treated his own word with the same weight as God's command and was ready to put his own son to death. What arrogance. What pride. It was only the words of his own men that kept Saul from carrying out his plan.

Saul had become highly selective in his obedience to God. He obeyed when it was convenient. But most of the time he did what HE wanted to do. And in chapter 15 we see the culmination of his arrogant behavior. God clearly instructs Saul to completely wipe out the Amalekites for their opposition to the Israelites when they first entered the Promised Land. But instead of obeying God completely, Saul decides to do things his way. He captures the king of Amalekites alive and then allows the people to keep the best of the spoil for themselves. "Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs––everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality" (1 Samuel 15:7-9 NLT). In other words, Saul partially obeyed. He conveniently obeyed. And his actions caused God to reject him as king. Saul defended his actions. He justified his decisions. And when God refused to accept his excuses, Saul blamed others for his own sin. He even tried to appease God by offering sacrifices to Him from the very spoil he had taken against God's commands. And God's response? "What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you from being king" (1 Samuel 15:22-23 NLT).

Saul had played king and lost his throne. He had attempted to rule his own life and put a higher priority on his own word and will than God's. And as a result, he lost his kingship. Are you on your own throne today? Are you attempting to rule your own life? Or is God on the throne of your life? Saul made a lousy king, but so do we.

Father, You are king and no one else. But I so often try to be my own king and rule my own life. I justify my actions and demand that others obey my commands. I want to dictate how my life should go. I want to do what I want to do – so much so that I end up disobeying what You tell me to do. So I am a lot like Saul in many ways. Help me to see my sin and turn from ruling my own life back to You. I want You to rule and reign over every area of my life Lord. Amen

When Looks Aren't Enough.

1 Samuel 12-13

But be sure to fear the LORD and sincerely worship him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. ­– 1 Samuel 12:24 NLT

Saul was now king and he looked the part. He was tall, good looking, and a natural-born warrior. But God was looking for more than appearance. He was looking for obedience. Samuel made this clear in his address to the people. He reminded them of the faithfulness of God and all He had done for them over the years. He had rescued them from Egypt and delivered them to the promised land. But they had forgotten all about God. And this latest episode – their demand for a king – was the latest in a long list of offenses against God. Saul told them, "…you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the LORD your God was already your king" (1 Samuel 12:12 NLT). And God had gone ahead and given them their king. But Saul also warned them that having a king would not be enough. They would still have to be obedient to God.

Now if you will fear and worship the LORD and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the LORD’s commands, and if you and your king follow the LORD your God, then all will be well. But if you rebel against the LORD’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors. – 1 Samuel 12:14-15 NLT

Saul pleads with them to follow the Lord with all their hearts. He warns them not to turn aside and go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue them. That has been their track record for generations. And having a king was not going to change that. No more than having judges had changed that. Saul reminds them that God will never completely forsake them, because of His concern for His own name. But He will allow them to reap the consequences of their disobedience if they forsake Him again. "But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be destroyed" (1 Samuel 12:25 NLT).

And it doesn't take long for things to go south for the people of Israel. Their new king reveals his true heart in just a matter of days. His actions expose the real nature of his character. And good looks is not enough to cover up what is going on inside the man. Saul had been given instructions by Samuel to go down to Gilgal and wait for him there. Saul obeyed, but when he arrived, he was faced with some difficult circumstances. Jonathan, his son, had led a group of men in a battle against the Philistine garrison at Geba and won. But this little victory had stirred up a hornet's nest of trouble. The Philistines were now massing for war against the Israelites and the people were in a panic. So much so, that many of them were running away and hiding in caves. Others had fled across the Jordan into Gad and Gilead. Saul had a real problem on his hands. He was outnumbered and under-equipped for war. The Philistines had chariots and weapons. His troops had farming implements to fight with. So when Saul arrived at Gilgal and Samuel didn't arrive on time, he took matters into his own hands. He decided to offer up sacrifices to God on his own – refusing to wait for Samuel and disobeying his orders (1 Samuel 10:8). What had Samuel said to the people? "But if you rebel against the LORD’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors" (1 Samuel 12:15 NLT). Saul made excuses and tried to defend his actions. He attempted to explain that the circumstances demanded that he act as he did. But Samuel wasn't buying it. His reaction clearly indicates that he knew the real problem – Saul's heart. He didn't have a heart for God and it showed up in his disobedience. "But now your dynasty must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already chosen him to be king over his people, for you have not obeyed the LORD’s command" (1 Samuel 13:14 NLT). Saul had a heart problem. He looked like a king, but he didn't know how to act like a king. Because he lacked the inner character and heart of a man who loved God and was willing to obey Him in spite of the circumstances surrounding him. Rather than trust God and obey Samuel's command, Saul had taken matters into his own hands. He had panicked and disobeyed. And as a result, he lost his kingdom and his kingship.

God deserves our allegiance. He deserves our obedience. He has done nothing to warrant our constant turning from Him to other things for our hope, happiness, deliverance or comfort. He only asks that we obey Him. He asks that we serve Him. He asks that we put Him first in our lives. Is that too much to ask after all He has done for us? Saul's reign was dependent on his obedience. His ability to obey was directly tied to the condition of his heart. He didn't really know God or trust Him. He was not a man after God's own heart. And it showed.

Father, You are looking for men and women after Your own heart. You want obedience. You are not impressed with outward appearance and the level of our capabilities. You look at the heart. You look into the inside and determine the true worth of a man or woman. May we be men and women after Your own heart. May we love what You love and hate what You hate. May we learn to trust You more, regardless of the circumstances that surround us. Amen

Long Live the King!

1 Samuel 10-11

Then Samuel said to all the people, "This is the man the LORD has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is his equal!" And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!" ­– 1 Samuel 10:24 NLT

For the first time in their long and somewhat checkered history, Israel has a king. And the people rejoice. This is a significant turning point in the story of the people of Israel, because up until this point, God had been their king. He had been their sovereign rule, deliverer, leader, protector, and provider. But the people had rejected God as their king. Samuel makes this quite clear when he addresses the people on the day Saul was revealed as their king. "But today you have rejected your God who saves you from all your trouble and distress. You have said, 'No! Appoint a king over us' (1 Samuel 10:19 NET). Saul was obviously chosen by God. He was handpicked by God as the answer to the peoples' demand for a king. And he appears to be a good choice at the onset. He appears humble, hardworking, a capable leader, and has the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He handles his first crisis calmly and effectively in defeating the Ammonites. He treats even his detractors with patience and self-control, ensuring unity in a time when the nation of Israel was divided.

Chapter 11 ends with the people offering sacrifices to God and rejoicing greatly over the latest turn of events. They have the king they wanted. All is well in Israel. But we know that's not the end of the story. Thing are off to a great start with Saul, but it won't take long for all that to change. We cannot lose sight of the fact that God was their real king. Saul was a poor substitute for God. Yes, he was appointed by God, anointed by Saul, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, but he was still a man. An imperfect man whose flaws would eventually show up. Every king Israel ever had was marked by flaws. Some were faithful to Yahweh. Others were unfaithful. But all were human and sinful. Yet they were God's viceroys, His agents and representatives here on earth. They were to answer to Him. They were to rule on His behalf and at His pleasure. They ruled and reigned only as long as God allowed them to. And Saul would be the first illustration of this sometimes tenuous relationship.

"Long live the king!" What if this had been the cry of the people regarding God Himself? What if the people had learned to acknowledge God as their one true king? Obviously, God was not surprised by the peoples' demand for a king. God had already planned for this to happen. He had ordained the reigns of David and Saul. He was already aware that there would be a whole line of kings who would rule unfaithfully and lead the people into idolatry. He knew the kingdom would one day split. God was in control. He was still king, whether the people admitted it or not. He would always be king. He is always in control. And He is always trying to get His people to realize it. So that we might one day say, "Long live the king!"

Father, You are the one true king. Forgive us for the many times we forget that and bow down to other kings and powers in our lives. We sometimes crown ourselves as the kings of our lives. But like Saul, we make lousy kings. Help us to recognize Your power and bow down before You shouting, "Long live the king!" and really mean it. Amen

The High Cost of Compromise and Conformity.

1 Samuel 7-9

But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. "Even so, we still want a king," they said. "We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will govern us and lead us into battle." ­– 1 Samuel 8:19-20 NLT

Twenty years pass. The Ark, returned from the Philistines, remains at Kiriath-jearim instead of in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. The Philistines remained a constant threat during those years and the people began to long after the Lord. There seemed to be a growing interest in the things of God during those years and so Samuel calls the people to renew their dedication to God as the one true God. He calls them to return and repent. He demands that they get rid of all the other gods they have been worshiping and to direct their hearts toward God alone. The people obey. They remove the foreign gods. The confess their sins before God. Then God gives them a great victory over the Philistines. And He continues to suppress the Philistines all the days that Samuel judged the nation of Israel. Things seemed to be looking up. But there was still a heart problem going on in Israel. Things were not as they seemed. They may have gotten rid of their foreign gods on the surface, but they were still worshiping something other than God. They were still being influenced by the nations around them.

Years later, after Samuel had gotten old, the problem surfaces. For all their talk of serving God alone, the people finally come out and admit that they would really have a human king than a heavenly one. They demand that Samuel anoint a king over them. He is appalled. He can't believe what he is hearing. After all these years and all that God had done for them, they are telling God they prefer someone else to lead them. Samuel attempts to talk them out of it, but the people refuse to listen. God tells Samuel what the problem is: "…it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer" (1 Samuel 8:7 NLT). The people were rejecting God as their king. They wanted "a king like all the other nations have" (1 Samuel 8:5 NLT). They had looked around them and seen how the other nations lived. They had seen that they all had kings and were ruled by some human leader who judged them, led them, and fought their battles for them. The bottom line was that they wanted to be like all the other nations (1 Samuel 8:19). They wanted to conform to the world around them. They were tired of being different. They were not satisfied with having God as their king. They couldn't see God. They had a hard time understanding God. He didn't rule like the other kings. He didn't lead like the other kings. Sure, He had given them victory over the Philistines, but that was not enough. The people were rejecting God. They may have gotten rid of their idols, but their hearts were far from God.

So God surprises Samuel by telling him to listen to the demands of the people. He instructs Samuel to do just what the people say. He agrees to give them a king, but warns them that there will be ramifications. He is going to give them a king "just like all the other nations" and it will not all be positive. They are going to get just what they asked for and more. But in spite of God's warnings, the peoples' demands grow stronger. They want a king. Which sets the stage for the appointment of Saul – "the most handsome man in Israel––head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land" (1 Samuel 9:2 NLT). Tall, good looking, the epitome of a king, Saul had all the right qualifications. His dad was a "mighty man of valor." He came from good stock. He looked the part. He was just the kind of man that any nation would want as their king. But there was something missing. A heart for God. The peoples' rejection of God and demand for a king would result in a man ruling over them who shared their disdain for God. He would prove to be in love with himself and his own press clippings. He would prove to be a king who did not need God.

And it all began with a growing love affair with the world. They couldn't keep their eyes off the world around them. They began to compromise and conform. They were not content being unique, set apart, a people committed to God and His ways. They wanted more. They saw what the rest of the world had and they wanted it. They took their eyes off God and their hearts followed. Their revival and repentance had turned to rejection. God alone was not enough. That is a danger we constantly face even as believers today. But He calls us to commitment not compromise. He calls us to be transformed, not conformed. He demands that we be unique, set apart, a people after His own heart. But the tug of the world is strong. The call to conform is powerful. But if listened to, it always costs dearly. As we will see in the life of Saul.

Father, the call to conform is strong. Give us the strength to reject that call and not You. Keep us focused on You and You alone. The world has nothing we need. It's ways always prove themselves to be a disappointment. But You are always faithful and true. Amen

A Game of Divine Hot Potato.

1 Samuel 5-6

So they called together the rulers of the five Philistine cities and asked, "What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?" The rulers discussed it and replied, "Move it to the city of Gath." So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath. ­– 1 Samuel 5:8 NLT

This is a great story. Unless of course, you happened to be a Philistine. It seems that after the defeat of the Israelites at the hand of the Philistines and their capture of the Ark of the Covenant, things got a little hot in the city of Ashdod. That's where they took the Ark and put it only display as kind of a trophy in the temple to their own god, Dagon. During the night, the statue of Dagon took a nose dive and they found it the next morning lying prostrate before the Ark. They stood it back up and the next night it fell again. Only this time its head and hands were sheered off on the threshold. This was a divine message from God because "the hand of the Lord was heavy on the Ashdodites" (1 Samuel 5:6). And things were about to get worse. Their god was not going to be the only one to suffer. God ravaged them with tumors or emrods, a word that could have signified that God struck them with hemorrhoids! A disease you wouldn't wish on your own worst enemy. Regardless of what these tumors were exactly, they were painful and even the Philistines recognized that they were a retribution from God. So the men of the city of Ashdod hold a pow-wow and come up with a plan. They decide to get rid of the Ark by sending it to the city of Gath, another neighboring Philistine city. I've always loved this story because it reveals the heart of man – our stupidity, selfishness, and insensitivity. The men of Ashdod know full well that the Ark is the source of their problems and their pain, but they are more than willing to send it to the city of Gath so that it can become a literal pain in the rear to the people there. They just want their suffering to end, and they don't care who they hurt in order to make that happen.

The Ark arrives in the city of Gath and it isn't long before the same problems break out. The men of Gath then send the Ark to the city of Ekron. By now, the word had gotten out and when the men of Ekron see the Ark, they rightfully panic. "So the people summoned the rulers again and begged them, 'Please send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its own country, or it will kill us all.' For the plague from God had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the city" (1 Samuel 5:11 NLT). For more than seven months the Ark made its way from city to city, bringing death and destruction wherever it went. God was dealing with them harshly. So the Philistines consult with their priests and diviners, asking for their advice as to what to do. Their recommendation? Send the Ark back to Israel. Get rid of it. Give the God of Israel back His Ark along with some tokens of sacrifice and maybe He will relent on the tumors and the plague of mice that was devastating the land (1 Samuel 6:5). So the Philistines agree to send back the Ark. They load it on a cart along with some golden replicas of the tumors and mice, hitch two milk cows to the cart and send it on its way. Miraculously ignoring their calves, the cows make a bee-line to the Israelite city of Beth-shemesh. The residents of this levitical city welcome back the Ark by offering sacrifices to God. The only problem is, 70 men of the city ignore the sacredness of the Ark, look inside, and are struck dead by God. This was in direct violation of the Mosaic law prohibiting anyone from looking inside the Ark (Numbers 4:5, 20; cf. 2 Samuel 6:6-7). So the people of the city react in fear and decide to get rid of the Ark one more time. They send it on to the city of Kiriath-jearim.

As has been the base all along, we see in this story the omnipotent, sovereign hand of God at work. The Israelites attempted to use the Ark as a good luck charm, only to lose it in battle to the Philistines. But God would use these circumstances to teach the Philistines about His power. It is interesting that Dagon was their fertility god, but he lost his head and hands before God, and the land was devastated by mice, probably destroying crops and contaminating their stores of grain. But in verse 13 of chapter six, we see that harvest had come to the people of Israel. God had been blessing them while He had been destroying the people of Ashdod. In spite of Israel's sacrilegious treatment of the Ark, God faithfully returned it to them.  But He wanted them to learn to treat it and Him with a sense of holy awe and respect. It was not some good luck charm or talisman. It was a holy vessel set apart for God's use in His tabernacle. It was not to be taken lightly or treated flippantly. It belonged to God. God takes His holiness seriously, even if we don't. He demands our awe and respect, and deserves it.

Father, You are a holy God. You deserve our obedience and respect. Forgive us for taking You for granted and treating You flippantly and lightly. You are set apart. You are truly unique and one of a kind. Everything about You is holy. May we learn to treat You with the dignity and respect You deserve. But thank You for Your faithfulness in spite of our faithlessness. Amen

Where is the Glory?

1 Samuel 3-4

She named the child Ichabod – "Where is the glory?" – murmuring, "Israel’s glory is gone." She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her husband and her father–in–law were dead. ­– 1 Samuel 4:21 NLT

Chapters three and four continue to use contrasts to set the scene of what is going on in Israel during these closing days of the judges. Eli, the current judge is old and has done a poor job of judging Israel. In fact, he has done an even worse job of judging his own sons, Hophni and Phinehas. God has had to condemn them for their disobedience and immoral habits. He has pledged to punish Eli and his entire family for their failure to live in obedience to Him (1 Samuel 2:30-35). Yet in spite of all this, God Himself appears before Samuel in the tabernacle and breaks a long period of silence by opening up the lines of communication again to His people. His first assignment to Samuel, his new judge and prophet is to tell Eli, the current judge, that the judgment of God is about to come on he and his house (1 Samuel 3:11-14). It is the end of one judge's rule and the beginning of another. One is advanced in years. The other is young. One is tied to the years of rebellion associated with the people of God. The other is linked to the future of Israel and the hope that God is about to do a great thing among His people. There had been a shift in leadership and the people knew it. God had visited His people and Samuel was His new spokesman. "Samuel grew up. GOD was with him, and Samuel's prophetic record was flawless. Everyone in Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, recognized that Samuel was the real thing--a true prophet of GOD. GOD continued to show up at Shiloh, revealed through his word to Samuel at Shiloh" (1 Samuel 3:19-21 MSG).

It is interesting that after a detailed introduction to Samuel and his new role as God's mouthpiece for Israel, he disappears from the story until chapter seven. He is mentioned in verse 1 of chapter four, but then we don't hear from him again for several more chapters. Why? Again, I think it is to set up another contrast. The people of God had lost touch with God. Chapter 3, verse 1 tells us that a word from the Lord was rare in those days and that visions of God were infrequent. In other words, they were not used to hearing from God. So they didn't know what to do with Samuel. They were used to doing things their own way. Eli had provided lousy leadership, so they had developed a bad habit of self-rule and self-administration. They didn't really know or understand God. So when chapter four opens with another pending conflict with the Philistines, we find the people of God reacting in the flesh again. They go to battle with their arch enemies and lose. They immediately question why God has allowed them to lose, but never seem to ask why they never inquired of God regarding whether they should fight or not. As a remedy to their problem, the elders decide to send for the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God's power and presence, which was housed in the tabernacle. The Ark contained the ten commandments written on stone and was topped by the mercy seat where the high priest atoned for the sins of the people. They send for the Ark like it was some kind of totem or talisman for good luck. In doing so they turn it into an idol or a good luck charm. They have no idea what the real presence of God might look like. Seven times in the next few chapters we read about the Ark of the Covenant. It becomes the focus now. The people are about to learn that having the things of God is not the same as having God. The presence of the Ark was not going to save them. In fact, we read in verse 17 of chapter four the bad news that was given to Eli by a messenger, "Israel has been defeated, thousands of Israelite troops are dead on the battlefield. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed, too. And the Ark of God has been captured" (1 Samuel 4:17 NLT). Israel has been defeated, thousands are dead, including two priests of God, and worse yet, the Ark of God is now in the hands of the Philistines. At this news, Eli topples over in shock, breaking his neck and dies. The chapter ends with the birth of a son to the wife of Phinehas, one of Eli's rebellious sons. At the news of her husband's death, she goes into premature labor, and in giving birth to her son, she too dies. But not before she names her new son, Ichabod, which literally means "where is the glory?" In her mind the glory of God had departed with the loss of the Ark. Her words reflect the attitude of the people. God was gone. All was lost. But the truth is, God was far from gone. He was using these dire circumstances to reestablish Himself as Israel's King and sovereign Lord. He was in control. He was orchestrating events to accomplish His will. He used the battle with the Philistines to remove Hophni and Phinehas. He would use the capture of the Ark to defeat the Philistines. He would use the return of the Ark to bring a period of revival among the people of God. The glory of God had not departed. The people had left God long ago. He was now calling them back. Difficult times do not indicate that God has left us, but are simply opportunities to see God's power revealed among us. The capture of the Ark did not limit God's power or impact His presence. He was there. He was in control. But He needed to get their attention. Is He trying to get ours today?

Father, You are here. You are deeply engaged in the lives of Your people. We can't always see You and we don't always understand how You are working. But You are here. Open our eyes and help us recognize Your power and presence in the middle of even our darkest moments. You are not limited by circumstances, no matter how bleak they may appear to be. You are always working behind the scenes orchestrating events and situations in such a way that Your divine will is always accomplished. Give us eyes to see You clearly. Amen

A Book of Contrasts.

1 Samuel 1-2

But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the LORD was already planning to put them to death. Meanwhile, as young Samuel grew taller, he also continued to gain favor with the LORD and with the people. ­– 1 Samuel 2:25-26 NLT

The book of 1 Samuel chronicles a period of time that takes place at the tail-end of the period of the judges. Eli, has judged Israel for 40 years (1 Samuel 4:18) and represents all that is wrong with Israel. Samuel has been chosen by God to take his place. God steps into the scene of rampant disobedience and moral decay that was so clearly portrayed in the book of Judges, and graciously provides a much-needed wake-up call to the people. The first two chapters of this book present a series of contrast: Eli and Samuel, Hannah and Peninnah, and the sons of Eli and the son of Hannah. God seems to be setting the stage for change. After 350 years of moral decline and spiritual apathy, God is about to do something great.

In spite of all the spiritual decadence that seemed to mark the people of God during the period of the judges, we see in these two chapters that not everyone had abandoned God. Hannah, a barren woman with a heavy heart, is still faithful to God. She is married to Elkanah, a Levite who still faithfully sacrifices to Yahweh each year at the tabernacle in Shiloh. This man and his wife are still attempting to serve and remain faithful to Yahweh. But in contrast to this are the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. These two men represent everything that is wrong with Israel. As priests of God they should have lived lives that were set apart to God. But they lived immoral lives marked by greed, corruption, sexual promiscuity, and a total disregard for the laws of God. The text describes them as worthless men who did not know God (1 Samuel 2:12). They were literally "good for nothings." And while they obviously knew who God was, they did not recognize or acknowledge His authority over them. They were their own authority. They had no fear of God, as evidenced by their blatant abuse of the sacrificial system. They used their positions as God's priests for personal gain and to satisfy their own desires. And their father Eli did nothing to stop them, probably because he enjoyed some of the benefits of their unethical practices.

But as is always the case, God steps in. He delivers. He takes an obscure woman named Hannah who just happened to be barren and abused, and uses her to bring about His redemptive plan for the people of Israel. God reveals His strength through her weakness. He takes her moment of need and uses it to who His one-of-a-kind ability to provide for that need and so much more. Hannah prays to God. She pours out her soul to God (1 Samuel 1:15) and tells Him what is on her heart. She is so desperate to have a son that she vows to give him back to God if God will only bless her with the desire of her heart. And so God answers her prayer and gives Hannah a child. This child, Samuel, would grow up to be Israel's last judge and probably the only truly decent judge they would ever have. God met the need of Hannah, but in doing so, He was meeting the greater need of the people of Israel. God was in control. He was working His plan to perfection, orchestrating events and individuals in such a way that His will would be accomplished. Like every other book in the Old Testament we have read so far, the book of 1 Samuel is a glimpse into the character of God. It is a book of theology, not just history. More than just a collection of isolated stories, it is a revelation of God is. And nowhere do we get a better summary of His character than in the song of Hannah.

She sings of His separateness and uniqueness: "No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God" (1 Samuel 2:2 NLT). He is all-knowing: "The LORD is a God who knows your deeds; and he will judge you for what you have done" (1 Samuel 2:3 NLT). He is sovereign and controls all things: "The LORD brings both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up. The LORD makes one poor and another rich; he brings one down and lifts another up. He lifts the poor from the dust––yes, from a pile of ashes! He treats them like princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order" (1 Samuel 2:6-8 NLT). He faithfully cares for His own: "He will protect his godly ones, but the wicked will perish in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone" (1 Samuel 2:9 NLT). He is victorious: "Those who fight against the LORD will be broken. He thunders against them from heaven; the LORD judges throughout the earth. He gives mighty strength to his king; he increases the might of his anointed one" (1 Samuel 2:10 NLT).

God was not done with Israel. He was going to do great things in their midst again, in spite of their unfaithfulness. "But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always" (1 Samuel 2:35 NASB). What man could not do, God would do. When it became clear that we couldn't keep the law, God would provide One who could. When it became evident that no man could satisfy His righteous and just demands, God provided One who would. When it became apparent that no man could remain faithful and obedient, God provided One who did. Jesus Christ.

Father, You are the sovereign God of the universe and of my life. You are so in control at all times. I don't know why I worry or why I attempt to take over control of my own life at times. Your will and Your way are best. Your plans for my life are far better than anything I could ever come up with. Thank You for faithfully operating in and around my life even when I am unfaithful and unwilling to let You be so. May I grow ever more willing to let You rule and reign in every area of my life as I grow to know You better. Amen

The Providence and Grace of God.

Ruth 3-4

Then Naomi said to her, "Just be patient, my daughter, until we hear what happens. The man won’t rest until he has followed through on this. He will settle it today." ­– Ruth 3:18 NLT

There are so many great themes in the book of Ruth: Redemption, restoration, rest, faithfulness, seed, blessing, trust, provision, and sacrifice. Yet the two that jump out at me the most are the providence and grace of God. Set in the time of the Judges, the book of Ruth is like a small light shining in a very dark place. It gives us a glimpse into the activity of God in the midst of the apostasy of Israel. Ruth, a Moabitess, is shown mercy and grace by God because of her faith in Him. In fact, she exhibits more faith in God than the people of God around her. Her life is characterized by faith and integrity, trust and obedience. Over and over again she is faithful to her mother-in-law Naomi. She faithfully obeys her. She cares for her and honors her. Ruth is a picture of what God expected from His own chosen people. And in spite of all the sorrow and misery Ruth had experienced, there is clearly a picture of the sovereign hand of God over her life. He is orchestrating events in such a way that Ruth and Naomi will not only have their needs met, they will be blessed and be a blessing for generations to come. Through Ruth, this insignificant Moabite woman, would come the greatest king Israel would ever have – David. In the middle of all the rebellion and disobedience of the people, God was working His plan to raise up a true king, a man after His own heart, through whom the ultimate King would come.

In Boaz, Ruth's kinsmen-redeemer, we have a reminder of what Jesus Christ has done for us. He redeemed or bought us at great price to Himself. He purchased us and made us His own. We have gone from spiritual poverty to great wealth. We have become heirs of all that belongs to Christ Himself. We can say, along with Zechariah, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he has come to help and has redeemed his people" (Luke 1:67 NET). We have been redeemed. We have been shown grace. And like Boaz, God did so for us willingly, not begrudgingly. It was His pleasure to purchase us and make us His own. He extended grace gladly and freely. And not only that, He intends to bless others through us, just like He did Ruth. In spite of the fact that we were once strangers and aliens from God, He has made us His own. "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant" (Colossians 1:21-23 NIV).

God is providentially at work in your life, behind the scenes, orchestrating events in such a way that His divine will is accomplished in your life. He is extending grace constantly, showering you with undeserved, unearned blessings each and every day. In spite of all we see going on around us, our God rules and reigns. He is in complete control. We have nothing to fear.

Father, in the darkest times You are there. When all look hopeless, You are in complete control. When I think all is lost, You are showering me with Your grace. Open my eyes. Help me to see You in the midst of it all. Help me to trust You more. Thank You for choosing me just as Boaz chose Ruth. Thank You for sacrificing for me so that I might be blessed, but also be a blessing to others. Amen

And now for something completely different!

Ruth 1-2

So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father–in–law, Elimelech. ­– Ruth 2:2 NLT

I love how J. Vernon McGee refers to this little book of Ruth: "The Book of Ruth is a pearl in the swine pen of the judges." After all the stories of rape, murder, dismemberment, and moral decay, we are given, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this unbelievable love story. But it is much more than that. It is a preface to the much greater story of God's miraculous grace. It takes place during the period of the judges (Ruth 1;1), but gives us a different view of life during that period of time. There are those who are following after God, in spite of all that we read in the book of Judges. There are still those that are following after Yahweh. The book of Ruth also redeems the reputation of Bethlehem, soiled by the stories associated with it in the closing chapters of the book of Judges. It was important to the writer that Bethlehem be presented in a more positive light because it would become the birth place of Israel's greatest king, who would happen to be a descendant of Boaz and Ruth. So this is more than a love story, it is a picture of God's sovereign grace in the midst of His peoples' open rebellion and apostasy. He was in control. Even though the story opens up with the sad news of Naomi losing her husband and her two sons in death, it reveals that God is at work behind the scenes orchestrating His divine plan to perfection. He is in control.

So much of what we see in life appears to be chance or happenstance. We write off much of what happens to us as luck – even as Christians. In reading the story of Ruth, it is easy to do the same thing. But we must keep looking for the hand of God, operating invisibly, but persistently in the lives of these men and women. Even in the face of loss and tragedy, He is there. That Naomi and her husband moved to Moab to escape the famine in the land was not chance. That her boys married two Moabite women, and that one of them was Ruth, was anything but chance. That her boys and her husband each unexpectedly dies is not chance. That Ruth is the one who willingly offers to return to the Promised Land with her widowed mother-in-law is far from luck. And that the field that Ruth should choose to go to to glean grain to feed she and her mother-in-law happened to belong to Boaz, a relative of Naomi's deceased husband – is not just happenstance.

All of this is the sovereign hand of God in the lives of these two women. He is directing their path and preparing their way. Naomi ended up in Boaz's field because God ordained it to be. To Ruth and Naomi it all appeared like good fortune and a positive turn in their otherwise sad affairs. But it was so much more. God was doing so much greater than simply providing a meal for two destitute widows. He was preparing His plan for the future of His people – even though they were living in rebellion and disobedience. What grace! What mercy! What a God!

What is so amazing about our God is His ability to use anyone and anything to accomplish His will. Ruth was a Moabitess, not a Jew. Yet she came to love the people of God and the God of the people. She developed a fond affection for Yahweh. Her position as a Gentile and a pagan did not prevent God from using her to bring about His sovereign plan for His people and, ultimately, for mankind. Ruth, like you and I, was not deserving of God's grace. She was outside the family of God, but God included her. God used her. God blessed her. And He is doing so with you and me today.

Father, Your grace truly is amazing. Amen

Doing What Is Right In Our Own Eyes.

Judges 20-21

In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. ­– Judges 21:25 NLT

The book of Judges ends with civil war. This sad snapshot of life in the land of Israel during those days is not a pretty one. It paints a picture of moral decay and degeneracy, self-sufficiency and idol worship, sexual promiscuity and moral compromise. The people of God had failed to honor God. They did not want Him as their sovereign Lord and king. Yet they lacked real leadership among their own. And when God did raise up a leader, they refused to listen or follow. They had walked away from God and the spiral of moral decay ended in a bloody civil war with more than 65,000 Israelites dead.

Daniel I. Block describes the book of Judges in sobering tones. "No book in the Old Testament offers the modern church as telling a mirror as this book. From the jealousies of the Ephraimites to the religious pragmatism of the Danites, from the paganism of Gideon to the self-centeredness of Samson, and from the unmanliness of Barak to the violence against women by the men of Gibeah, all of the marks of Canaanite degeneracy are evident in the church and its leaders today. This book is a wake-up call for a church moribund in its own selfish pursuits. Instead of heeding the call of truly godly leaders and letting Jesus Christ be Lord of the church, everywhere congregations and their leaders do what is right in their own eyes."

Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Yet self-rule always leads to self-delusion. In the case of the Israelites, it led to further and further failure morally, corporately, and spiritually. As the people of God they had long ago lost their significance for God. They were no longer agents of change and influence for Yahweh, but had become compromised – living more like the nations around them than like a people set apart by God. They justified their sins, rationalized their idolatry, excused their behavior, ignored their failures, and embraced the culture around them. Much like we do today. That the people of God should sink so low that they would end up fighting with and killing one another is amazing. One minute they're seeking God's counsel, then the next minute they're making rash vows and coming up with their own plans to clean up the mess they make. While they feign outrage at the actions of the men of Gibeah, you never see any real signs of repentance. They're appalled at the wickedness of others – "What is this wickedness that has taken place among you?" (Judges 20:12b NASB) – but they fail to see the countless cases of their own wickedness and sin. Because they have refused to view God as their king, they have made themselves king. They are self-ruled, self-obsessed, self-centered, and self-destructive. They are destroying themselves from within.

This is indeed a wake-up call to the church of Christ today. The apostle Paul continues to issue the same wake-up call to us from his letter to the Ephesians: "For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But when the light shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are. And where your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. This is why it is said, 'Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.' So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you." (Ephesians 5:9-19 NLT).

So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise.

Father, wake up Your church. Open our eyes to the reality that we are just as self-ruled and self-destructive at times as the people of Israel were. We live too often as fools, acting as if You don't even exist and refusing to seek Your wisdom and obey Your will. We have compromised with the world and are suffering as a result. We have lost our saltiness and dimmed our light by our constant refusal to live for You. But You continue to shower us with Your grace. Don't let us take Your grace for granted. Wake us up! Make us great again. Amen

Without God as King, sin reigns.

Judges 19

Now in those days Israel had no king. ­– Judges 19:1 NLT

Four times in these closing chapters of Judges we hear this refrain regarding Israel's lack of a king. This is really the theme of this book. God, their rightful king and ruler, is no longer viewed as their sovereign Lord by the people of Israel, and it years before God will allow them to have a human king. They are, in essence, without leadership and a supreme authority in their lives. Every man did what was right in their own eyes. And chapter 19 is another illustration of just how bad things had become. "This incident shows what happens when God's people fail to acknowledge Yahweh's sovereign authority over their lives. In chapters 17—18 the result was religious apostasy (idolatry), and in chapters 19—21 it was moral degeneracy (immorality), political disintegration (anarchy), and social chaos (injustice)" – Thomas L. Constable.

The story of chapter 19 is graphic, full of scenes of sexual abuse, murder, and general social decay. Once again, our story involves a Levite, a priest who was to have been living a life set apart unto God. Yet, like the priest in chapters 17-18, he was not living in one of the cities set apart for the Levites by God, he was living in a remote area outside the hill country of Ephraim. He had also taken a concubine, rather than a wife. While women in general were held in low regard during those days, even wives, a concubine would have been viewed as little more than property – which explains the man's actions later in the story. The bottom line was that this Levite was not living in obedience to the Lord, clearly illustrating just how bad things had gotten in Israel – even the priests of God were no longer living in obedience to God. There was no moral or spiritual leadership in the country.

The man's concubine runs away, either as the result of an adulterous affair or an argument with her master. I prefer to believe it was the former. And while the punishment for unfaithfulness should have been death, the Levite runs after her in order to restore her to her former place in his home. He finds her at her father's house, and after many delays, finally begins the journey home with his concubine in tow. They stop for the night in Gibeah, where they hoped to find hospitality and a room for the night. But instead, they find no one willing to provide them safe shelter, until an old man, a visitor to the city, offers to put them up for the evening. It's interesting that Gibeah is the hometown of Israel's future first king, Saul. The lack of hospitality of the city's residence and their immoral treatment of the Levite and his concubine are probably a subtle jab at Saul by the book's author.

The similarities in this story between the events that took place in Sodom when the angels went there to rescue Lot are intentional. The residence of the city of Gibeah had sunken so low that they were morally no better than Sodomites. The men of the city surround the house. "They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man, 'Bring out the man who is staying with you so we can have sex with him'" (Judges 19:22 NLT). This is almost word for word the exchange that took place between the residents of Sodom and Lot regarding the angels he was hosting in his home. In keeping with Lot's response, the old man hosting the Levite and his concubine offers to give the men his own virgin daughter and the Levite's concubine to assuage their sexual demands. But the men refuse the offer. In desperation, the Levite throws his concubine out the door in hopes of preventing his own rape at the hands of these men. His treatment of the "woman he loved" reveals the general low regard this culture had of women. She is gang raped by the men and left for dead on the doorstep, where the Levite finds her the next morning. He takes her body and returns home. Now the story gets really graphic. He dismembers her body into twelve pieces, sending one piece, along with a note, to every tribe in Israel.

While the Levite's bizarre actions would result in uniting the tribes of Israel for the first time since the death of Joshua, it would have been more proper to give her a decent burial. His disregard and show of disrespect for her body are shocking to our sense, and would have been so to the author's original readers. Yet, he got the desired result. When the "message" was delivered to each of the tribes, graphically showing what had happened in Gibeah, among their own people, the general response was the same: "Has such a thing as this ever happened from the time the Israelites came up from the land of Egypt until now? Think about it! Talk it over. Do something!" (Judges 19:31 MSG). Even in their moral numbness, the people were shocked at what had happened in Gibeah. In spite of all the moral decay that had taken place since the days of the Exodus, this was deemed the worst thing that had happened. It reminds me of the words of Paul in his letter to the Romans. "That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved" (Romans 1:26-27 NLT). Whenever God is no longer looked to as king and Lord, moral decay is not far behind. We see this perfectly illustrated in our own day. God has been rejected by our society and the result has been a steady decline in our moral standards. We have no spiritual compass. Everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. Sexual sin is not only rampant, it is celebrated, on TV, in the media, and in music. The sexual exploits of sports and movie stars are all over the Internet and the news. This story in the book of Judges would be considered light fare on the average cable network, when compared with the normal programming available during prime time. The people of Israel had become completely "Canaanized" and so have we. We are calloused to the sin that surrounds us. We wink at the immorality that pervades our society. We are no longer shocked. It all reminds me of the words of God found in the book of Jeremiah regarding the people of God. "Are they ashamed when they do these disgusting things? No, not at all––they don’t even blush!" (Jeremiah 8:12 NLT). When we fail to acknowledge God as king of our lives, we too will forget how to blush. We will reject His standards. We will ignore His ways. We will learn to justify our actions and rationalize our behavior. We will become our own kings, doing what is right in our own eyes.

Father, You are to be the King of my life. But I fail to recognize You as King so often. I ignore Your commands and I disrespect Your authority over my life. Forgive me. Open my eyes and let me see that I cannot live as the king of my own life without seeing and experiencing the same level of moral decay the Israelites did. It is inevitable. Help me keep You as King of my life, allowing You to sovereignly rule and reign over my life. Amen

Who Is Like Yahweh?

Judges 17-18

They worshiped Micah’s carved image the whole time God’s authorized shrine was in Shiloh. ­– Judges 18:31 NET

You could almost call these two chapters "The Real Lives of Ephraim County." Beginning in chapter 17, the writer of the book of Judges begins to give us a glimpse into what was really going on in the lives of the people of God out in the villages and cities scattered throughout the Promised Land. Things were not good. The spiritual apostasy of the people is rampant. They have turned from God and are living disobedient lives marked by idolatry and self-rule. Everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6). The writer makes note of the fact that there was no king in Israel. This statement raises the fact that the people had rejected God as their king, and because there was no human king to rule them, there was no one to enforce the laws of God. So everyone made up their own laws and lived according to their own agenda. And Micah is a perfect example.

It's ironic that Micah's name means "Who Is Like Yahweh?" And based on the story, the answer seems to be, "No one." Micah is not a judge. He is simply an unknown Israelite who is given as a concrete example of all that is wrong with the people of God. His life is put before us like a reality TV show, revealing all the warts and flaws, illustrating just how bad things have gotten in Israel. The story starts out with Micah having stolen a large sum of money from his own mother. When he finds out she has placed a curse on the thief, he confesses and returns the money. Trying to stave off the effects of the curse, she dedicates the money to God, but then only gives a small portion of it to have an idol made. Micah ends up putting the idol in his home, along with an ephod he made (for divination purposes), and builds his own shrine to house it all. Then he makes one of his own sons his personal priest. All the while he lived in close proximity to the tabernacle in Shiloh! On top of all this, Micah ends up hiring a wandering Levite to be his personal priest.

Every character in this story is spiritually bankrupt. Jonathan, the Levite, is wandering around looking for a place to live, rather than obediently living in one of the cities God had provided for the Levites. He seems directionless and unwilling to live according to the rules God has established for him. Jonathan gladly takes the offer from Micah and ends up serving as a priest in what amounts to a pagan temple. As a Levite, he should have known the commands of God, and in serving in Micah's home as his personal priest, he was breaking the law of God. "Cursed is anyone who carves or casts idols and secretly sets them up. These idols, the work of craftsmen, are detestable to the LORD.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’" (Deuteronomy 27:15 NLT).

Into the story come the Danites. This tribe had been allotted land just like all the other tribes, but had failed to occupy it, allowing the Amorites to chase them from it. So rather than obediently and faithfully fight for the land given to them by God, they were searching for other land. When they arrive at Micah's home and see his priest, idols, and ephod, they determine to steal them and make them their own. How bad can it get? They had already refused to obey God. Now they were stealing an illegal priest from a idol-worshiping Jew in order to gain some kind of favor so they could take over a land that wasn't even given to them by God! The Danites end up defeating the people of Laish in the north. They would make this their home and it would become a hot-bed of idolatry for years to come. They would also set up their own place of worship there, in direct competition with the tabernacle.

"This whole story of Micah and the Danites illustrates the terrible spiritual apostasy that corrupted Israel during the age of the judges. Even the grandson (or descendant) of Moses took leadership in it. It was no wonder that Israel had trouble with her external enemies (chs. 3—16) since she was so spiritually corrupt internally (chs. 17—18) – Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Judges. Who is like Yahweh? According to this story, no one. The people of God were not living for Him. Their lives did not reflect their position as His people. They were not living according to their calling. They had become "Canaanized" or totally absorbed into the culture around them. Any distinctiveness they once had was gone. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. They were self-ruled, self-absorbed, and self-centered. They worshiped their own will and their own way. They didn't know God or worship Him. So they didn't feel any need to obey Him. But is it that much different today? We live in a world where everyone is doing what is right i their own eyes. Even within the church at times. We have our own set of idols we worship. We have other "shrines" we turn to for help and hope. Our world revolves around us. We think we know what is best. But the question is "Who is like Yahweh?"

Father, I want to be like You. I want my life to reflect that I am Your son. I want the world to know that I worship You and You alone. But so often, I lose my distinctiveness by falling in love with my own agenda and buying into the world system that surrounds me. Raise up a generation of men and women who will live for You. And let me be one of them. Amen

Failure to Separate.

Judges 16

Finally, Samson told her his secret. "My hair has never been cut," he confessed, "for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else." ­– Judges 16:17 NLT

The end of Samson's life is marked by victory and tragedy. It contains the most famous of his exploits, but also a vivid picture of his failure to remain separated to God. From the day of his conception, he had been set apart by God for His service. God had instructed his parents to make him a Nazarite from the day he was born. There were very strict requirements on anyone taking the Nazarite vow.

If some of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the LORD in a special way, they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. They must not use vinegar made from wine, they must not drink other fermented drinks or fresh grape juice, and they must not eat grapes or raisins. As long as they are bound by their Nazirite vow, they are not allowed to eat or drink anything that comes from a grapevine, not even the grape seeds or skins. They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the LORD. That is why they must let their hair grow long. And they may not go near a dead body during the entire period of their vow to the LORD, even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister has died. They must not defile the hair on their head, because it is the symbol of their separation to God. This applies as long as they are set apart to the LORD. – Numbers 6:2-8 NLT

It seems that Samson wasted little time violating just about every one of them. He regularly defiled himself through sexual immorality, alcohol, by touching dead bodies, and associating with the enemies of God. We have seen how he was driven by his passions and lusts. He had failed miserably at remaining separated to God by his actions. The only thing left was the outward symbol of his separation, and that was his long hair. It had not been cut since the day he was born. Evidently, Samson's remarkable strength, showcased in this chapter, was not the result of a massive physique. He probably did not appear physically strong, or the Gazites would not have paid to find out the source of his strength. His strength was miraculous and God-given. It was a result of God's Spirit resting upon him. But chapter 16 reveals Samson's final compromise. Driven once again by his physical urges, he finds yet another woman who seduces him from following God's plan for his life. And as before, she ends up being from the enemy camp. This time, his literal love affair with the world would result in his separation from God, and ultimately the loss of his strength, his enslavement, and his death.

Samson was unwilling to remain dedicated to God. His insatiable sexual appetite would cause him to compromise his position as God's elect. He would end up selling out and giving up his role as God's deliverer. It wasn't so much that his hair was the source of his strength. It was that his hair was the symbol of his separation – which illustrated that he belonged to God – who was ultimately the source of his strength. There were multiple times during his life that Samson should have shaved his head because he had been defiled. There was a ritual he should have followed to restore himself to a right relationship with God. But he had failed to do so. I think that this chapter reveals how God was going to force Samson to keep his commitment by having his pagan wife betray him and shave his head for him. What Samson was unwilling to do on his own, his Philistine wife would unknowingly force him to do. The loss of his hair symbolically separated him from God. Sacrifice would have to be made to restore him to a right relationship with God. Repentance would have to be shown. Normally this would be in the form of a sacrifice in the temple. But in Samson's life it would be his very own life. Samson would end up giving his own life as a sacrifice to God – defeating the enemies of God yet again, but giving his life at the same time.

Samson's life is one marked by great victories, but personal defeats as well. He had failed to remain separated to God. His life was marked by constant failure to separate. Yet he is listed in the great Hall of Faith chapter in Hebrews 11. In spite of his shortcomings, he was used by God. He is a lesson to all of us as Christians how God wants to set us apart for His use, but how easy it is to let the things of this world distract us and destroy our effectiveness. But God, in His faithfulness, still uses us. It is ultimately His Spirit and His power that allows us to accomplish anything of significance for Him. But what if we chose to remain faithful, full separated, and sold out to His cause. What more could He do with men and women who are fully His?

Father, I want to live a life that is separated to You for Your use and Your glory. Thank You for using me in spite of me, but continue to show me how to live increasingly more dedicated to You and not me. I want my life to be marked by separation to You, not from You. Amen

Samson: A Snapshot of Israel.

Judges 14-15

So three thousand men of Judah went down to get Samson at the cave in the rock of Etam. They said to Samson, "Don’t you realize the Philistines rule over us? What are you doing to us?" ­– Judges 15:11 NLT

What a fascinating story. No other judge receives the attention given to Samson in the chronicles of the judges. His story lasts several chapters and is filled with intriguing and somewhat confusing dichotomies. On the one hand, Samson is set apart by God, his very birth miraculous – the result of the intervention of God. Yet his life is marked by repeated violations of his Nazarite vow and more of a devotion to his own passions and physical appetites than to the will of God. In so many ways, Samson is a reflection of the people of God. They too had been set apart by God. They had been chosen by Him and set apart for a special purpose. Yet their entire history up to this point had been marked by the breaking of their covenant with God and a love affair with the things of this world. Samson's attraction to the Philistine woman is purely physical. He is driven by his passions. As were the Israelites. His eating of the honey he found in the lion's carcass was a direct violation of his Nazarite vow, but once again, he let his appetite overshadow his calling and commitment to God. He even gave some of the honey to his parents, so that they unknowingly defile themselves by eating food that had been contaminated by a dead body.

The interesting thing is how often Samson was used by God in spite of his impetuousness and impertinence. Several times we read that he was filled with the Spirit of God. It seems that God was going to use this rash young man to accomplish His will regardless of Samson's willingness to live a life set apart to God. But God had been using rebellious Israel to accomplish His will as well. He would even use this stubborn, rebellious people to bring about the birth of the Messiah. You see throughout the story of Samson the providence of God, but it is clouded by the sad state of the people of Israel and the disappointing actions of the man, Samson. Any victories Samson has over the Philistines have less to do with his obedience to the will of God than his sinful reactions to wrongs done against him. And every battle he fights is alone. He never leads the people of God in battle against the enemy. In fact, you see the people of God cowering under the oppressive hand of the Philistines. They even refer to the Philistines as their rulers (Judges 15:11). These are sad days for Israel. And Samson does little to bring light into the darkness. Without the power and providence of God there would be nothing of redeeming value in these chapters.

Samson is a picture of so many of us today as believers. We are set apart by God. We are even filled with the Spirit of God. We have been given a task by God. Yet we live much of our lives controlled by our passions and driven by our appetites. We are controlled more by our own desires than the will of God for our lives. We demand of God what we think we need to have to make us happy. We are impetuous. We are impulsive. We break our commitments to God on a regular basis. And yet God still seems to use us. In spite of us.

Chapter 15 ends with the statement that Samson had judged Israel for 20 years. During that time he was used by God to destroy many of the Philistines. But in doing so he also violated his Nazarite vow, compromised his own parents' moral integrity, continually allowed his appetites to determine his actions, attempted to accomplish God's will using less-than-godly means, etc. His use of the jawbone of a donkey to slay the Philistines is an example of this last one. In picking up the jawbone of the dead animal, he violated his vow and made himself impure. And when he was done he gave the jawbone more credit than God Himself. He treated God as his own servant instead of the other way around. When he had killed 1,000 Philistines, he became thirsty and demanded that God give him something to drink. And God graciously did. The grace of God flows throughout this entire story. He is gracious with Samson and He is continually gracious with the people of Israel. Samson was not unlike us. Yes, he had supernatural power at his disposal, but so do we. His birth was miraculous and God-ordained, but so was our new birth. He was called by God to serve Him and accomplish great tasks for Him, but so are we. As we read his life, may we catch a glimpse of our own. May we see his weaknesses and God's strength. May we learn from his failures and recognize that any of his success, like ours, are the result of God's gracious intervening power.

"The pressures which Samson faced make him a contemporary figure. Twentieth-century Christians face the danger of assimilation, of being slowly and imperceptibly squeezed into the mold of the world around us. Therefore, what God did with and through Samson has a special meaning for our times." – Gary Enrig, Hearts of Iron. Feet of Clay.

Father, I am a modern-day Samson, squandering my calling and using my God-given power in ways that are so far beneath Your expectations. I have compromised my calling and my status as one of Your called out ones. Yet You continue to use me – in spite of me. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. Show me how to live as I've been called, fully controlled by Your Spirit instead of my own selfish desires and passions. Amen