Book of 1 Samuel

The Judgment of A Holy God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Judgment for Saul’s Transgressions

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 31, Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 1, Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 10

In the end we see that King Saul’s life was a tragedy and his death as the closing scene of the life of a man who refused to be obedient to the Lord.

In this study of the First Book of Samuel we can see that there is nothing more certain in this life than the Word of God!

Whatever God has said is the truth and will take place!

Heaven and Earth will certainly pass away, but the Word of God will never pass away.

So it is with the “judgment of God”!

When God says judgment is coming, then judgment is certainly coming!

Because God is a holy God, He must judge all that is unholy, or He would no longer be holy Himself!

Judgment is a necessary expression of God’s character; however God’s judgment is always fair!

Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

Some of that judgment will come during this Church Age as there has been some of God’s judgment in every age.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

However this is not the final judgment begins with the return of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is Our Lord Jesus who will render God’s judgment, when He returns!

Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Mat 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

So let us look at the judgment of God against Saul.

*1Sa 31:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
1Sa 31:2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.

We should remember that Jonathan was David’s best friend and Jonathan would have helped David to be the next king if he could have.

Much of Israel would have insisted that Jonathan be the next king and there would have been division in the people of Israel.

We see the evidence of what happens, as today America is more divided than we have ever been because of sinful politics and wicked politicians and corruption.

Yes, the swamp does actually exist

The very people who are saying that conservative thinking people will destroy democracy are the ones who are using every effort to destroy democracy and make America a one-party system and remain in power for ever.

How could anyone believe that as individuals we have the freedom to kill innocent children in the womb.

We should never have the freedom to murder any innocent human being!

We should also be very clear that there is nothing more certain than the Word of God and God loves all of His children!

Saul’s troops stood no chance against the massive army of the Philistines, but this would have been irrelevant had Saul been obedient to the Lord God Jehovah.

As Saul watched from safety, he saw his army being slaughtered by the Philistines.

Then he witnessed the slaughter of his own sons, there were three that died this day.

David and his men had been sent back to Ziklag and they were not present to witness these things, as David would have surely tried to help his dear friend Johnathan.

When God pronounces judgment, that judgment will certainly take place!

God will not allow His children to witness His judgment!

The Church will be saved from the coming wrath of God!

The Lord had warned Saul of his disobedience and his wicked life.

In fact, God has warned us all of His judgment against disobedience!

All those who oppose God and reject the Word of God, will also see a similar judgment as did Saul.

We can also see that our actions can cause harm to our own children, even if some of our children trust in God as did Jonathan.

Part of the judgment on King Saul was the fact that he had to witness the death of his sons before he met his own death.

God will take away many of the righteous before the evil that is to come, as I believe He is doing now with so many good Christians going on home to be with the Lord.

This means that those who are the strongest will witness more of the evilness that will come before the Rapture of the Church.

Isa 57:1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

King Saul knew his own end was very near, and he chose to take his own life rather than allow the Philistines to abuse him before his death.

This thing also teaches us just how wicked the Philistines were as are many of the Palestinians today.

It is hatred that drives them today, just as it did in the early days of Israel.

*1Sa 31:3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
1Sa 31:4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
1Sa 31:5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
1Sa 31:6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

As the Philistines turned their attention to King Saul, he was struck with an arrow which may have been enough to cause his death, but not a quick death.

Saul became afraid that he would still be alive when the Philistines caught up with him.

This also shows us that there is no amount of armor that will protect us from the judgment of God.

Saul’s life had been a tragedy since he had forsaken the Lord and his death came just as Samuel had told him.

Saul’s last enemy was the enemy that we should all fear the most, our own wicked selves.

Saul was his own worst enemy and it led to his suicide!

There is no punishment for suicide and it is said by many to be a coward’s way out of this world.

Today suicide is considered to be a symptom of some form of insanity, but this is not very true.

It is more a sign of hopelessness!

This places a lot of blame on our government and its policies and a lack of truth and it’s corruption.

Suicide comes to those who have lost all hope or are in desperation.

Suicide is actually the murder of your own self!

I am not sure that it is insanity at all, but is more of a picture of those who have no hope in the things of this world.

Suicides are one of the leading causes of death in the America we love.

In 2021, 48,183 Americans died by suicide.

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.

Every day, approximately 132 Americans die by suicide.

There is one suicide death in the US every 10.9 minutes.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-old Americans.

The highest suicide rates (per 100,000) in the US are among white males (26.4), followed by American Indian/Alaska Native males (25), and Black males (14.1).

**There is one suicide death for every estimated twenty-five suicide attempts.

There are approximately 1,204,575 annual attempts in the U.S. (using 25:1 ratio) or one attempt every 26.2 seconds.

This event brought a sad ending to the first King of Israel.

We should not have pity on King Saul because these things were his own doing and because he was disobedient to Jehovah.

The judgment of God will come on all those who are disobedient to the Word of God and this is what God says not me.

This was the sad end to Saul’s Kingdom.

Saul had not reigned very long before he began to separate himself from the people he was supposed to care for.

This is what the government is most guilty of, they separate themselves from the people they were elected to care for!

Government begins to tell us they know more about how to take care of us than we do ourselves, especially of our children.

It is a fact that every unruly government has tried this tactic throughout the ages.

They start by brainwashing the children and just allowing the old folks to die off.

Saul was soon separated from Samuel who was God’s representative.

He was soon separated from David who tried his best to help Saul and to do only God’s will.

Saul executed God’s priests.

We see that Church persecution is always higher when governments go against the Word of God!

We should ask, what are they afraid of? They are afraid of things they say they do not believe in!

Saul asked in vain for God’s help, but that help did not come because he would not repent.

Without repentance there is no forgiveness!

The homosexual world should understand this!

The transexual world should understand this.

All sinners should understand this and we are all sinners!

Saul called in vain for Samuel’s help through witchcraft when it was impossible to talk to Samuel.

Saul died an early death because he had forsaken the Lord!

It appeared that Saul had taken the sword of his armor bearer or some sword other than his own and used it to kill himself, so it would not look like a suicide.

He was still trying to protect his legacy.

The armor bearer then thought if he escaped his own death, he would be accused of killing King Saul and therefore took his own life.

This is the “circle of deception” when we try to live in this manner!

Saul and most of his house died together because Saul was what the Bible calls a reprobate.

We are ruled in America today by a bunch of reprobates!

Saul was rejected because of his worthlessness to the plan of God.

The Lord expects us to take a look at ourselves to see if we are reprobates!

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Saul was a man in a hurry to cause his own doom!

This is the trait of most all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.

They are all in a hurry to get to Hell when the Lord Jesus provides a perfect path to avoid Hell!

God has given these over to believe a lie and God will not force anyone to obey Him.

To forsake God is to be lost! God will forsake all those who forsake Him!

God offered Saul room to repent, but Saul had rejected all the Word of God and refused to repent.

Once we are rejected of God, there is no more opportunity to obtain salvation!

*2Sa 1:23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
2Sa 1:24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
2Sa 1:25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
2Sa 1:26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
2Sa 1:27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

David had just returned to Ziklag with all his family and all that was stolen by the Amalekites.

On his third day back to the place he was living, another Amalekite showed up with news of the battle between the Philistines and Israel.

Saul and Jonathan and much of Israel were now dead.

This man said he was from the camp of King Saul which was the first clue that the things he said were not true.

After Samuel had pointed out the sins of Saul in his battle with the Amalekites, it would be hard to believe that Saul had an Amalekite in his camp unless he was a prisoner and the Lord had said to not make them prisoners but to execute them for their atrocities against other humans.

David knew these things so he had asked how he knew Saul and Jonathan were dead.

He said that Saul had attempted to kill himself with a spear and faced a long slow death and King Saul had asked this Amalekite to finish the job for him and he did, and brought some of Saul’s personal items and gave them to David.

We already know that Saul had fallen on the sword of his armor barer or some other sword and had succeeded in his death.

His armor barer seeing the death of his king then took his own life.

David then killed this Amalekite knowing his version of the story was filled with lies or he would have tried to save King Saul.

David and his men grieved over the news from the battlefield.

David the musician authored a poem (the word “elegy” means poem) for Saul and Jonathan which is part of our lesson today.

God expects us to have a personal relationship with Him and He also expects us to be friendly with those we love and those who are our enemies.

There are some people we get especially close to and are influenced by them.

This love and respect are different from the love of a spouse and a spouse should always have our heart second only to the Lord our Savior and then our children!

I can tell you from experience that many a soldier can get this close to those around him, and it is not some immoral thing but comrades in arms dependent upon one another for survival.

Saul and Jonathan may have disagreed on many things, especially about David, but Jonathan remained dedicated to Israel and to his father.

Jonathan remained close to Jehovah even though his father had forsaken Jehovah.

What Jonathan had not been was a friend to his father. He had become David’s faithful friend and had remained that way.

This is the theme of these words of David.

David reveals his heart to us by showing his grief for Saul and Jonathan.

David had lived like a fugitive, but he still had respect for those who were anointed of God.

His wives and his family had to suffer through the same hardships as he did.

Saul had hunted David down for seven years and David had every reason to rejoice at the death of Saul, yet it brought sorrow and grief.

We do not read in any of the Scripture where David showed disrespect or dishonored God’s anointed ruler in any way.

Our lesson is, when a leader commits corruption and wickedness, or makes the wrong decisions, he is to be corrected.

We are not to condone such a ruler!

We are still to honor that position of leadership!

God used Saul to keep the Philistines from causing harm to God’s people and he had done a fair job and would have done a much better job had remained close to Jehovah.

When we read of the love of Johnathan for David, we should be reminded of the love of our Lord Jesus that He has for each of His children.

This is not some feeble love!

This is not some immoral love! The soul of our Lord Jesus is so closely knit in us that nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus shows an unselfish love for each believer!

Jonathan could not expect to gain some advantage from his friendship and neither does our Lord.

Johnathan said to David: 1Sa 20:4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.

Is this not what the Lord Jesus has said to each of us?

Our Lord says, you have not because you ask not because we ask for the wrong reasons. (not the exact words)

The Lord Jesus took off His royalty and took upon Himself the ways of a shepherd, just so He could save us even when we were His enemies at that time.

It is we who are enriched by the love of Christ!

We keep forgetting that love is an action word and not about lust.

The Lord Jesus proved His love for us by His actions on Mount Calvary!

It was not nails and rope that kept the Lord Jesus upon that cross, it was His great love for us!

Where are our actions for Him? Where is our great love for the Lord Jesus?

Why did King Saul die?

*1Ch 10:13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
1Ch 10:14 And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

Saul died because of his disobedience.
Saul died because he did not keep the Word of God.
Saul died because he went to someone described as having a familiar spirit and did not trust the Word of God for the answers he needed.

Samuel was dead and Saul could not call upon the old prophet for God’s word. It was impossible!

Familiar spirits are sorcerers or necromancers who say they can call up the dead to answer questions. They can only call up an evil spirit who can impersonate a believer. They cannot call up God’s children. There is a great unpassable gulf between Heaven and Hell and between Hell and Paradise at that time.

Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Isa 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Lev 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
Lev 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
Lev 20:8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

We already know that all those that died in the Old Testament went to a place called Paradise or that place called Hell both of them in the same general location at this time and no one could pass from one side or the other.

Luk 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

The Lord Jesus Christ took all the saints in Paradise on to Heaven when He returned to Heaven and Hell expanded itself.

Luk_23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Mat 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Mat 27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

These are the ones the Lord took with Him on to Heaven.

Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

Now Hell is large enough to keep all those who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and Hell continues to grow because there is no end to sin in the Church Age.

The Lord will return to get all the saints that have died and those who are still alive at the end of the Church Age. This is called the Rapture of the Church not of the Progressive Church because there is no such thing in the Word of God.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Amen.

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/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Equal Parts

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 30

As we begin to see the story of David in the Bible, we see him as a young man, a man after God’s own heart, fleeing for his life from a king who wanted him dead.

Chapter 27 describes to us how David left the promised land and moved into a territory of the Philistines.

If God teaches us one important thing after we are saved, it is that we are not to associate with the enemies of God.

Yes, we live amongst them, but we are still to come out from them and be separate from the ways of the world.

David himself began to doubt the promises of God.

David began living a life of deception and lies.

Lying to and deceiving any person is one of the worst evils that can be committed by us!

These things will always damage any relationship!

If lies and deception are not exposed, they will cause all sorts of problems for the liar and the deceiver, and we see this in America every day not only from people but also from our own government.

Chapter 28 tells us that Saul got so desperate for a spirit different from his own, that he sought one from the world of the occult.

We see that people can get tired of their way of life but they usually still reject God’s way.

Saul had not understood the truth of the Holy Spirit because he had rebelled against the Lord.

When we go to the world of the occult instead of to our Holy God, we are treading on dangerous ground that is also unholy ground!

Saul had reached that point where the Lord would not answer him, and he was desperate for the truth of God, but he refused to read the Word of God, which he had a copy given to him by Samuel.

What does God say?

Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man,

Saul had reached that point in his life where God had left him to do his own thing and he found that it was not working out so well, but it was too late for Saul.

When we face desperate situations, seeking the Lord for the answer, but we continue living with sin and iniquity without repentance, the Lord will not hear us.

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

It is a serious offense against the Lord to go the occult, who are the children of the Devil.

There is no such thing as a white witch or a dark witch.

They all try to take the place of God.

For no one knows more than God nor can they.

Just the fact that we think we could get some good advice from someone other than God is a terrible sin!

The fate of a disobedient person is that of utter despair and hopelessness!

The truth is, God has the power to hold each of us in His hand and work out all things for each believer!

Chapter 29

In this chapter we find that “all” evil associations will create problems for us!

Being closely tied to worldliness will lead us down the path of destruction and death!

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What was the solution to David’s predicament? His solution was Jehovah God!

The Lord has the answer to every question that we have!

God has the power to deliver all His people!

God moves events daily to be make His will prevail!

We seem to have the ability to get ourselves into predicaments that we cannot handle, but God has the power to deliver us through these things.

Now Chapter 30

*1Sa 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
1Sa 30:2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

The first thing we should notice is that it was the Amalekites that had escaped from King Saul that had done these things to David and his men.

None of the Israelites had obeyed God in destroying the Amalekites and they were a truly wicked people.

They would cause trouble for Israel as long as they existed!

We see that they used the same tactics. They went after the young and the innocent who could not protect themselves.

There is a word we have for that and it is “predator”.

They did not always kill everyone, but they made slaves out of all of them even the children.

They were traffickers in human beings!

It is no wonder that God had chosen to destroy them.

Enslavement, being held in bondage is one of the most terrible evils on the face of this earth.

But child trafficking is allowed to continue by most all governments which should be enough proof that the elite and those with government connections of each nation are involved in these things or they would have been stopped long ago.

We should demand more action than we are getting from our government!

David and his men had returned from the battlefield and found that their women and children and all their possessions had been taken by the Amalekites and their homes burned.

We should remember that David had forsaken the Promised Land and was living amongst the Philistines at this time and was about to go to war against his own people, but God had intervened and the Philistines had sent David back to Ziklag afraid that he would turn against them in the midst of the battle.

It had taken David and his men about three days to return home to Ziklag.

While the Israelites and the Philistines were about to go to war, the Amalekites had chosen this time to attack many vulnerable locations that had been left undefended including Ziklag.

Was God involved in this?

We know for sure that the providence of God is involved in everything that goes on in this world, to lead this world to the day of the return of Jesus Christ but God does not cause evil.

Another thing we know for sure is that this instant brought David back to Jehovah God from which he had strayed.

David had nowhere else to turn except to return to Jehovah.

The Lord should be the first place we turn to and not the last place we turn to.

David had lost his wives and his family and all his friends and his army was turning against him.

We would have expected David to ask for the council of God before he joined the Philistines but he did not.

We would have expected David to ask for the council of God when he joined with King Achish to war with Israel but he did not.

David now asks for the council of God, to know if should pursue after the Amalekites.

*1Sa 30:3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
1Sa 30:4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1Sa 30:5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
1Sa 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

There is one thing that it seems we are never prepared for.

We are never prepared for the unexpected events of sorrow.

We do not know what will happen to us or our family from one moment to the next, and we do not know how to prepare for it.

There is only one preparation that we can make and it is to have a close personal relationship with the Lord.

David had allowed his relationship with Jehovah to suffer because of the actions of King Saul, but we are never to blame the things that happen to us on the Lord.

Yes, the providence of God is at work in this world, but God is not the blame for these things that happen to us, especially if we have forsaken Him.

Terrible things happen to all people, the good and the wicked.

We must know where to go when these things happen to us, and that place to go is to the Lord.

If we go to hang out with the enemies of God, and to be a part of their wickedness, then we may expect to be met with evil tidings when we return home again.

We have been called according to the purpose of God and it is that purpose where we should show our strength.

When we walk outside of the umbrella of God’s protection, we should know we will get burned.

We must encourage ourselves through the Lord and He will overrule our thoughts, and He will bring the Light of Jesus out of darkness, and He will bring peace out of trouble.

It is never too late to call upon the Lord!

*1Sa 30:7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
1Sa 30:8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
1Sa 30:9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

There was no one else to go to but to the Lord!

What a promise was made to David by Jehovah!

God said to David yes, to pursue after these marauders.
God said you will surely catch up with them.
God said you will surely overtake them and get all your possessions back and all your family.

How could David not go after these people who God had doomed to destruction.

In typology the Amalekites represent the flesh.

What had God said about the flesh?

Mat 18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Mat 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Rom 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

David with six hundred men chased after the Amalekites until they reached the brook Besor.

*1Sa 30:10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

David and his men had spent the last three days traveling to get back home.

They had left home in hot pursuit of those who had taken their families and their possessions and they faced the brook Besor with extremely high banks and torrential waters.

Today this place is called the Besor Ravine.

Some of David’s men just were too worn out to go any further.

They were in a state of total exhaustion!

It was at this time they found a half-dead Egyptian lying in a field.

*1Sa 30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
1Sa 30:12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
1Sa 30:13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick

This Egyptian had not eaten in three days and had been too tired to make it to the Brook for water.

Once this man revived, David began to interrogate him and David began to find out some things about these Amalekites.

This man had been a slave to one of the Amalekites, but he had become too sick to travel and he was left behind to die.

He told David how these Amalekites had raided three separate places, one of them being Ziklag.

*1Sa 30:14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

The Amalekites had raided the Cherethites and killed men and took their possessions.

These Cherethites were connected to Philistines who for some reason did not go to war with the other Philistines.

It was these Cherethites that had come from Crete not the Philistines who probably came from Egypt.

We see later that these same Cherethites become the bodyguards to King David and after David for his son Solomon.

These Amalekites had raided a portion of Judah and had done the same thing.

These Amalekites had raided the Negev of Caleb, which was near Hebron, another portion of Judah given to Caleb by Joshua.

They had raided Ziklag and burnt it to the ground and took all the wives and children as slaves and took all of the possessions of David and his men.

We can see the hatred they had for Israel.

Since this man knew so much, David took him with him because he knew the plans of the Amalekites.

This Egyptian agreed to go under two conditions.

1) That David would not kill him.
2) That David would not return him to his master.

*1Sa 30:15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
1Sa 30:16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

The lesson we are to learn here is that we are to have compassion for those in need even if they are our enemies.

By showing this man compassion David learned the whereabouts of those who had his family.

We should take notice that these Amalekites had raided places in Israel where the soldiers had left to join the war with the Philistines.

We should also notice that these Amalekites had raided places of the Philistines where the soldiers had left to join the war with the Israelites.

They had raided Ziklag because they knew that David and his men had left to join the war with the Israelites but God had stopped David from the slaughter of his own people.

David could never have been King of Israel had he done so!

Another day and these Amalekites would have returned to their homeland and divided the spoils and it would have been much harder for David and his men to regain their possessions and their families. so we can see the hand of God in the background.

He had told David that he would get his family back and all his possessions.

These Amalekites felt safe enough to celebrate their victories before they reached home and this is when David found them with the help of that Egyptian.

They saw no visible sign of danger and yet they were nearest to destruction.

This is what we see in the world today.

Those who are wicked and corrupt do not see the signs of danger, yet they are very near to their own destruction, because the Lord’s vengeance is very near!

In typology these things teach us of the return of Jesus Christ.

1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

We that trust in the Lord know, that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is very near, but another way to look at this is the fact that the triumphing of wicked is about to end.

Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Job 20:6 Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;
Job 20:7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

This was the perfect time for David to attack and he did.

*1Sa 30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
1Sa 30:18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

The Amalekites were a people condemned to death and God used David as the hand of judgment in this case.

Just like the Lord Jesus Christ, David had come to set the captives free.

This is another picture in the Bible of a wonderful “deliverance” constructed by Jehovah God!

David recovered everything he had lost and his family.

There were still about four hundred of these Amalekite that escaped this day using camels to escape.

In addition David recovered all the spoils these raiders had taken from those various places.

*1Sa 30:19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
1Sa 30:20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.

All the possessions of David and his men were recovered along with wives and family unharmed.

While David’s men rounded up all their own property, they also rounded up all the animals and the possessions that were left behind by the fleeing Amalekites.

It is these things that were called David’s spoils and it will be these things that will be divided among all the other of David’s followers and friends.

In typology we can see a relationship with the Lord Jesus when He made us free.

1) We were captives of sin: We sin and we cannot help it, it is in our genes. No matter how much we try, we sin and come short of the Glory of God.

Alone we cannot break free from that sin, but by the power of our Lord Jesus we are made free from sin.

2) We were captured of death: Death had us in its grasp and refused to let us go! We die, every one of us and there is nothing we can do about it.

From dust we came and to dust we will return, but by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ death no more has a hold on us.

Death is now our ticket to the glory world.

3) We were held captive by Hell. Before we gave ourselves to the Lord Jesus, we were bound for Hell and there was nothing we could do about it.

The Lord Jesus has made us free from Death, Hell, and the Grave and are now acceptable to God through His Son.

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Now let us look at the theme of our lesson today.

*1Sa 30:21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
1Sa 30:22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
1Sa 30:23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
1Sa 30:24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
1Sa 30:25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

The more we look at David, we can see why God chose him to be King of Israel, still recognizing that he was only human and not a perfect man.

Those two hundred who had been too tired to help pursue the enemy, rushed out to meet David and his other men.

David did not rebuke them nor show scorn at them, but allowed them to join in the celebration.

Some in David’s army did not feel the same as did David.

Notice the Bible calls them wicked men and of Belial. Belial means worthless and lawless.

These men were opposed to sharing with these men the spoils of the Amalekites.

David declared two facts:

1) The victory was the Lord’s, so those spoils were a gift from Him to be shared.
2) It is just as important to supply the needs of every soldier, as it is to supply the needs of the combat soldier, or the army will never be ready when called upon again for battle.

Justice demanded that they all shared and shared alike.

This principle of equal distribution remained a permanent law all the time of King David.

Of all the gifts the Lord allows us to receive, the gift of salvation is given equally to all those who accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

We must never be greedy with the gifts God shares with us while we are alive.

A greedy heart will mistreat all others.
A greedy person seldom reaches out with a helping hand.
A greedy person will in many cases is aroused to cheat and steal, in order to satisfy that greed.

God’s Word is truly clear:

We must always be just in our dealings with other people whether Christian or those of the world.

Covetousness is condemned by our All-knowing Savior!

Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

God demands that we treat people justly, and fairly!

God says we are to be generous in dealing with people!

A Christian is not to be greedy or to covet another’s possessions.

All good gifts come from above and God will never change His ways!

Jas_1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Amen!

Pray For Our Leaders

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David Honors Saul

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 24 and 26

Since our manual skips so much of 1 Samuel, lets highlight some of the things that took place from Chapter 21 through Chapter 23.

In Chapter 21:

We see where David had to flee from King Saul who had become full of envy and jealousy.

This was a picture of desperation and God’s deliverance from that desperation.

Most all us humans will face circumstances that cause distress in our lives at one point or another and probably more than once.

These things will cause us much pain and agony when there seems to be no way out of these things.

The comfort of the Lord Jesus can get us through these things.

David later wrote in Psalms 34 that it was the Lord who delivered him from all these things.

In Chapter 22:

We see that many of the soldiers of Saul’s army deserted and came to join David, including his own brothers who became concerned that King Saul would cause them and their family’s harm.

David hides his father Jesse and his mother in another nation to keep Saul from causing them harm.

We can see that corrupt leaders will do anything to get their way and we are witnessing it firsthand in our own nation today.

Even as our own leaders have a set of laws for themselves and a set of laws for the people.

Our lesson is that we should do what we can to take care of our parents.

We also see that God will guide us in every decision if we include Him in our life.

We desperately need the guidance of God.

We also see where King Saul caused the slaughter of the High Priest and much of the priesthood for no good reason, other than they obeyed the Word of God.

We could see this happen in our own nation at any time!

There is terrible evil, injustice and murder going on in our nation!

God saved Abiathar the new High Priest and sent him to David.

This is the same Abiathar who later turns on David.

We know that lying and deception are the traits of the Devil, and they cause devastating consequences!

Chapter 23:

We see the courage of David.

Even though David is a fugitive from injustice, he takes the time to protect his nation from the Philistines.

David was fearless man after God’s own heart!

We must realize that when the enemies of God attack us, we need what David had and that is courage.

If we give in to fear, we will never be delivered from the oppressions and enemies of this life!

Any person or anything else that works to defeat us in this life, stands as our enemy and an oppressor, and are the enemies of God.

We must develop a Spirit of Courage within us.

Our enemies will always find us, but the power of God will work to help us!

It is Jonathan the son of King Saul that reminds David that he (David) will one day be the King of Israel.

We may get some help from those related to our enemy, but we may also see our friends betray us.

Our Protector and our Helper is our God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now Chapter 24 where find our lesson today:

The life of King Saul is mercifully spared by David who had more than one opportunity to end the life of Saul.

David had respect for the office of the king.

David knew to honor those who God had put in place.

As much as we dislike him, we must still pray for our president.

We ask ourselves how we can love someone who seems to be so evil according to the Word of God.

It is not a simple thing to repay good for those who are evil, but it is the command of God.

To do good to someone who is evil does not say we are compromising with their evil and we must avoid that for this is not God’s intent.

It is only our Lord God who can change the heart of our president and those that council him!

Our president has surrounded himself with wickedness and wicked people and these are the ones pulling his strings.

*1Sa 24:1 And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.

David’s hideout had been discovered.

David had found no safety on the western desert side of Judah because of spies, many of the Ziphites were spies for King Saul.

The Ziphites were afraid of King Saul.

Engedi was located east of Hebron close by the Dead Sea and had an oasis within it with plenty of fresh water and fruitful vineyards.

It was also a place of rugged terrain where wild goats roamed.

*1Sa 24:2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
1Sa 24:3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

Saul gathered three thousand chosen men and again went in pursuit of David like he was some criminal, when David had done nothing to deserve such a thing.

We can see just how much Saul hated David seeking after him so soon after a war with the Philistines.

David later wrote about this event in the Book of Psalms.

Psa 57:4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Psa 57:6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

Unknown to Saul, David, and those with him were hiding far back in that same cave.

Some of David’s men felt that the appearance of Saul was the providence of God, which it was, but not for the reason’s that they assumed.

They felt that God had placed David’s enemy into his own hand, and it did seem that way, but God was surely testing David and David passed this test.

*1Sa 24:4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.
1Sa 24:5 And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.
1Sa 24:6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.
1Sa 24:7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

You see, our character and our integrity are far more important than our revenge.

David refused to take the life of King Saul and in faith, trusted God and to prove to Saul that he was not his enemy.

David actually condemned himself for cutting off a piece of his robe, as a lack of respect for God’s anointed.

David had spared his enemy and only David understood why he had done such a thing.

David was a man of war, and brave as a lion.

David was made of nobler stuff than assassins are made of.

David could not find it in himself to kill his king while he was asleep.

David felt that if God wanted him to be King of Israel, then it would not be by his own hands, and He left it in God’s hands.

We should clearly understand that if God has a special calling for us, He does not need our help to get there, He just needs our willingness to serve.

If we want to remove our president, then it must be by the vote and not by assassination or any other means such as that.

*1Sa 24:8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

We must understand that sin hardens the heart.

Sin makes the unbeliever hate the Word of God!
Sin makes the unbeliever despise the mercy of God.

In a world that is rotten to the core, they misunderstand the vengeance of God against them.

They certainly have no understanding of God’s “grace”!

David exhibits God’s “grace” to a man who has relentlessly been after him, to slaughter him.

David was innocent of all the charges against him, but Saul wanted to murder him because of envy and jealousy.

David humbled himself again and said to Saul that he only ran to protect his life and that he was still a humbled servant to his king.

David bowed to the earth saying, “my master”.

David extended every courtesy to King Saul as his king, with respect and honor.

The proof was that as Saul was sleeping, David could have killed him, but he had too much respect for God to do such a thing.

David had the evidence that this was true with that piece of Saul’s robe.

*1Sa 24:9 And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
1Sa 24:10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’S anointed.
1Sa 24:11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.
1Sa 24:12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

We now see that David has set a dynamic example for the Church in his humility and his loyalty.

Saul had been anointed by oil by God’s prophet Samuel at God’s command.

In this, he was certainly a type of Christ though in his life he turned to sin and rebelled against God.

It was Saul who was rebellious and not David.

In America today it is our president and his officials who are rebellious and not the true Church and not most of the secular people.

Saul needed to acknowledge this simple fact.

David warned Saul of the “judgment” of God.

Today as we watch the news, we see that it is our own government that is rebellious and not the Church and not most of the average people.

We have allowed liberalism to rule in our government and we can see the results with our own eyes.

Liberalism is filthy, wicked, and immoral!

We need to warn our government of the “Judgment of God” even if they will not listen.

In fact, this is the message we should have to our family, our friends, and all those we meet.

Our presidents’ councilors are some of the most degradable people in our nation and they are proud of it!

The Bible would say they were “worthless fellows” and “vain”.

The Kingdom of Israel had been assured first to David and then, to the Son of David by birth, the Lord Jesus Christ.

David was showing patience because we all must rely on God’s timing, because all these things will take place according to the patience of God.

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

We must show the same patience because both these things are Divinely assured!

David decided he could wait upon God’s timing, and we must do this also.

It is not our job to force the issues that are in the hands of God!

We see that Saul shed tears and made vows, but we also know that Saul never repented.

Without repentance there will be no forgiveness!

Saul was quick to fall back into his old sin of envy.

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Jas 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

We are to live lives of humility and not lives of envy.

In Chapter 25 we see after his many years of service beginning as a child, Samuel died.

Samuel had served as Prophet and Judge and Samuel was the last “Judge” of Israel.

The death of Samuel reminds us of all that one day we will die unless the “Rapture takes place before our death.

It can in our case, as the Rapture is the next major event on God’s calendar.

The Era of the Judges ended and the Monarchy of Israel had begun.

The monarchy of Israel will end with Christ Jesus sitting upon the throne of Israel for one thousand years.

We know that David retreated even farther away from Saul’s pursuit.

David found a new wife in Abigail.

Abigail was a precious example of a woman of courage and character but David was wrong to make her his wife.

The same need is here today, not only for women but for all God’s children.

God’s judgement fell upon Nabal, and it cost him his life.

David also had another wife, which again he should not have had.

Ahinoam a woman from Jezreel we know nothing about, and Michal, who had been given by King Saul to another man but was still married to David.

We see that David was a man after God’s own heart, but he was not a perfect man and none of us are.

*1Sa 26:1 And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?
1Sa 26:2 Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
1Sa 26:3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.
1Sa 26:4 David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.

We see the Ziphites betrayed David for a second time.

David was hiding on the hill of Hachilah which was in a desert and a wasteland and the Ziphites made Saul aware of this place of David.

This hideout gave David the advantage over his approaching enemy.

Saul came with three thousand of his best troops and David sent out spies to verify these things.

*1Sa 26:5 And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.
1Sa 26:6 Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
1Sa 26:7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.

Because of the terrain and the fact that David knew this wilderness better than Saul, David was able to sneak up on the camp of Saul.

Remember this was a place of Mountain Goats.

David had a sister named Zeruiah and her sons would play an important part in the history of David’s reign over Israel.

They had also gone to David because they were afraid that Saul would also cause them harm and their families.

David and his nephew sneaked into the camp of Saul and again David could have taken Saul’s life had he so chosen to do so but he would not.

Abishai would one day save David’s life in one of his wars with the Philistines.

2Sa 21:17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.

No matter what we think, David had the assurance that he would be the next King of Israel and we can believe that this made him a little bolder in his actions toward King Saul, but he would still not take his life.

Today, we know that the Lord will return, and Armageddon is a real war, but we should never try to do things that might hasten these things to come about, even if we could, when it is impossible for us to know the schedule that only God knows.

Abishai said to David to allow him to kill Saul and he would guarantee that he needed only one blow with his spear and Saul would not be able to cry out, but David would not allow it.

David said let us take his spear and his canteen of water.

God would say:

1Ch 16:22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

*1Sa 26:8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.
1Sa 26:9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless?
1Sa 26:10 David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

We must understand God’s does not need our help when it comes to His vengeance.

We absolutely cannot do the things God has planned for those who hate Him!

The only thing we can do, if we try to take vengeance on those that hate God is, multiply sins against ourselves!

This is a thing we must avoid!

David refused to cause harm to Saul because he was God’s anointed.

David realized he was never to cause harm to anyone God had anointed.

To be anointed is to be set aside for God’s use.

This is why we are to pray for the leaders of our nation.

Only God knows the purpose for which He has called our leaders.

David said he could not cause harm to Saul because he was God’s anointed.
David said he could not cause harm to Saul because the Lord Himself would judge Saul.
David feared the Lord and what the Lord would do to him if he caused harm to Saul.

These reasons are good enough reasons for us to use.

*1Sa 26:11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.
1Sa 26:12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.

David and Abishai sneaked back out of Saul’s camp unnoticed, but they took Saul’s spear and his canteen of water.

Once again, he confronted Saul with the proof that he could have killed him.

David had demonstrated the utmost respect in allowing God’s anointed to live.

Our lesson is that whether we like them or not, we need to show respect to our leaders, maybe not to the person themselves but for the position they hold.

This includes the ruler of our nation.
This includes the preachers of the Gospel.
This includes the supervisors we work for and others we consider to be leaders.

We do not have to like them, but we should respect the position and maybe not so much the person.

When a leader is corrupt, his corruption is to be opposed but his office is to be honored!

We are not to indulge in the corruption of any leader for then, we are giving him a license to continue in his or her corruption.

This is what is happening in America today!

Many of our presidents’ councilors are just as corrupt as he is or more and along with at least two previous presidents.

They are urging him to go even further in his wickedness.

This is the greatest problem we have in America today.

We have corrupt leaders and far too many who are indulging in their corruptness.

They are just piling on sins to themselves!

God will take vengeance upon corrupt leaders, but the people who encourage him are just making Hell much much worse when they get there.

Hell will be much hotter for those who indulge in corruption.

God will not accept the prayers of those who serve corruption.

2Pe 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

2Pe 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Those around our president have encouraged him to continue in his corruption, and both him and they will suffer in damnation and the vengeance of God.

This is the clear teaching of the Word of God!

It is the same for every corrupt leader in this world!

We must remember, it is God who decides who will lead our nation and He does this for His own reasons.

This does not mean we are to sit at home refusing to vote, because this is our opportunity to express our voice over wickedness and corruption.

When God says certain thing are to happen, they do not require us to sin to get them accomplished!

There is never a good reason to go against the Word of God!

This is the clear teaching of the Word of God!

Amen

The Devoted Servant

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Devoted Servant

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 18-20

What does God require of His children? He requires each of us to be devoted servants!

The character of the true servant is the knowledge of the service we owe to our Creator.

Psa 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Psa 119:90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
Psa 119:91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.

Those who do not acknowledge our Creator, will never serve the Lord even though deep within them they know the Lord is real!

Job 12:16 With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

God requires our devotion to Him!

In our lesson today we will see than Saul’s son Jonathan was a devoted friend to David and Jonathan was true to God.

They loved each other as if they were brothers.

Now this was not some immoral thing that we see today, but we know that some friends are closer than our brothers and sisters to us, and there is nothing immoral about this sort of friendship.

If we follow this passage in the Bible, we will see that they both had courageous spirits and they both possessed great faith in the Lord.

Jonathan was a little older than David, but they both were probably in their twenties.

I can tell you for certain that young men who fight in wars together, develop a closeness that is not understood by most people, and it is real, and it is not immoral!

David had a heart for the Lord, and he was truly bold in battle.

The Lord will never blame the soldier for their actions in war, as long as they protect the innocent and do not intentionally kill when it is not necessary.

The Lord will hold rulers and politicians and murderers accountable for the useless carnage of war!

David’s victory over Goliath had propelled him into the limelight in the nation of Israel.

David was a national hero!

King Saul at first brought David close to him as he had done with every valiant soldier.

Saul liked to surround himself with valiant men and bring them into the King’s court.

In Christianity, it is the love we show to each other that shows our love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Without this love and devotion we are devoid of what is essential to a Christian life!

In this lesson we will also see that jealousy and envy can cause all kinds of problems for us, as we go through this short life we live on earth.

*1Sa 18:1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
1Sa 18:2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.

We can see from the first, Jonathan admired David for his act of heroism against Goliath.

David was a true hero.

When Abner brought David to King Saul, David still had the head of Goliath in his hand.

In typology, we see that all of Israel was saved, and David was the Savior.

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ is called the Son of David many times.

All true Christians are saved because we have a Savior and He is Christ, the Lord God of the Bible!

Jonathan also realized that if David had failed, they would all have been servants to the Philistines, and Israel would have become a nation of slaves again as they had been in Egypt.

So David was also a Deliverer!

Our Savior is also our Deliverer and He will soon return to be our Redeemer.

David could not be a Redeemer and no human can have this role!

What is the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ?

The Lord sees something in us in our worst state that He loves, and to Him we are so valuable that He died for us.

We certainly will not understand this while we yet live, but maybe we will understand this when we get to Heaven.

We see that Jonathan removed his clothes of royalty and gave them to David.

*1Sa 18:3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
1Sa 18:4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

In this case, it is Jonathan who is a type of Christ.

Jesus Christ came to this earth after having removed His Heavenly attire and then, He has offered to clothe every believer in His own garments of purity and righteousness.

When we are clothed in the garments of the “Glory of the Lord” then, we will be like Christ.

Today we are to try our best to be like our Heavenly Savior who has delivered us, and Jesus will return to redeem His prized possession!

When we meet the Lord, we are to cast off our ragged clothing of sin and evil habits and be clothed in the garments of goodness, and meekness and of hope and love.

It is not that we are saved from sorrow and despair and punishment for our sins, but that our sin nature is removed, and we become a new creature, a member of the Army of God.

Notice Jonathan gave not only his clothing, but also his weapons of war.

It takes a lot for a soldier to give up his weapons of war!

In reality, our weapons of war do not match up to the weapons of Jesus Christ which He used when He was tempted.

Heb_4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

He gives us the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of preparation of the Gospel of peace, and the shield of faith.

So, wherever David went he behaved wisely just as we are all to do!

*1Sa 18:5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

David was incredibly wise in the way he managed every task that was assigned to him.

We need to be wise in the things that God gives us to do!

Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

We must understand the will of God for our lives!

Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Along with this wisdom, we are to patiently wait upon the Lord!

Col 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
Col 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

David was also highly successful in every assignment that was given to him.

We must not forget that David was still a young man, but in his defeat of Goliath came respect from the other soldiers in the army of Saul.

Because David was faithful in his duties, Saul made David the commander of a portion of his army.

Abner was the general of Saul’s army.

We can see that David was on God’s training ground to become the next King of Israel.

The people and the army were pleased that David commanded part of the army of Israel.

Gradually David’s fame became so great that it aroused the worst feelings in King Saul’s mind.

What we see is ,that God causes David’s true glory to outshine the importance of King Saul and Saul retaliates.

*1Sa 18:6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.
1Sa 18:7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

The truth is most people love national heroes!

The people of Israel had not forgotten the years they suffered at the hand of the Philistines, and they needed a hero and God provided them a hero who was after God’s own heart.

Just as it is today, it was the women who swooned over David just as they swooned over Saul when he was first made king.

The important part of this story is the closeness of David and Jonathan.

When the army of Israel was successful, David was praised and not King Saul.

The women came out to escort the victors home with singing and dancing.

Dancing was the usual expression of rejoicing on occasions of national triumph.

Keep in mind, there is a great victory for a mother when her children come home safe from war.

The Israelite men seldom got caught up in dancing.

When David danced later it was an exception.

These dances were usually accompanied by the tabret, what we know of as the timbrel.

These dances developed into a national war dance.

Michal, the daughter of King Saul and wife of David, felt that this type of dance was beneath the dignity of a king, and she hated David for this reason as he danced at the return of the Ark to Jerusalem.

A timbrell could be said to be a hand-drum with pieces of brass fixed to it.

Some say it was these things that upset the king, but more than likely it was that David was successful in defeating the Philistines where Saul had not been successful.

We should remember an army needs a reason to go to war and having a hero guide them certainly helped the army of Israel.

David had no fear of the enemies of Israel!

The Philistines had been the enemy of Israel all the days of Saul and in reality, David had slaughtered maybe ten times more of the Philistines than Saul had.

David developed military skills and military qualities which later made him the founder of a wide empire possessing most all the land that God had given to Israel, and David handed over this empire to his son Solomon.

These songs became well known to the enemies of Israel.

1Sa 29:5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

These things were displeasing to the King and Saul was ruled by his own jealousy from that day forward.

*1Sa 18:8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
1Sa 18:9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

King Saul became envious of David!

What do we know of the truth of envy? Envy is a sign of a reprobate mind!

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Saul was gripped with the spirit of jealous rage and had God not protected David, he would have certainly died at the hand of Saul.

Jealousy and envy can cause all sorts of problems for us.

These things will cause us to degrade ourselves.

These things will cause covetousness within us and cause us to attack that person not only verbally but also physically.

Envy will cause us to fill hatred, and cause a negative reaction in all kinds of ways.

Envy will absorb all our thoughts.
Envy can absorb all our time.
Envy will eat away at our hearts and our mind just like some uncurable cancer.
Envy will consume your life if you allow it to fester in your heart!

This envy was the downfall of King Saul!

Pro 14:30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Envy brings hatred and we see hatred rule in our nation today!

As Jonathan saw this change in his father, he knew David needed his help.

*1Sa 20:41 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
1Sa 20:42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

We see that Jonathan conquered jealousy and envy, but his father did not.

The difference was easy to see because it was through the power of God.

God always provides a way if we would just use that way!

That power is through the power of the cross!

We know that we all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross!

It is through the cross that we receive forgiveness of our sin, and through the power of His Resurrection we receive the power of the Holy Ghost who raised the Lord Jesus Christ up from the dead and who gives us a New Life.

It is the Holy Spirit who gives us power over all our sins including jealousy and envy.

Jonathan had kept his word and he went to the prearranged field he had told David about and where David was hiding.

We will see that Jonathan may have been as good with a bow as David was with his sling.

What were Jonathan’s instructions to David?

1Sa 20:38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

“Make Haste”, “Hurry”, “Go Quickly” “Do not wait or delay.”

Before David would leave, he came out of hiding to say goodbye to his dear friend.

David had it in his mind that they might never meet again.

They had a loyalty that only close friends could have.

This in typology teaches us, that we have a friend in Jesus who is closer than a brother.

Pro_18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Notice that David bowed to Jonathan for he was a prince and royalty.

David became a fugitive of his own nation and was charged with a capital crime.

David was cut off from everyone he loved and from all his earthly possessions.

David’s life came crashing down on him and he had done nothing to deserve these things happening to him.

We see these things happen in our own nation today as a jealous and envious president is doing his best to eliminate all his foes of which many of them have done nothing to deserve his wrath.

America seems blind to this truth!

Israel became blind to the plight of David for a time, and he received truly little help because Israel became afraid of the wrath of King Saul.

Jonathan kept his oath and is a fitting example for us today, in these things.

Integrity says that our word is our bond!

We need to mean what we say and say what we mean just as our Heavenly Father does!

When we make an oath then we need to keep it.

The most important oath we can make is to ask for forgiveness while making an oath to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is it possible to be saved and not be a Christian?

Each of us needs to answer that question ourselves!

Deu 23:21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
Deu 23:22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
Deu 23:23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

Next week we will continue with the true story of Saul and David.

Amen.

God Looks Into the Heart

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

God Looks Into the Heart

The Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 16 through 17

We must clearly understand that when God rejects a person, or some law, or anything else He has rejected, we are to trust that God has a reason and respect God’s decision. God is always, ALWAYS, right!

God lists all the things that He rejects in the Word of God, the Received Hebrew and Greek Text.

Because of his disobedience, the Lord rejected Saul to be King of Israel.

This meant that upon the death of Saul the monarchy would be removed from the family of Saul.

This would mean a shift of power for the nation of Israel.

In fact, this shift in power of the nation of Israel will one day lead us to King Jesus to fulfill the prophecy given to Samuel before the death of Eli the High Priest that had ignored the Word of God.

What was King Saul’s problem? He ignored the Word of God!

God’s “Judgment” is severe, and we have yet to see the wrath of God since the time of the flood in Noah’s day.

Rom_1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

God has said His children will not see His wrath!

Rom_5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

1Th_5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

King Saul was rejected, and, in his place, God again chose another young man named David, a Son of Jesse from Bethlehem.

I believe if America is to be saved it will be saved by our young people.

Those old politicians need to be pushed out of the way, the swamp must be drained, to make room for fresh water and fresh blood.

From the day of David’s secret anointing till the death of Saul, David would be a threat to Saul’s claim to the throne of Israel!

It was God who sent Samuel to anoint a young David and as an old man, even Samuel feared King Saul.

*1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
1Sa 16:2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.

We can be sure that if the Lord tells us to do something, we will be safe at least till we get that thing done.

We as Christians today are harmed more for what we do not do, rather than for what the Lord sends us to do!

Being in the will of God is the absolute safest place we can live and take our stand!

Samuel mourned for King Saul, but the Lord had rejected Saul.

We may find ourselves mourning for our own government, but God has rejected all such men who rule being against the Word of God.

We would be far better off mourning for our children and our family who are rejecting the Word of God, and doing all we can to reach them with the Gospel.

God’s Word has described to us in detail, how He will manage this world and He said for us to come out from among this world and be separate from it.

When we refuse to come out from this world we will be judged with this world!

Certainly, Samuel had wanted Saul to be a great king, but this was not going to happen, because like so many others in leadership positions, he had set himself above the people and above Jehovah the God of Israel.

We should understand the God’s wisdom is infallible!

God’s wisdom and God’s providence are paired together by His love for us!

What God does is in the best interests of His children and God is always right!

If Samuel had time to mourn for Saul, then Samuel had the energy to do a service for the Lord and God gave him something to do.

We cannot just sit around and mourn for what we see in this world and in our nation, the work of God is never complete, and God still needs workers for the harvest is still white.

By committing to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in service to Him until He takes us home!

God does not forbid tears, but God still expects obedience and to fulfill our duty to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must understand that we have more to live for than our own interests!

Mourning for this world is not a place worthy of our feelings or our tears!

A world that is given in to corruption and immorality is doomed to destruction and not worthy of our tears!

It is the death of a soul that needs to move us into the work of the Lord!

By the anointing of David, David would not then be made king.

David remained a subject of Saul’s kingdom at this time.

No one knew what would happen if Saul were to die and only then would the anointing of David become important, especially because it was Samuel who anointed him.

Saul was a king that the people provided.

Saul was the product of sinful desires!

Sounds just like our president of today.

David would be a king that Jehovah provided, to fulfill the will of God and to serve for the Glory of God.

A king after God’s own heart.

*1Sa 16:3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
1Sa 16:4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

It was time for Samuel to stop his mourning for Saul who God had rejected, and to get busy serving the Lord.

Jehovah was ready to begin preparations for a new king and the path to our eternal king, the Lord Jesus.

We should remember the prophecy given to Samuel for Eli who was High Priest at that time.

Notice the Lord never waits to the last minute to decide anything!

The Lord has a plan with every date locked in like on a calendar, and He does not ever change His mind.

God has written everything down for us so we can know His plan!

We may not know the days or the times, but we do know what God’s plan is!

Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Our Lord Jesus stated that we cannot know the day or the hour because He keeps these things to Himself.

The Lord also states that when wickedness has reached a point similar to what the world looked like in the days of Noah, then this is when the Lord will return.

Our world cannot be far from this day with what we see going on in our world today.

Those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ must not wait till God shuts the door to the Ark before they try to be saved, for it will be too late.

It was a dangerous mission for Samuel to anoint some other king while Saul was still living.

Samuel was to go offering a sacrifice and this would not arouse suspicion.

Remember the Tabernacle was destroyed by the Philistines, so the people still worshipped but their worship was more localized.

Much like people worship in North Korea and China and other places where Christianity is banned.

The people of Bethlehem feared that Samuel had come to hold court and execute some judgment, but this was not why Samuel had come.

Notice sinful people always feel guilty because they are!

Just a note to remember. If we remember the story of Ruth and Boaz.

Boaz was the grandfather of Jesse, and we will begin to see how God works things out for our best interest.

*1Sa 16:5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

Samuel assured them that he had only come to sacrifice to the Lord for their sin.

Samuel advised them to sanctify themselves and to come to the sacrifice.

Each person that was sanctified by taking a bath, putting on clean clothes, abstaining from sex, and avoiding contact with a dead body.

More important than any of these things, these people were to seek the Lord for a Spiritual cleansing, confessing, and repenting of their sins.

It is while these things were going on that Samuel sought out Jesse and his sons.

You see God does not want any of us to live in sorrow.

Certainly, things happen that can cause sorrow, but we are not to remain this way.

We are more than conquerors and are to overcome the tragedies of this world.

This world we live in is not fair to anyone and world leaders want it this way and they try to keep it this way!

The Lord Jesus will bring us victory over the ways of the world by encouraging us to live victorious lives.

Samuel made it to Jesse’s house.

Here is where we see the theme of our lesson.

*1Sa 16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.
1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

We keep thinking that we can base our decisions about people on their appearance, but the Lord has proven that to be the wrong way, over and over again.

Samuel thought Jesse’s oldest son would make a great king, but God said no to him.

Remember God had given Israel their first king based upon looks and it was not working out for them.

Saul was a man they would have chosen themselves.

Jesus Christ said it this way:

Luk 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

God knows what is in the heart of every individual!

Now we may say ,”How could He” but it is still a fact.

Act 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

We can see that it is our faith that purifies our heart!

This is why we can never be justified by our heart, and we can only be justified by our faith!

Psa 143:2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

God’s judgment comes because of what is in our heart!

A heart without faith in the truth of the Lord, cannot be justified!

*1Sa 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
1Sa 16:9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
1Sa 16:10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
1Sa 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
1Sa 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

Jesse presented all his sons but one, before Samuel and though each son had his own attributes, God had not chosen any of them.

If the choice of a new king were up to Samuel, any one of these sons of Jesse would have been the future king of Israel, but God said no to them all.

Keep in mind that neither Jesse nor his sons knew why Samuel was doing these things.

Jesse did not consider David to be eligible because he was still a teenager.

Here again we see that God can use our young people to do many wonderful things.

David was God’s choice!

Not the choice of Samuel and not the choice of Jesse.

David was a young man “after God’s own heart”.

It was what was in the heart of David that made him a better choice than Saul!

This was a secret anointing unknown to King Saul.

We must notice something else that is important.

*1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
1Sa 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

While David was being anointed, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and would remain with him all his life.

In fact, the anointing oil in typology represents the Holy Spirit, the Divine presence of the Lord.

After our salvation, the greatest of all the gifts of God is the Holy Spirit who will then live within us forever.

We must approach God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for this to take place.

It is the Holy Spirit who will convict us when we do wrong.
It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the assurance of our salvation.
It is the Holy Spirit who cleans us up to make us presentable before the Lord.

The Holy Spirit is the influence that causes us to repent!

He also guides, teaches, protects, and provides the necessities of life, meeting all our needs.

It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to conquer all the trials and tribulations of life in this world!

At this very moment, the Spirit of God departed from King Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord began to trouble him!

Saul wanted to be on his own and God obliged him by removing the Holy Spirit.

Notice the Holy Spirit did not live within Saul, but He did guide King Saul up until this time.

When we are disobedient to the words of the Lord, we will find that this world we live in is not such a wonderful world!

God had given up on Saul so he could live as he wanted to live.

Saul went back to doing things his way!

It is here that we find that David had a heart after God’s own heart and that he was a good musician also.

David began his service in the court of King Saul and became his armor bearer.

It should be obvious that God moves things around to meet His sovereign plan for this world.

This is known as the Providence of God.

We next meet David when he confronts Goliath the giant giving his services to the Philistines.

We all will confront some giant in our lives some day!

*1Sa 17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
1Sa 17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
1Sa 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
1Sa 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

We should understand that King Saul was the tallest man of the Israelites and if any one fought Goliath, then it should have been Saul but even God would not allow this to happen because God wanted a victory and God began by causing the fame of David.

For forty long frightful days and nights the mighty giant Goliath defied the armies of Israel.

Every morning this giant of a man would stand and challenge the armies of Israel.

Every evening before some would sleep, this giant would tell Israel how he was going to kill them all, so they would have restless sleep.

He instilled fear into the army of Israel with every breath he took!

David was still a teenager when Jesse his father sent him to take some supplies to his brothers and to see how they were doing.

David felt shame when he saw this army of Israel so full of fear.

David was ashamed of his own brothers who were caught up in this same fear.

David witnessed the paralyzing effect that Goliath had upon the armies of Israel.

Remember God had sent the Holy Spirit to be with David.

God did not give us the spirit of fear, so David was full of courage because the Holy Spirit instills the Spirit of Power into us.

Fear will break the strongest of us!

King Saul wanted to talk to this young man who said he could kill this giant.

David told King Saul that he had the experience necessary to overcome this giant!

David was angry with his brothers, but he did not allow his anger to overcome him.

Anger is not wrong when the cause is justified!

In other words, we should be angry with what is going on in Washington.
We should be angry with what is going on in our schools.
We should be angry with the immorality that is forced upon us.

But we cannot allow our anger to bring forth sin!

The confidence of David came from his experience with lions and bears and he saw this giant Goliath as no bigger nor more dangerous than these wild animals.

David knew the Lord had delivered him and he knew the Lord would deliver him again!

1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

We should have these same traits of David as we face the giants in our lives.

*1Sa 17:38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
1Sa 17:39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

Saul made a feeble attempt to honor David by giving him his own armament, but Saul was a large man and David was on the small side compared to King Saul.

David’s faith made him realize that this armor would not suit him, and he removed it, for he knew he needed to be able to move about freely to avoid Goliath.

David also knew he needed to choose weapons that Goliath was not familiar with.

David knew Goliath was well trained in the use of a sword and a spear.

David chose five smooth stones out of a brook and with his sling, David could fight Goliath from a distance.

David also carried his shepherd’s staff for Goliath had never been a shepherd, he had always been a bully.

*1Sa 17:40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
1Sa 17:41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
1Sa 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
1Sa 17:43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
1Sa 17:44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

A scrip is a small bag that was usually tied to the girdle of a man’s clothing and in it would be things he thought would be needed such as a meal.

Today we men usually carry a wallet and you women usually carry a purse.

Goliath was wearing the items needed for hand-to-hand combat and some armor that could protect him from the blows of his opponent.

He was certainly a giant of a man, but the faith of David made this giant to appear no more than a mere man who bragged a lot, a bully.

David went straight at this giant showing no fear and Goliath was not use to such a tactic.

Everyone had always been afraid of Goliath.

Goliath’s main weapon was the fear he caused in all those who faced him!

Goliath showed contempt that the Israelites would even send such a young man as David to challenge him.

But David was high on faith!

Psa_22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

David went forward in the name of the Lord, his Master.

*1Sa 17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
1Sa 17:46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
1Sa 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

We should understand the God knows every little detail about us, all our strengths and all of our weaknesses.

Goliath trusted his man-made weapons and David trusted in his faith in Jehovah.

In typology, we can say that Goliath is a type of Satan, the devil.

See how the Devil attacks.

He assaults openly, trying to convince people how strong he is.
He harasses the people of God, especially those who are babes in Christ.
He hides behind those who will carry his armor.
He will make great railing accusations and attack our faith.
He will use our friends and our family against us.

David as a type of our faith, shows us that our faith must hold!

We must cling to our faith. Faith is our greatest strength!

This passage also teaches us that we need to stand unmovable when someone dishonors our God.

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Those in the will of God will gain the victory!

*1Sa 17:48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
1Sa 17:49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
1Sa 17:50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
1Sa 17:51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Just as quickly as this battle began, it was suddenly over.

The Lord God of Israel had provided the victory because the battle was His, not David’s.

Quickly David ran to the giant Goliath and took his own sword, and the head of this snake was removed.

The Philistine army could not believe what they had witnessed, and they became full of fear, and they began to run from this battle.

The army of Israel had a crushing victory on the day that Jesse sent his son David to the battlefield to bring encouragement to his other sons and a home cooked meal.

We get the picture of David as a little man, but it seems he was not so little.

Saul’s armor may have been too much for him, but David said he had not proved it.

David was strong enough to take the sword of the giant and cut off his head.

We can assume that when Goliath fell, he was not completely dead, and David would not give him time to recuperate.

We should know that God is glorified when His proud enemies are cut off with their own sword.

This is a picture of Armageddon when the enemies of God will destroy themselves with their own weapons because the fear of God will have overwhelmed them!

Israel had a great victory this day, yet they still refused to return to the Lord.

As David had said, this battle with the giant Goliath did make him famous.

We must realize that the battle with Satan, is the Lord’s battle and we must cling to our faith and remain in the will of God.

Amen

The Truth of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Samuel’s Farewell Sermon

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 12

Of all the tributes we can offer to the Lord, obedience to His Word is the greatest thing we can do to show the Lord that we love Him!

The next best thing we can do is to repent our sins.

Repent means much more than saying I am sorry.

To repent is a complete change of mind and a change of direction to mean walking as the Lord walked, walking with the Lord.

The next thing would be a faithful service in whatever we do in the ministry of the Lord.

We trust the promises of God because we know of God’s faithfulness to His Word!

God is faithful!

1Co_1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Fellowship with the Lord consist of the knowledge of His will for us, and an agreement with His design for this world, which means a world built around families with mutual affection conforming to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Church is a group of families that worship together as the family of God.

Job 22:21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1Jn 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1Jn 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

This has been the goal of our Lord Jesus since the first day of creation.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

It is sin that breaks our fellowship with the Lord!

It is sin that is destroying our world, not climate change!

We must be faithful to the Lord once we know the truth!

Samuel had now become an old man and in all his days, he had been faithful to the Lord while being truthful to all of Israel.

Samuel would spend his last days on earth preparing the people of Israel to live under a monarchy.

Saul was now the first King of Israel.

Once both sides had repented, the people and the new king, they both could live a life of faithful service.

For the new government to succeed, the people would have to faithfully serve the Lord and faithfully fulfill their calling upon this earth.

Samuel preached this message to all of Israel and to the new King of Israel who was sitting within the voice of Samuel.

*1Sa 12:1 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.
1Sa 12:2 And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

Samuel closed his ministry before the people.

Samuel closed his ministry as Judge of Israel but he was still God’s Prophet!

As Samuel was stepping aside, he stressed the necessity for King Saul to be faithful to Jehovah God as he had been.

Our success comes from our ability to remain in the will of God all our lives, or from the day we repent and return to the Lord.

Samuel talked of his own righteous life, not bragging, but as an example of the expectations he had for King Saul.

Samuel declared to the people that he had done exactly what they asked him to do, to give them a king to rule over them.

We know that God was the ruler of Israel so, to now have a king would be a terrible step backwards.

Samuel had lived a righteous life since he had been called at the age of twelve.

Samuel had executed justice to Israel all his days.

In order for Israel to prosper, King Saul would have to be faithful and execute true justice and we know that politicians are not really concerned for the people as they say, but most are more concerned with their own bank account.

Israel could have chosen the two sons of Samuel, but they were not considered to be like their father.

We do not know much truth about these two sons.

We do know that Israel was determined to have a king and that king like the kings of other nations, many of which they had destroyed or conquered.

Samuel knew he was too old to continue doing the things he had done all his life.

We all reach this time in our lives where we just cannot do the things we used to do.

Would Saul be a faithful king? We know that answer is no because we can read of his history.

Samuel had never stolen, or cheated, or oppressed anyone.
Samuel had never taken a bribe from the rich and powerful.
Samuel was not guilty of any wrong and if someone thought so, he would immediately make it right.

The people of Israel agreed with Samuel.

We know that King Saul was present as Samuel described his life, and we can just imagine what he was thinking.

Samuel had lived righteously, and this is what the Lord expects from each of us!

To be like the Lord Jesus Christ, we would have to be a lot like Samuel.

For Saul to be a great king, he would have to be a lot like Samuel.

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

If we have the victory the Lord has given to us, then we need to abound in the work of the Lord!

1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Samuel reminded all these people that it was the Jehovah that had gotten them out of the slavery of Egypt and not some man.

*1Sa 12:6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
1Sa 12:7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

We see in America that many groups are insisting that the history of America not be taught in our schools.

History is about facts.

Certainly, there are parts of our history of which we are not proud.

Certainly, slavery is one of those things.

It was not slavery that built our nation!

Slavery in America came from human trafficking which still exist today, and it needs to be stopped.

The pure fact is, more money can be made trafficking humans than can be made by illegal drugs.

The slavery of Israel came about by the ruthless kings of Egypt.

It was Jehovah God who put an end to this slavery!

It was Jehovah God who called and brought forth Moses to lead this people.

It was Jehovah God who put Aaron the first High Priest in place, and this would continue except for the changes that took place with Zadok.

Zadok was still in the family line of Aaron and was a Levite.

The family line of Eli would be stopped by the Lord Himself.

These children of Israel had become blind to the workings of the Lord and the same thing is taking place in America today.

I do not see how the Catholic Church can defend such people as Biden and Pelosi and some others, knowing that the stand they take goes against the Word of God.

There are many so-called Christians in politics and most everyone of them go against the truth of the Gospel, and they are proud to say so.

What kind of ruler would Saul be?

If he trusted the Word of God and used it to rule these people, he would do an excellent job.

If he ignored the Word of God and rejected Jehovah, his kingdom would fail and we can read what happened because God included it in the Scriptures.

The leaders we have in America today will go down as the people who destroyed the only free society on this planet, and it is intentional.

Corruption cannot be stopped; it must be removed.

2Pe_2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

What was the most disturbing history of these people?

They had consistently forsaken the Lord!

They had turned away from the Lord and lived their own lives as they wished, doing their own thing and this is the recipe for failure.

The Lord had judged them and chastised them, and they lived this way until they cried out to the Lord with great promises, which they would not keep.

If you want to know true history, then it is easy to see that our Lord has saved and delivered all who turn to Him by faith!

Today, that faith must be in the Lord Jesus Christ and this faith can remove anyone from any bondage of sin and wickedness, and all other bondage, such as drugs, alcohol, the gay lifestyle, homosexuality, immorality, depression, hatred, false worship, and any other bondage of sin.

This is the promise that God makes, and He has never broken a promise!

These things were just as true in the days of Saul, but his life led to failure.

Samuel continues with some history:

God had sold them into the hands of Sisaro, to the Philistines several times, and the King of Moab.

They had cried out and the Lord had sent men such as Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah and others.

God had sold them into the hands of the King of Ammon, and they had not recognized the fact, that God had delivered than many times and they asked for a king.

*1Sa 12:12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.

In all these deliverances, it had been the Lord God who had delivered them who is much better than any king!

Samuel told Israel you already have a king, and He is the Lord God of all creation, there is no greater king than the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth to be King of the Jews, and He will bring all of us with Him to rule and reign upon this earth for one thousand years, and I believe this is true.

If we reject the Lord and ask for some human ruler, we are committing a serious sin, it is called idolatry.

Every time someone votes for a Democrat today are voting for the policies of the Democrats and they are exposing themselves to idolatry, because the policies of the Democrats have rejected the Word of God.

I know this sounds political, but it is only the truth.

It is the same for Progressives.

It is the same for many Republicans.

If we refuse to vote, we are just as guilty because we are only helping those who are against the Lord.

It is the same for anyone who goes against the Word of God!

We will be judged for all the things we do in this lifetime!

Israel had rejected the rule of the Lord by rejecting the Word of God.

They had turned away from the Lord and we must not fall into this trap, and it is a deadly trap.

They now faced God’s terrifying judgment!

America is now facing God’s terrifying judgment!

This is what Samuel’s last sermon was telling these tribes of Israel, yet they still chose idolatry.

Samuel says these are the things you know that are true of the Lord your true King, and now you can see the one you chose to replace Him.

*1Sa 12:13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.

If you have chosen Lord as your ruler, you have chosen a Theocratic form of government in your heart.

Why in the world would we ever choose some human ruler who does not follow the Lord?

This is what Samuel was asking Israel.

Saul was a giant of a man in his physique as compared to the average Israelite.

Saul was less than a grasshopper when compared to the Lord the true King.

God had proven throughout the brief history of this nation that He was their Savior.

He was their Provider.

He was their Protector.

He was their Guide through the wilderness called life.

He is the same in all these things for each Christian today!

To ask for a king like all those other nations was a terrible thing to ask for.

Sometimes God will give us what we ask for just to teach us a lesson!

It would have much better to ask for a king, “after God’s own heart”, which would have been much better.

This is the same choice we should all make when we get the opportunity to choose.

Those in power today are trying their best to take this freedom to choose away from us, along with many of our other freedoms.

*1Sa 12:14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:
1Sa 12:15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.

What is the truth of God? If we will fear the Lord, serve Him, and obey His voice, which is the written Word of God, and not rebel against the written Word of God, which is a commandment for us and our rulers, and continue to follow the Lord, things will go well for us and our nation.

But if we rebel against the truth of God then, shall the hand of the Lord be against us.

We know our Lord never changes and He will not treat America any different than He treated Israel during these times of rebellion.

You cannot be a Christian and want some wicked ruler to rule over you!

Then Samuel says, just take a look at some small portion of the power of God.

*1Sa 12:16  Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. 
1Sa 12:17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
1Sa 12:18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
1Sa 12:19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

These people realized that they had only added to their sins against God.

You know, we can get forgiveness of our sins if we are sincere in asking for forgiveness.

In Israel’s case, they may have realized they were wrong but guess what, they still had Saul as king, and he would turn out to be an ungodly king.

There are a few men in the Bible that God would do things at their request but not many and not often.

We know of Moses and Joshua and the Lord had his own reasons each time.

We need to realize that our Lord is a Mighty God, with unlimited power and not some puny false god.

We will reap what we sow.

How can we ever expect some puny arm of flesh to replace the arm of God!

Is God showing the world that He can change the face of the heavens and persecute us with storms such as what is called “climate change”?

He did it once to Israel, why not do it today, to show this world which is so full of sin and idolatry?

We are in our own peril if we reject the power of the God of the Bible!

The Lord certainly has the power to bring judgment upon any people or all people at the same time!

For Israel it was an exceedingly rare thing for rain during harvest time, and we can be sure they lost a part of that harvest.

We know how destructive thunderstorms can be!

This sermon from Samuel had led the nation of Israel to confession.

Do we need a Samuel in America today to lead us to the point of confession of our sins, well this is not true because we already have the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins and who has given us the truth, and few are listening to His Words.

The truth is, rejecting the Lord will bring judgment against us!

If we forsake the Lord, forget, ignore, and neglect the Lord, we will face the judgment of God!

This also is the truth of the Scriptures!

People just do not want to hear the truth, because they are raised in a world where the truth is not important because we live in a world based on lies, beginning with evolution.

We must walk a righteous walk before God, no matter what this world is doing!

2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

*1Sa 12:20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
1Sa 12:21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
1Sa 12:22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.

There is only one answer to the problems we face today, and it is to return to the Lord and to serve the Lord with all our heart!

If we have confessed our sins then, we can do this if we then repent and walk away from the lies of this world, and turn to the truth of the Lord.

The biggest problem people have today is that they do not want to give up their sin.

Almost everyone has a pet sin that they refuse to give up!

Sinners just do not want to repent and without repentance there is no forgiveness!

When sin becomes the most important thing in our lives, we are traveling on the road to damnation!

The Lord will not forsake any people who are committed to Him!

The Lord will not forsake any people He has made promises to.

The Lord Jesus will not forsake Israel because He has made promises to them.

The Lord will never leave us, nor forsake us, because He is bound by His promises to us.

You see our salvation is not on our own merits.

Our salvation has always depended upon the mercy of God and the promises He has made!

You see, if the Lord fails to keep even one promise, then His honor would suffer in this world.

The Lord must deliver Israel or He will be found to be a liar.

The Lord must deliver the true Church of He would be found to be a liar.

If the Lord God of this world does not keep His promises, then His Word is useless.

It is never too late to repent and return to the Lord while we are living.

It is impossible to repent after death!

The Lord made Israel His people.

The Lord made the Church His chosen people!

Then Samuel mentions prayer.

We immediately see that we sin against the Lord if we do not pray for sinners!

Samuel promised to pray for and to teach Israel all the days that remained in his life.

We must be intercessors for our children.
We must be intercessors for all our family, and it is a sin not to.
We must be intercessors for all sinners.

The key to our relationship with the Lord is to serve Him in truth that comes from the heart!

*1Sa 12:23  Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: 
1Sa 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
1Sa 12:25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

You know, if the Lord does nothing else for us after we are saved, He has already done much more than we deserve by saving us from a burning Hell.

The Lord also wants to bless us in this life, but we must have a personal relationship with Him.

We must respect the Lord who is also the Creator of all we see, and all we cannot see in this universe.

We should understand that the new King Saul was present during this sermon from Samuel and heard every word he spoke.

Then Samuel issues a final warning to all of Israel, but this applies to all leaders in this world and to all believers.

If we continue to sin, we will be judged and chastised by the Lord!

For Israel many were destroyed until ultimately, they were exiled from the Promised Land.

This is why the return of Israel to the Promised Land was such a momentous day in fulfilled prophecy!

We should understand that the problem with Israel was not to have a king who would go out and win battles for them.

The problem with Israel was internal and it was spiritual!

The problem with America is not that America is still the most powerful nation on earth, at least for the time being.

The problems in America is internal and they are Spiritual.

Eph_6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

America will have to return to God and repent, to have a better future just as Israel will have to do.

Israel has the promises of God, America does not, only the believers do.

No king and no leader are powerful enough to stop the hand of God in judgment!

There is no approach to God that does not begin with repentance!

Much of the Church has forgotten this.

We must turn away from sin, in order to come face to face with the Lord!

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

The Word of God cannot be denied!

Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Amen

Choosing a National Leader

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Saul Is Chosen As King

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 9 through 11

Those of us that love the Word of God, love it because we know that it is the truth.

We also know of the great comfort we can get from many of the great passages and the Book of Psalms.

We also get the great history of the creation of this universe.

Another thing we should take great notice in is the warnings that written in God’s Word.

God will teach us the costs for going against the Word of God.

Some of those costs are truly severe!

We are placed upon that path of decision and the choices we make in this life will reflect on the way we live here and the glory of Heaven.

Our greatest decision is to decide to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and follow Him as close as we can!

When it comes time to choose a new leader, we must try to avoid choosing an ungodly leader.

An ungodly people will choose an ungodly leader.

Ungodly leaders will lead the people to do more ungodliness!

Any politician who goes against the Word of God is an ungodly leader!

Most politicians make terrible leaders because they have had to compromise all their days to rise in politics or we could say they learn the art of political lies.

The most important quality of a good leader is, “does he or she show full obedience to the Word of God”.

This is the most important thing in choosing those who will lead the Church.

This is the most important characteristic we should see in choosing national leaders.

This was the intent of our forefathers.

There is a big mistake when certain people say our Constitution guarantees the right of freedom of religion, when our forefathers gave us the right and the freedom to serve the Lord Jesus Christ not all religions.

This is why the settlers came to America for the freedom to be Christians.

Israel had determined that they needed a king.

Not just any king but a king like the kings of those people that had possessed the land promised to them.

They forgot God gave them the Promised Land because of the sin of those people was so great.

We could title this lesson “How Not To Choose A King”.

*1Sa 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

Kish was a wealthy and powerful man from the tribe of Benjamin. We do not know anything else much of this man and this is not a good trait in choosing a king.

Good leaders do not necessarily come from rich families.

In fact this is seldom ever true.

No doubt this man Kish had his way with the people around his home.

The only other thing we read of him is that he sent his son Saul in search of some donkeys that had strayed from his land.

*1Sa 9:2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

All we know about Saul is that he had a noble appearance and a gigantic stature for an Israelite.

He was well suited to impress the average Jew.

We see that physical qualifications, strength, and looks were the most favorable qualities in choosing leaders of that time period.

No one in Israel in that day had similar qualifications that could be seen.

A tall stature was of much value for a king in ancient times.

We should notice that nothing is said of the quality of Saul’s mind.

God does not choose His leaders this way and neither should we!

1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

As parents we love to see our children as having exciting potential in this world when we should look upon them as having an exciting potential in the service of God.

Those that have an exciting potential to serve God may also be great leaders.

It seems that Saul was a humble man also being tall and some would say handsome.

He also seemed to be trustworthy when dealing with the possessions of his father who appeared to be a leader in the tribe of Benjamin.

What do we know?

We know that appearances can be very deceiving!

Appearances can lead to destruction.

Character and integrity are much better qualifications!

God’s Word is noticeably clear on this subject.

We must not judge by appearance.

Joh 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

As this passage continues, we will see how Jehovah used a bunch of lost donkeys to get Saul in touch with Samuel.

Those donkeys would return to their homeland unharmed but not by Saul.

*1Sa 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
1Sa 9:16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.

In all his travels Samuel had not known this man so God told Samuel so, Jehovah God introduced Samuel to Saul.

Notice the use of the word “captain” and not the word “king”.

We must be able to hear that “still small voice” of the Holy Spirit.

Israel was surrounded by her enemies, but it was the Philistines they dreaded the most.

It was the Lord who chose Saul but remember Israel desired a king who was like the kings of those other nations.

Saul would be that type of king.

Now Jehovah was not relinquishing His authority over these people.

Jehovah is still God of the universe, and He will always be!

There would always be a remnant of the Israelites who would remain close to the Lord, just as there is today.

Israel is still God’s “treasured possession” and the Church is God’s children.

What would be this king’s purpose? To deliver Israel out of the clutches of the Philistines.

Though we do not understand why, God so chooses all the leaders of all nations.

In some way they will serve the purpose that God has given to them, and the end result will be the Rapture of the Church, Armageddon, and Israel restored as lead nation of this world before this world sees its end.

**Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Each leader will serve a purpose that only Jehovah knows!

Then Samuel saw Saul for the first time.

*1Sa 9:17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.

Jehovah had revealed His choice for the first king of Israel to Samuel.

The purpose of Saul was clearly stated; he was to deliver God’s people Israel from their oppressive enemy the Philistines.

We read that since the death of Joshua and from the very beginning of the Book of Judges we read that the Israelites had been suffering terrible oppression from the surrounding nations.

This was true because God had told them to eradicate these wicked nations from the Promised Land and they had chosen to compromise and in some cases because of fear.

They had cried out to the Lord and God had prepared for their deliverance.

Part of that preparation was to make Saul King of Israel.

As we have already stated it is God who chooses the rulers and leaders of this world we live in and God has a purpose for each and every one of them!

What we see is in many cases these leaders violate the privilege God has given to them and they will face the Judgement of God and it will be severe.

Dan 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Dan 2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

As God’s chosen to be first King of Israel, Saul needed to understand he was to rule according to the Word of God and that it was Jehovah who had called him.

*1Sa 9:27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.
1Sa 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

Again we see that word “captain” and not king.

When we see that word “anointed” we should be looking for “types of Christ”.

It was pointed out to Saul that the children of Israel belong to Jehovah God and as God’s children he was to be careful how he ruled over them.

He was to rule according to the Word of God.

These things would be the same for the Messiah when He would come to redeem God’s people.

No doubt Israel was a peculiar people!

A leader that does not know the Law of God and His anointed Messiah is not fit to rule any people!

Saul could accept the words of Samuel, God’s prophet, or he could reject them but the Word of God is always true!

Saul would be given another heart which is a new nature.

1Sa 10:9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.

Saul was baptized with the Holy Spirit.

1Sa 10:10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

Having just witnessed the coronation of the new King of England we see this coronation of Saul to be King of Israel is still observed by the English people in Great Britain.

Then Samuel called all of Israel to Mizpeh.

*1Sa 10:17 And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh;
1Sa 10:18 And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:
1Sa 10:19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.

Samuel called all those together who had requested a king.

Saul was anointed to be the new leader of God’s inheritance.

God’s inheritance refers to the people of God and the Promised Land!

Here we see another type of Christ.

What did we learn from chapter nine?

We learn the will of God for all His children.

1) There must be a transformed life. We must be “Born Again”!
2) We are to conquer the trials and temptations, and the problems and difficulties of this life, if we are to victorious Christians over sin and wickedness.
God gives us the power over our enemies and those who try to defeat and destroy us. God gives us the power over death and Hell.
We must be converted to have this power.

Samuel intended to install Saul as King of Israel as quickly as he could.

Samuel assured Saul that he was God’s chosen man to lead Israel.

Samuel also informed Israel that they had rejected the rule of the Lord and Saul would be their earthly ruler.

To ensure the people Samuel began to choose the new king by lot.

*1Sa 10:20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
1Sa 10:21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.

The process of choosing by “lot” is much greater than these few instances that are recorded but these things written by the Holy Spirit give us a condensed version of what actually happened.

Matri was the head of the family of Kish.
Kish was the head of the family of Saul.

If we remember the story of David and Jonathan we will realize that the family of Saul would have ended if not for the Grace of God saving one son named Mephibosheth.

Samuel knew that Saul would be chosen, yet he still went through the motions of selecting Israel’s first king by lot.

If Samuel had done this any other way, then Saul could have been rejected.

Saul, seeing that this thing was happening, hid himself.

Saul showed genuine modesty to be selected for such an honor.

It is the Lord who told Samuel where Saul was hiding.

*1Sa 10:22 Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.
1Sa 10:23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
1Sa 10:24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.

It is probable that the word “stuff” means that like an army, Israel would have come together being afraid that the Philistines would take advantage of such a gathering.

That stuff would be the things they would use to defend themselves.

As Saul stood beside Samuel it could easily be seen that Saul was a big man. More than a head taller than any other Jew.

Jews tend to be short people, but Saul would have been taller than the average man of most any nation.

We can believe that at this time Saul felt inadequate and unqualified to be the King of Israel.

In typology, Saul is a notable example of those who flee from God’s call.

When God’s call comes, He has already qualified you to fulfill the purpose He has for you!

His purpose means we are qualified only if we serve with His help!

Many refuse to surrender to the call of God for many varied reasons but being unqualified should not be a reason for none of us are qualified, we must serve in God’s power!

We should be more like the Apostle Paul when we hear God calling us.

Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

To reject the call of God is not an option that we should take!

It is after these things are settled that Samuel told the people the manner of the new kingdom.

*1Sa 10:25 Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

We should consider this book Samuel gave to the people as a charter defining the position of a king in relation to Jehovah and to the people.

We know that God allows to make our own decisions, but God always warns us of the outcome of those decisions.

This book is probably similar to the things that Moses had written because God never changes.

Deu 17:14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
Deu 17:15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
Deu 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Then Samuel sent everyone home to think about all that happened that day, but Saul was now King of Israel.

*1Sa 10:26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.
1Sa 10:27 But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

There are always those who try to make things work because they trust the Word of God.

There are also those children of the devil who immediately want to start trouble.

The word Belial still means “worthless fellows”.

They refused to pay homage to their new king but despised him.

A great trait of any leader is that they do not yield to human weaknesses.

By the way, this is a great trait for every Christian.

Our greatest enemy to being a Christian is our own selves most of the time.

Who is our example again?

It is not Saul!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ!

Mat 26:61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
Mat 26:62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
Mat 26:63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
Mat 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

We cannot allow this world to entice us into sin.

It is the Lord who will take revenge on all those who cause harm to the Church.

Amen

Our Desires Are Not Always What We Need

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The People’s Desire

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 7 and 8

The one message we see in these Books of Samuel and throughout all the Bible is that only when we are obedient to the Lord can we expect God’s blessings. Not before!

God has the power to control human events in this world. Sometimes He intervenes but most of the time He allows our mistakes to take place so we can learn from them.

Which we rarely do learn from our mistakes.

There is even a push today to remove the evidence of our mistakes from history, so that we can forget them, which will never work. Even if it did work, a new way cannot be made using corruption and wickedness.

The only new way that works is the same old way and it is by a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

When the sons of Eli removed the Ark from the Tabernacle located in Shiloh, it would never return to that Tabernacle, which showed the glory of the Lord no longer shined upon Israel at that time.

The Ark remained in the possession of the Philistines for seven months and we could say that God showed out until the Philistines had enough and they sent the Ark back to Israel but not back to the Tabernacle, which they had destroyed.

Some few of the Israelites celebrated the return of the Ark, but a few violated the Holiness of God by opening the Ark and looked into the Ark and immediately they were struck with death.

Some seventy men died that day because they showed irreverence to the things of God.

These same things can happen today, and they probably do.

This certainly put the fear of God into the hearts of these Israelites.

The Ark was sent to Kirjathjearim into the house of Abinadab and Eleazar his son to care for the Ark and it remained there until the time of David, some eighty years.

It seems that the Lord was silent for twenty years before He spoke again to Samuel.

When the Lord is silent, those things He was already given to us are still in effect and He expects obedience to those things!

We should clearly understand that there are certain ways to approach God and He gives us those ways.

Any other way that is attempted will result in death and eternal damnation.

*1Sa 7:1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
1Sa 7:2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

The men of Kirjathjearim came and by God’s Law undertook the caring to the Ark and no further calamity occurred at this time.

They placed the Ark in the house of Abinadab which is later said to be Gibeah.

2Sa 6:3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.

It is likely that Abinadab was a Levite, and his son Eleazar was ordained and sanctified to care for the Ark.

Because this house was located on a hill and easy to defend, it was actually used as a place of worship.

We should consider that the Tabernacle at Shiloh had been destroyed.

Jer_7:12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

We do not have to ask why God would allow such a thing to happen, because God the Holy Spirit said to Jeremiah that it was because of wickedness.

For twenty years, God was silent for His glory was removed from Israel and the Philistines ransacked most of Israel.

All these years Samuel was working behind the scenes going from place to place teaching the Word of God and insisting that Israel repent.

Without repentance, Israel would remain in the hands of the Philistines as slaves.

This same thing could happen to America unless America repents and returns to the Lord.

We can say that to lament, as used here, would mean to mourn for the Lord who remained silent for these twenty years.

This was the first time that Israel was missing the presence of the Lord and gradually a change of heart came over these people.

It is a good thing that God looks into the heart for our outside actions reflect what our heart dictates.

The Philistines were like tyrants at this time, and they also took away Israel’s means to make weapons to defend themselves.

Sounds increasingly like America all the time, as our own nation tries to take away our weapons to defend ourselves from the tyranny of government.

I do not know if we have twenty more years to come to repentance before the Lord.

Samuel began reaching out to the leaders of Israel.

*1Sa 7:3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
1Sa 7:4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.

Repentance is a complete change of mind from a sinful, wicked state and a complete submission to the Lord.

Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

What is the sign of the end just before the return of Jesus Christ?

Rev 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Rev 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

The main purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ to leave Heaven and come to this earth was to call for repentance!

Mat 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Mat 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

If Israel would repent God would save them from the tyranny of the Philistines.

In fact, there was no other way to defeat the Philistines without the Divine Power of our Holy God!

Repentance can only come from a believer!

The unbeliever must first answer the call of God and then the Holy Spirit will move in to begin His work that leads to repentance.

There must be a whole-hearted return to the Lord!

We must put away the idols of the soul!

The help which brings deliverance comes through a covenant sealed with blood!

It was that same covenant with Abraham that brought deliverance to Israel if they would repent.

It is also true that for anyone to be delivered from the bondage of Satan, then it is through the covenant of Grace that is sealed with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the joyful acceptance by a sin-oppressed soul.

This help for deliverance comes by prayer and prayers must be heard in Heaven.

It is that repenting soul whose prayers are heard in Heaven.

This was the message of Samuel to Israel.

This is the message of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Most of Israel then put away their false idols and their hearts returned to Jehovah.

This is what America needs to do today!

The Philistines were defeated by Israel because of answered prayer that had come through repentance.

And time moves on.

*1Sa 8:1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
1Sa 8:2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
1Sa 8:3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

After a revival in Israel and the fact that Jehovah had allowed Israel to defeat the Philistines, Israel was quiet for the time of Samuel which was about eighty years

Samuel would be the last human Judge of Israel.

As Samuel got to be an old man, he had his sons to help him, and his own sons proved to be unjust and corrupt, and the people demanded that Samuel change the way Israel was governed.

Israel wanted to be like the other nations around them that had kings to rule them. How foolish.

They had their reasons:

1) They never had enough qualified judges to lead them. Even Moses found this to be true.
Their biggest problem was that they refused to follow the Word of God and crime ran rampant just as we see today.

2) Israel had suffered greatly from the Philistines and marauders from other nations, especially during harvest time.
Again this was because Israel refused to obey the Word of God.

3) They suffered Spiritually because they failed to lead righteous lives. They had separated themselves from God many times. They lived sinful and wicked lives departing from the truth of God!

Israel decided they needed a king. They felt a king would solve all their problems. They were wrong again!

This was just another rebellion from the truth of God!

****1Sa 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
1Sa 8:5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

Israel admitted that they wanted a king to be like the other nations around them and this is not a particularly good reason.

In fa ‘ct, it is not a good reason at all.

God had allowed Israel to be given the land and homes of these nations because of the wickedness of those nations.

They should have never had the desire to be like them.

We are to be like the Lord Jesus Christ and this should be our goal.

We are wronging ourselves and our families when we want to be like the world!

All Israel had to do was to be obedient to the Law of God and they would become a great nation.

Samuel, like we all do, had gotten old and he no longer had the strength to do all the things he knew he needed to do.

His sons had been of no help to him because they just took advantage of their position and became corrupt.

We see that corrupt governments have always been a major problem in this world, and I never thought our own nation would get caught up in corruption, but it has.

Israel had corrupt leaders and corrupt judges just as we see in America today and we can be sure it is probably the same in all nations that reject the truth of God!

The sons of Samuel accepted bribes and perverted justice.

They ruled in favor of those who were lawless. Those that did what was right in their own eyes.

We see these same things today.

Solomon wrote that there is nothing new under the Sun.

Ecc_1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

These words of wisdom have held true in every Age so far.

Humans do not want to live righteously because we all have that sin nature!

It is in our nature to sin against God, but this is no excuse.

Today in America we want new leadership and a righteous leadership just as Israel wanted in the time of Samuel.

Is this even possible? Not in any nation that rejects the truth of God!

Not under capitalism, not under socialism, not under communism, and certainly not under some monarchy!

Israel wanted a king like those nations around them, they did not want a king “after God’s own heart”!

Just speaking for myself, I do not see a leader of any nation that I think is truly suitable, and I certainly do not like the leadership of America today.

Jehovah is noticeably clear on these things!

Deu 27:19 Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Why did Israel spend so many years in captivity?

Mic 3:10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
Mic 3:11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.
Mic 3:12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

Is America so bold to think that God will not allow similar things to happen here?

Of course Samuel was displeased.

We should also be displeased and vote for a better government and insist that there be no corruption in it!

As the people we have this power today but this power is slowly being taken from us.

We do not need to be like Europe or any other nation.

People seem to forget it took a war to separate us from the ways of Europe.

We must avoid the ways of the world.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We must not become a part of this world!

*1Sa 8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
1Sa 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

Samuel had done his best to lead Israel according to the Word of God all the days since he was a young man.

He had always judged according to the Word of God.

Samuel would have been broken-hearted because he had spent his entire life doing what was right in the eyes of God.

At first Samuel was surprised at God’s answer when He said give them a king.

God also told Samuel to tell them all the things that a king would require from them.

When we forsake our Holy and Righteous God we are just asking for severe trouble.

People will do what they think is right in their own eyes, just as we see in our own nation today.

When we reject the providence of God, then we also reject the Divine favor of God!

If the Lord Jesus Christ is not everything in our lives, then He is nothing in our lives!

One day soon the Lord Jesus will be the true King of all this world!

If our desire to be like someone else and that person is not Jesus, then we have failed our own self and have chosen wickedness.

God cannot look upon evil.

God will have nothing to do with the sinful, wicked ways of this world.

When we claim the Lord Jesus, then we claim to be obedient to all the Word of God.

If we reject any part of the Word of God, then we have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords!

Deu 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

Psa 81:11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
Psa 81:12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
Psa 81:13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
Psa 81:14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

*1Sa 8:8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
1Sa 8:9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

Keep in mind that Israel did not want to develop their own government and perfect the judicial system, they looked at other nations and wanted to do as they did.

Today, I hear many politicians say we need to be like Europe when in fact, we need to stop the corruption of our own government and make our judicial system as perfect as we can and that will never happen until we remove the politics from the court.

We must remove politics from the DOJ, the FBI, and the CIA and write righteous laws and enforce without politics.

Our government must be for the people and the people must never be seen as the enemy of government by the goverment as we see today.

We cannot claim that we accept God’s Law and then, begin removing the parts with which we do not agree.

Many churches are doing this today.

A nation governed by God is a Theocracy.

Israel was rejecting a theocratic government and demanding a monarchy.

This was a sad step downward in the History of Israel, when they rejected Jehovah God.

Why was this true? Because the Priests and the Leaders of Israel did not teach the truth of God.

Israel claimed God, but they did not really know Him! This is the same for them today!

The same things happen in the Church today!

Those men behind the pulpits do not teach the truth of God, knowing that God does not change His ways.

What is the truth about kings?

*1Sa 8:10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
1Sa 8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.

What is the job of all Priests, Preachers, Pastors, Evangelists, and Elders? To tell the truth of the Word of God to the people in the pews.

My question is, why are so many not obedient to God and just give their own thoughts to the people when God has said not to do that.

2Pe_1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Moses was instructed to make the Tabernacle after the pattern shown to him in the Holy Mount.

Jeremiah was told to go to all to which He was sent.

God said: If any man speaks, let him speak the oracles of God.

God said to Peter: It is required of stewards that a man be found faithful.

God expects His chosen men to be faithful to the Word of God which never changes!

Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people.

God’s chosen men must not allow the fear of the people, nor the fear of government, to alter the Doctrine of the Lord.

God’s love for us does not make allowances for sin!

God still has that same call to repentance.

If we remain what we were after salvation, then we have not repented.

Every preacher is to declare all the council of God!

The Lord said to Samuel to tell the people what a king would do, not what a king should do because the Lord would take care of this in His Word and a king should never deviate from the Word of God. This includes all leaders of all nations!

Samuel explained to Israel that there would be consequences if Israel was to be ruled by a king!

1) They would lose many if not all of their liberties.

A king would require a professionally trained standing army to defend his nation.

A king might lead a nation to war, but those dead bodies as a result of war would be their own children.

Other men would be needed to care for all the things that an army would need.

Israel was male dominated society, with the man providing the income for his family and working the animals and the food supply for the family.

There would be many widows because of this king.

The sons of these families would have to serve in the military when it was the son that these widows would need to remain in their homes and survive.

2) Under a king there would be many who would be demanded to serve at the whim of a king.

Laborers would work in the fields of the king rather than their own fields.

Weapons of war would have to be massed produced.

3) A king would also require the women and the daughters of the nation to be cooks and bakers instead of cooking for their own families.

4) A king would confiscate property. He would take the best fields, the best vineyards, the best groves, to supply his own needs and the needs of those who would work for him and for the military.

5) A king would have a system of taxation to take from the meager people to supply the needs of the government and those that supported his government.

6) A king would take the best animals, the best crops as taxes.

7) A king would raise taxes as needed or as he decided.

8) In reality under a king, the nation of Israel would become a nation of slaves.

This is what socialism is all about, and so many Americans think socialism is so great, it is not great and has failed in almost every place it has been used to govern.

Under a king, a day would come when the people would rebel, seeking deliverance from all these things.

Oppression, lawlessness, and the violent ways of the world, would become embedded in the king and his subjects.

This is the same under socialism.
This is the same under communism.

This is the goal of the Democrats to make people totally submit to the whims of government.

What would be God’s response? God would not answer because the people chose this rather than the truth of God.

Notice we see these things in America today.

God said you cannot escape the consequences of your actions!

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

The message to the Christian is to hold on and not be weary.

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

What happened after the people were told all these things?

We might ask, what happened to common sense?

*1Sa 8:19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
1Sa 8:20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.

Notice these people did not believe anything Samuel said and America does not believe in common sense today.

The desire to be like other nations, nations that were wicked and evil nations with false gods, overcame common sense.

Israel demanded a king!

How can progressive ideology believe any nation could afford all the things they ask for? Who could pay for all those things?

**Israel wanted a king that would be their savior and deliverer.

There is no such human being who can do all these things.

The power of kings is in their nation.

The power of any nation is in its people, if those people can believe the truth and have common sense.

No government will continue to take care of its people as the people wish because it is unsustainable!

**Israel wanted a protector and a provider.

No king, or ruler possesses the ability to do these things!

Again, the power of any king or ruler is in its people even when they are tyrants.

No people will live in fear of its government forever!

Today hardly any true American wants to be in the military because of the politics of this government.

This military may fail when it is needed!

Samuel did all he could to tell Israel how foolish they were, but they would not be denied.

Again, this sounds a whole lot like the America we are seeing today.

God said:

*1Sa 8:21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
1Sa 8:22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

God gave us a thing called choice and God will not ever force His will on any of us!

God presents His truth, and it is up to us to believe or to not believe what God says.

I am a believer of the truth of God!

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

If we choose the truth of the Lord Jesus, we will never die and spend eternity with Him in Heaven, no matter what happens upon this earth.

If we choose to not believe the truth of God, we will die and spend eternity in Hell and the desires of this world are meaningless to a righteous God.

Amen

God’s Judgment Is A Sure Thing

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Departed Glory

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 4

A great lesson to learn in this passage of the Bible is that unbelievers will not be able to use Jehovah God to reach their own personal goals.

Israel was seeing something new from God.

Jehovah would begin speaking to Israel through the voice of a child.

We can also begin to see the importance of “childlike faith”.

We must encourage our children to have the right ideas about the Lord Jesus Christ, and not to get caught up in the things of this wicked world that is not going to get any better.

We must prepare our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren for what lies ahead of them, and it is not limited to climate change.

God brought Samuel along to revive the truth of God and to restore true worship to Jehovah.

Samuel would also be the last Judge of Israel deciding all cases according to the Word of God.

All of Israel began to notice that Samuel was established to be the voice of God.

Another reality we will see is God’s judgment is a sure thing!
God’s judgment will take place just as He teaches us in His infallible Word.

Today we are surrounded by evil!

Bad men and terrible things are all around us.

Corruption is dictating politics in America!

Wicked bullies are in charge of many nations including our own nation.

According to the Word of God, tyranny is a doomed thing! Thank Goodness.

*1Sa 3:21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
1Sa 4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.

The Philistines were the bitter enemy enemies of Israel.

Most Christians believe that the Palestinians in Israel are the remnants of the Philistines.

These Philistines were the fiercest of the oppressors of Israel as they tried to conquer the Promised Land given to them of Jehovah God.

The Philistines had the same goal which was to conquer all of Palestine and the Palestinians have that same goal today.

Palestine gets its name from the Philistines.

They want to push Israel off into the Mediterranean Sea. They hate Israel.

The Scriptures say they came from Caphtor. Some say this was the island of Crete, but it could also be a part of Egypt, which is more realistic.

The Philistines began oppressing Israel during the period of the Judges and continued their dominance all the time of the “Judges Era” until the time of Samuel, all because Israel lost their love for Jehovah.

They thought they could use Jehovah to meet their own goals.
They did not understand the ways of God and treated God as an idol.

Israel had fallen away from Jehovah and God used the Philistines to humble them and be a punishment for their sins.

The present invasion of the Philistines into Israel came when the soldiers of the Philistines marched their soldiers into Aphek and made camp.

Aphek was a city that belonged to the tribe Issachar not far from Jezreel.

Aphek had been the royal city of the Canaanites whose king Joshua had killed.

This city is not a great distance from Jerusalem which King David made the capitol of all of Israel.

The Philistines were bold and ruthless.

Israel came out to fight with the Philistines and they camped at Ebenezer.

*1Sa 4:2 And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

We should understand that when Joshua led the armies of Israel, they had lost very few battles and each loss was because they had not been obedient to Jehovah.

Israel felt they could defeat any enemy at any time, but they had forgotten how they won those battles.

They won when the Lord was on their side, and they lost when He was not.

We would think they would realize this truth, but they had become blind to the Word of God and their hearts were gross.

Jdg 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

This is not the way of God!

The pure truth is that most people think the right way is their way and the way of everyone else is the wrong way.

This is the theme going on in America today!

One small group of people are trying to push their way of life upon all people by force and the government is helping them.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ has shown us the right way and that right way is to be more like Him and His ways!

Four thousand soldiers lost their life in that first skirmish because Israel was disobedient to the Lord.

Israel was guilty of the most horrible sins and wickedness.

All these gross sins are described in the Book of Judges.

You see God does not hide these things from us.

Most authors would have left out mentioning all those wicked things in the Book of Judges.

*1Sa 4:3 And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

Why was Israel losing this war with the Philistines?

Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Isa 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
Isa 59:4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

The officers of the armies of Israel held a council of war to decide the best way to defeat these Philistines, but when they should have repented and turned to God, they chose to use the sacred things of God instead of faith.

There is nothing in this world that can replace our faith!

It is true that the priest of Israel carried the Ark of God in the time of Joshua, but then the Ark was located in the Tabernacle at Shiloh after the battle of Jericho.

It was then time for “faith” to lead the armies of Israel and not the Ark which symbolized the presence of God, but the actions of Israel showed disdain for the things of God.

Eze 39:23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.
Eze 39:24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.

The judgement of God is terrible, and Israel should have known the truth of God.

They had forgotten their own national history.

The death of Eli and his two sons and the capture of the Ark were a clear picture of the “judgment of God upon Israel”!

The Ark taken from the Tabernacle brought a false hope for victory!

*1Sa 4:4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
1Sa 4:5 And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

What is going on in the Church today? God is treated more like an idol than the Supreme God and a corrupt priesthood are making things much worse.

The army of Israel was puzzled because the Philistines had so easily won that first battle, wondering why God had allowed such a thing.

The Ark was a symbol of the presence of God, but in fact it was just an ornate wooden box that had no power to change the outcome of any battle.

We cannot be superstitious in our worship of Jehovah God!

So, when the Ark was brought to the battlefield the result was catastrophic.

It is the same for our salvation.

If we treat God like an idol and only call upon Him when we think it will do us some good and then spend the rest of our time doing things our own way, we may find that instead of salvation we will see the “judgement of God”.

The truth of God cannot be viewed superstitiously!

The Ark of God was not some good luck charm!

If the world and the flesh still rule in our heart, we certainly will not make it to Heaven because it is the Lord Jesus Christ who must rule in our hearts!

The Levites may have carried the Ark according to the Laws of Moses, but with the two sons Eli with them, it did not ensure the presence of God, in fact, it only insured Israel’s defeat.

Many already knew the prophecy of Samuel and the prophecy of God is always true and it is always real.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

In other words, to remain an unbeliever and blame everything on God’s people is a sure way to see the wrath of God.

Though the shouts of the army of Israel was loud enough for the Philistines to hear them, they would have no victory this day.

*1Sa 4:6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.
1Sa 4:7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

The Philistines considered the Israelites to be foreigners even though they themselves were also foreigners having no place to call their home.

The same thing can be said of the Palestinians today. The land of Palestine was never their homeland. Those that did own some of the land taken over by Israel, were paid for that land and they left.

No matter what Israel thought of the Ark of God, God will not be used as some good luck charm!

It was wrong for Israel to do this thing!

For Hophni and Phinehas to be associated with this event, should have shown these Israelites that God was not in this thing.

All of Israel knew the sin of these two sons of Eli.

The Philistines became curious of what was happening in the camp of Israel and then realized, according to their frame of mind, that Israel had brought its god to the battlefield.

We have to realize that we cannot take God anywhere.

If God is in any such activity, He will already be there.

They had never seen such a thing before in all their battles.

Saying to themselves that it was Israel’s gods that defeated Egypt and the Amorites who these Philistines could not defeat.

The Philistines then determined to fight with everything they had, or they would become slaves of the Israelites.

They said, “woe to us” if we lose this battle.

Then these things gave them added strength.

*1Sa 4:8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
1Sa 4:9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
1Sa 4:10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

These Philistines had openly admitted that the God of Israel was stronger than their own false gods.

They rightly said Elohim, the plural form for God is a Trinity.

In fact God had destroyed Egypt before Israel entered into the wilderness.

This despair before Israel only made them more determined to defeat Israel which they accomplished, and thirty thousand more soldiers met with death on the battlefield because of a corrupt government.

A complete victory for the Philistines.

The Philistines saw Israel as only a band of escaped slaves and not a nation at all.

These Philistines became aroused to fight for their lives and launched a fierce attack on Israel killing many not realizing that Israel suffered from the “judgment” of the God who sat on that Ark.

Israel was so much in despair they did not return to their camp, but each soldier went back home in fear of their lives and of their family’s lives.

They realized that God had not fought for them on this day.

When we feel like God must act in our defense no matter how we treat Him, we are thinking wrong.

God will not be used to satisfy our own whims.

It is we that are to be in the will of God and not the other way round!

When we are unfaithful and have not repented of our sin, God is not obligated to come to our defense!

In fact God is not obligated to us in any way if we are not committed to Him.

Our hope is in the promises of God and our faith is that God will remain faithful to His promises.

It is us who must be committed to the will of God!

God will always conduct His sovereign plan, but for us to be a part of that plan, then we must obey the Word of God and repent of our sin showing faith in the truth of God.

Sinful, wicked behavior will always result in the “Judgment of God”!

Even in their wicked behavior, Israel made the necessary sacrifices and came to the Tabernacle at the appropriate time, but their hearts had waxed gross, and God looks into the heart.

These people were returning to the days of Noah.

Gen_6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The world we live in is doing the same thing today!

What had God required of Israel?

Deu_10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Israel was failing in this.

Notice that phrase “to walk in His ways”.

A true child of God will walk in the ways of God and the example He has given to us is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

God knows what is in our hearts!

Psa_44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Far too many innocent people fall in wars that are unnecessary.

The Philistines were the enemies of Israel, but God will sometimes use our enemies to bring His judgement!

Even the Ark of the Covenant to Israel was taken by a people who did not know the truth of God.

*1Sa 4:11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

The fact that Hophni and Phinehas died was a fulfillment of the prophecy given to Samuel and Samuel had made Eli aware of what God had said.

These things took place because of national wickedness and a corrupt priesthood.

If we look at America today, we see national wickedness and a corrupt priesthood, and it cannot be denied.

Why in the world would we think that God would do anything different today than He did in the time of Samuel.

The Philistines would regret that they had taken the Ark of God, but God would take care of this Himself without the help of Israel.

God will not be in the same space as a false god!

Once the Holy Spirit has moved into the heart of a Christian, the Devil nor his demons can move back into that Christian, but we can be sure he will do his best to make our lives miserable if we allow him to do.

Jas_4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Wicked behavior may be idolatry or a corrupt priesthood.

As for Eli, he had allowed his sons to continue in committing adultery in the House of God and stealing from offerings that were made to the Lord.

Eli had allowed his two sons to take the Ark of God into battle knowing what God had said about his two sons.

God will punish unworthy hands that refuse to repent!

So, no matter who that person is, God will bring judgment upon them!

If we remember where we came from, we will not expect God to do anything less than bring judgment!

1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Eli also died that same day again fulfilling the prophecy given to Samuel.

*1Sa 4:17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
1Sa 4:18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

It was twenty miles from the battlefield to Shiloh, but a messenger thought it was best for Eli to know that the Ark had been taken.

Eli did not respond much to this message of this messenger, until he found out the Ark of God was stolen.

The Ark had been Eli’s greatest concern, but he had allowed it to be taken from the House of God.

1Sa 4:13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.

As Eli became excited and tried to stand, he fell, and his neck was broken, and he died the same day of his sons.

Meaning that when God speaks, we need to listen and when God warns us, He is very serious!

Eli had judged Israel for forty years, but he had also indulged in the sin of his sons and most all of Israel was aware of his sin.

The Bible mentions Eli being obese to warn all God’s priests that it is not good to live a life of indulgence in the riches of sin.

God’s judgment is fixed!

God’s judgment will definitely take place!

All those who reject the Word of God will face the judgment of God!

All those playing church without being sincere will face the judgment of God!

Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mar 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
Mar 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mar 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mar 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Jesus Christ is specific.

We must deny ourselves and take up our own cross and follow Him.

The cross is a sign of death so, we must be willing to give our life in our own pursuit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The God of Glory had departed from Israel on this day.

Amen

The Call of God Are You Listening

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Samuel’s Call to the Ministry

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 3

This call to Samuel was not a call to be a servant of God, this had already been established.

This call of God was for Samuel to be a prophet of God.

There were only a few true prophets of God.

Today there are no true prophets because we have the complete Word of God which tells us of God’s prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled.

The combination of Judge and High Priest would no longer exist on earth.

The Lord Jesus is our true High Priest, our true Judge, and the soon coming King of all His creation.

It would be Samuel who would usher in the era of the kings.

It is the First Book of Samuel that describes to us the beginning of the monarchy of Israel.

What is the truth of today? God still raises up good people to join in the battle of wickedness and evilness in this world.

At the age of twelve Samuel was called to be a prophet of God.

Samuel was not doing anything remarkable.

Samuel was not doing anything extraordinary.

Samuel was just fulfilling his duties as a servant of God.

God does not call great men and women; God makes great men and women of those who are diligent to serve Him.

Moses was dead and buried and no such man as Moses was around to lead Israel.

God had used a few good men to save Israel from time to time, but the people of Israel for the most part ignored the Word of God and chose their own way.

Jdg 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Israel had become a lawless and corrupt society.

The Word of the Lord became very precious in those days!

We should understand that God will always have a remnant of true believers until the Day of the Rapture of the Church.

There was a great need for God to call someone to lead Israel.

The greatest problem for Israel is the same problem of the Church today, the Word of God is being ignored!

*1Sa 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

The Bible claims to be the inerrant Word of God and it is, but few believe this anymore.

The Scriptures are not cunningly devised fables!

As Christians, our faith is determined if we stand on the truth of the Scriptures or not!

There is no wisdom of man that can compare to the wisdom of the Lord!

Joh_21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

There is no knowledge greater than the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ!

I am convinced that the Lord Jesus knows me perfectly, and has great concern for my welfare!

The Word of God is the most valuable commodity upon the face of this earth.

Nothing can be very valuable if it does not contain the truth.

It is every day that we see the truth ignored in our world today, especially in America!

It is not only the words that are true in the Word of God, but truth is the design of the Word of God.

From the design of the Word of God, we see the means for the restoration of our souls!

A restoration of mankind from the effects of moral evil and a restoration to a condition that is superior to that in which we were originally created!

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

To be made in the image of God is to become a Christian, being like in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was and is the image of perfection.

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature!

2Co_5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Gal_6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

This is the truth of the Word of God!

It is the Word of God that makes us humans upon this earth and saints upon receiving the truth of the Gospel!

When we have the Word of God, we have no need of prophets who cannot know unless God tells them.

The Word of God is the most precious thing we can have today!

*1Sa 3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
1Sa 3:3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

We should understand that as Eli was getting older his eyesight was failing him, especially as the daylight turned to night.

Samuel was still called a child, so he was no older than 12 years old.

Both Eli and Samuel slept in the Tabernacle, but not in the most holy place where the Ark of God was located.

That seven branched lamp in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, was to be prepared for burning every day so that it could burn through the night and through the day.

Exo 27:20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
Exo 27:21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

This lamp had to be refilled every morning and every evening so, by this lamp going out it shows that it must have been just before daylight that the Lord began to speak to Samuel.

*1Sa 3:4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
1Sa 3:5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
1Sa 3:6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
1Sa 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.

A replacement for Eli was desperately needed for Israel to move forward, and God was now calling for his replacement.

We need Bible believing men in the pulpits of the Church today. Men who will take the Word of God to the world.
We need Bible believing missionaries today who will be the legs and the voice of God to the world.
We need Bible believing Christians today, who will take a stand on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then stand unmovable!

Wickedness, immorality, and corruption are trying to take over this world.

Our leaders promise us our freedoms, yet they serve corruption and are now in bondage to it!

2Pe_2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

Once a man or woman succumbs to corruption, it leaves no door to escape. They must be removed!

A call was issued to Samuel and when a call comes from God, there must be a response.

God’s call to Samuel came before daylight after he and Eli had gone to sleep.

Samuel slept near the Ark of God, but not in the same room where the Ark was located.

We know the Ark of God was a symbol of God’s presence.

Remember this call of God was not for Samuel to be a servant, he had already been given for the service of God all his lifetime.

This call was for Samuel to be a Prophet of God and a Reformer of his nation, and Samuel would have to accept this call personally.

God still calls men who can see the sad state of our world and devote their time to try to make positive changes to this world.

Positive changes can only be made when we return to the truth of God!

Samuel was just a young man, not yet a teenager, who had no concept of just how his nation had become but God’s call was sincere.

When Israel served God, all things went well for them.

When Israel turned away from God, then things did not go so well for them!

This is the same for any people, for God is no respecter of persons!

Moses was gone.

Joshua was gone.

There were no more Deborah’s in this day.

Israel, as a nation, had lost its faith!

God would return the soul of the nation of Israel through the soul of a child.

Psa_8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

The Lord Jesus repeated what the Holy Spirit had recorded in the Book of Psalms.

Mat_21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Was Samuel some miracle child? No, just an ordinary child who had done nothing remarkable.

What did the Lord Jesus mean when He said we can only realize the beauty of His kingdom through the eyes of a child?

We know that God promises to make all thing new, and God has never broken a promise He has made!

We would have to go back to Genesis, in the beginning, to see the newness of our creation and most of this world rejects the truth of our creation.

But when we look at the first chapter of Genesis, we get a truer sense of the power of God, and the beauty of His creation, before sin entered into this world.

God would use Samuel to make Israel look back to its beginning and change their path to destruction.

Samuel would need to rely on faith, just as we all do!

There was no prophet from the time of Moses until Samuel, so God called Samuel to be that next prophet.

The Bible proclaims to be the Word of God and it is.

A prophet of God proclaims the Word of God in days to come.

A believer is one who believes the Word of God and believes the truth that the prophets of God have spoken.

The Bible gives us example after example of fulfilled prophecy the greatest one being Jesus Christ the Messiah and a new beginning.

In many ways Samuel will be a type of Christ.

The finger of God has touched the stars and that same finger has written to us the Word of God.

We can only wonder what Jesus wrote in the dirt that day when He was tested.

Joh 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
Joh 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Joh 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

This is just another reason the Word of God is so important to each believer, because in reality it is truly written by the finger of God, that same finger that makes all things new that same finger that has touched the stars.

Most of us cannot say we have heard God speak, but we can say we heard God speak to our heart.

If we do not expect God to speak to us, we will never hear Him.

In reality, we need to expect God to speak to us at any time and at all times!

Most of the time we are making so much noise, we cannot possibly hear God.

Paul wrote that we must study to be quiet and stay out of other people’s business.

1Th_4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

God speaks to us in many ways!

He speaks with the voice of reason.
He speaks with the voice of conscience.
He speaks with the voice of material nature.

Nature is a musical instrument played by the finger of God!

Is nature out of order today because of climate change?

The same processes that God put in place from the beginning are at work, our world is just feeling the effects of its age.

Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

We already know that things are only going to get worse because God says they will.

2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

If this world wants things to get better, then this world needs to turn to God and beg for mercy!

Samuel did not know the Lord at this time and Eli had not heard the Lord speak to him for a long time, but he understood that it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel.

*1Sa 3:8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
1Sa 3:9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
1Sa 3:10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
1Sa 3:11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.

Eli still retained enough sense of Jehovah to perceive that it was God who had been calling Samuel.

In earlier years, Eli may have heard the call of God, but remember the appointment of the High Priest was passed down through the family line of Aaron and according to the laws of Moses.

Immediately, Eli wanted to know what God had to say to Samuel.

In order for Samuel to receive the call of God then he would have to lie still and be submissive.

When the Lord wants to speak to us or if we are expecting the Lord to speak to us, then we cannot be running around all over the place seeming to be too busy to talk to God.

We must set aside some time to be with the Lord!

When we pray and make a request and then, as soon as we are finished with our prayer, we take off to do other things, why should the Lord give His response?

Some say we should at least tithe our time as well as our income.

If we take away eight hours for sleep, then we have sixteen remaining hours in the day. A tenth of that would be one hour and thirty-six minutes.

This may seem like a lot of time, but the Lord is ready to hear us all day and every day at any time.

Paul said to pray without ceasing meaning we should always be in prayer mode, ready to hear from the Lord.

The call of God demands a positive response!

It should be our greatest thrill to know that the Lord God of all creation wants to talk to us, but He will not run us down. We must be willing to stop and listen to Him!

Samuel did not understand this at this time, but Eli did.

When we hear from the Lord it is something much more than just a voice!

We can feel a presence that we have never felt before.

We can feel the power of God and His power of love for us.

Samuel said, “speak Lord” “for thy servant hears you.”

Then and only then did the Lord get close to Samuel.

We must never reject the call of God!

At first, we may not understand, but God will repeat His call if we are willing to listen.

If we surrendered our life to the Lord, it would make these things easier.

Remember God first called us to salvation and few of us surrendered at that first call.

We can only reject the Lord so many times because God knows what is in our hearts.

The Scriptures say:

Mat_20:16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Mat_22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Many are called to accept the Lord Jesus Christ, but many have rejected this.
Many are called to repent, but many are rejecting this call.
Many are called to dedicate their lives, but many will not do this.

We are all called to serve but only a few are serving.

There are many other calls from God, but far too many of us reject the call of God at our own peril.

Today many are still called, but so many harden their hearts and turn away from God refusing to repent.

When we first hear the call of God, the most important thing we can do is, to listen what the Lord has to say!

God has a purpose for each and every one of us and a life without purpose is a terrible life!

The call of Samuel was far beyond anything we could imagine.

Samuel was called to be a Prophet of God!

The one thing we should remember about prophecy is that it may seem to be delayed by time, but it is already in progress!

The coming of the Lord may still be in the future, but the things that precede the coming of the Lord can already be seen today!

The war of Armageddon may still be in our future, but the little wars leading up to Armageddon are already in progress.

Our world will not see peace until the Lord Jesus Christ has returned and there will first be seven years of the most terrible things that this world has ever seen!

Samuel was still a child, but he was not too young to hear the judgment of God on Eli and his family.

In verse eleven, God told Samuel that He was ready to begin His judgment upon Israel and Eli.

In our next lesson we will see the judgment of God.

Israel will lose a great battle with the Philistines.
Eli’s two sons will both die the same day.
Eli will die of a broken neck when he hears the news of his two sons.

Most important, the Ark of God, the very symbol of God, would be captured by the Philistines and would remain in their hands only a brief time but the Ark would not return to the Tabernacle, until David was King of Israel.

If we want to suffer with this world, then just reject the call of God!

If we want to have our names written down in the Book of Life, then we must first answer the call of God!

A lot of things would happen during the years of Samuel.

Samuel was the last of the Judges of Israel and it would be Samuel who would anoint the first King of Israel.

Amen