1 Sammy 4 Notes
Going through 1 Samuel with a good friend of mine and will pop on some notes from time to time. Last week, we were on 1 Samuel 4.
The Israelites go without (the presence of) God (the ark) the first time they go up against the Philistines in this fight = 4,000 Israelites dead. The question they ask is, “Why has THE LORD defeated us today…” – very interesting. They don’t see this as a worldly battle in that moment, but a spiritual one, at least enough to know Who is behind it. They then decide “to take the ark of the covenant of the Lord, so that IT may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.” Not asking God if HE would deliver them, they put their faith in a gold box. Not good. God ain’t a good luck charm.
Battle with Philistines, scene two – Israelites get drubbed again, only this time it’s (at least) 30,000 foot soldiers, AND the ark is captured by the Philistines, AND God uses this opportunity to kill off Eli’s sons as He foretold.
Eli’s “heart was trembling for the ark of God.” Interesting. Eli dies, but notice…when Eli gets the news that his sons are dead – doesn’t seemingly phase him…God told him that would happen in 1 Sam 2. But then when he gets the news about the ark being captured, he falls over breaks his neck and dies. Then his daughter-in-law dies in giving birth to Ichabod, and while we don’t see any more in this chapter about Ichabod, we know from 1 Sam 2, that Ichabod won’t live to old age (1 Sam 2:33) – in fact, he’ll die in the prime of life.
Eli was a part of the priestly family line that was promised by God to “walk before Me forever” (1 Sam 2:30), but because of Eli’s neglect in disciplining his boys for defiling the temple of God, he dooms the rest of his family line to dying early (“…there will not be an old man in your house”). Didn’t see this before, but He also tells Eli that he will see the “distress of My dwelling (the ark, I guess?).” So, Eli was also clued in that something would happen to the ark, but maybe not exactly that it would fall into the hands of the hated Philistines. That news killed him.
It did make me think about the promise of God to the Israelites in Deut – I will never leave you or forsake you…so, I can imagine that there would have been lots of weeping and gnashing of teeth with His (the ark’s) departure from them, thinking that God had gone back on His promise. But as we’ll see in the next few chapters, God is just allowing Himself to be captured so that He can do a little “house cleaning” behind enemy lines.
Obstacles or Opportunities?
“Walking in dependence on Christ is how we were created to live, even though at times it seems quite difficult. As we continue to learn to live in dependence on Christ in every moment, He continues to bring more opportunities for us to trust Him.” ~ Matt Smith, Living In Freedom Ministries
He continues to bring more opportunities for us to trust Him. This was the phrase out of Matt’s ministry update/support letter that set me down a learning path last week. I was immediately reminded of this great Evan Almighty clip that talks about the same thing:
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…and then the word “opportunity” just lingered with me last week. What do I do with the opportunities that I am presented on a daily basis? Most often times, I am viewing opportunities as obstacles, because I’ve got more of a self-focus than a Savior-focus going on at that moment. Obstacles in my way, for how to further my plan, to achieve my goals. Me. My. Mine.
As a Jesus follower, when I choose the “obstacle” path, I am operating with what the author of Hebrews calls an “unbelieving heart”. “Take care, brethren (and he says ‘holy brethren, partakers of a holy calling’ a few verses earlier (3:1)), that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12). A good friend of mine recently made the statement that the “sin of unbelief is the primary sin a believer in Christ can have.” If I choose the “obstacle” path, then I am thinking & acting in consistently with who God is and who I am in Christ – therefore, unbelieving in that moment = unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. A momentary lapse of reason – let’s hope – but a lapse nonetheless.
I need to think and act as though I have a God! A God Who has grafted me into the Vine (John 15:1-8) – Jesus – making me a “partaker of a holy calling” (Hebrews 3:1). In fact, I was redeemed, meaning purchased for a price – “…not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood…the blood of Christ,” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Furthermore, in Christ, I have been granted everything pertaining to life and godliness, been granted His precious & magnificent promises and have become partakers of THE divine nature (2 Peter 1:1-4). And WHY has He grafted me – as a living branch – into the Vine? To produce/bear fruit through me!
Andrew Murray said in True Vine “The one object God had in making you a branch is that Christ may through you bring life to men. Everything else – family, business, personal growth, etc – is subordinate to this. My focus each day should be – how does Christ desire to carry out His purpose in me today?” This sounds a lot more in line with the “opportunity” path of thinking!! Murray continues, “The one object of my being a branch, the one mark of my being a true branch, the one condition of my abiding & growing strong, is that I bear fruit of the heavenly Vine for dying men to eat and live.”
When I’m focused on obstacles, I am often buying into faulty definitions as to how my world should work – I’m viewing things through the Me/My/Mine lenses. I can quickly lose sight of the fact that God may very well be in this “obstacle”…using it to effect a change in me. Ouch. I don’t like that, but that is truth.
Well, what about real hardship? Persecution, imprisonment, death of loved ones, slavery – where is God in those things? I don’t know. We do live in a fallen world right now, and these things have been allowed to happen for a season.
Who am I to question an almighty and powerful God? I mean, I am free to question Him – or bring my questions to Him – but even if I got the answer(s), would I like them? Would I have the context to know what to do with that information? No. I don’t know everything. I am prone to judge good & evil – it is the curse that Adam & Eve bit off from the beginning and I’m living with that lineage. While I’m prone to judge, I do so without the benefit of omnipresence and omniscience. Basically, I’ve got a big bag of nothing.
So what?
So…when (not if) the affliction comes (John 16:33a) – relationship strife, money strife…LIFE STRIFE…we have an opportunity to trust Him. Focus on Him, His character, His promises. Then I must CHOSE to follow Him in that moment, acting like I have a God Who has chosen me and is in me (John 16:33b).
I hope this is an encouragement to someone today. I know that I will need reminding of this myself…most likely soon…as my faith sometimes falls away in my “momentary, light affliction” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Will I screw it up? Absolutely. I pray that over time (and hopefully sooner rather than later) I will make more right choices than fleshly ones.
“Never become discouraged with failures that come, for the fact remains that we do have a Victorious Life within that will express itself.” ~ Mike Wells, Problems, God’s Presence & Prayer.
Thanksgiving in the Midst of Suffering
In Acts 16:16-26, Paul & Silas are imprisoned as a result of exercising a demon from a fortune-teller girl making a living for her masters. Those disgruntled masters had them arrested, beaten & thrown in the inner most jail.
I can only imagine – after having their robes ripped off and after having been beaten with rods, given “many blows” how messed up they were. Deeeeeep bruising, eyes possibly swollen shut, bones possibly fractured or broken…
The temptation to focus on self must have been so great! But, instead they “pray & sing hymns of praise to God.” How much time elapsed between betting locked in the stocks to the prayer & praise? Were they feeling sorry for themselves first? Wondering what in the world they were doing – and possibly questioning God for allowing this to happy to them? “Why us, Lord?!?” Or, were they just out of it, and then when they came to, round about midnight we are told, they decided that it was the best idea and the best time to pray and to praise God? If so, they were no doubt clearly focused on Christ alone…
• Knowing their purpose/calling;
• Knowing their God & His character;
• Knowing (historically as well as personal experience) what He was capable of and His desire for them to spread the Good News about him and His Son;
• Not focused on self/self-preservation at all. Not worried about the consequences – but going very boldly & proclaiming Christ courageously;
While comparing my life to Paul’s ain’t exactly apples to apples (to say the least), it does make me wonder:
- What am I afraid of in being this bold (Paul-bold) in proclaiming my faith in Christ?
- How do I proclaim my faith in Christ now, and how can I do it going forward?
- What is stopping me (at least initially) from giving thanks in the midst of my painful circumstances?
My persecution here in Texas is nothing compared to what brothers & sisters in Christ face in other parts of the world – what do I have to be afraid of? After all, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?” (Psalm 27:1). Right?
It comes down to focus – specifically a focus on Jesus and not on self, which I have written about before (Chase Oaks Vertical Devo), but what I quickly forget…especially in the heat of things. This is why (re)training our brains (Romans 12:2) is so important, no?
Hannah Whitall Smith has written in her book God of All Comfort:
If brought face to face with the actual wording of the command (“In everything, give thanks…” ), such Christians will say, “Oh, but it is an impossible command. If everything came direct from God, one might do it perhaps, but most things come through human sources, and often are the result of sin, and it would not be possible to give thanks for these.” To this I answer that it is true we cannot always give thanks for the things themselves, but we can always give thanks for God’s love and care in the things. He may not have ordered them, but He is in them somewhere, and He is in them to compel, even the most grievous, to work together for our good.
The “second causes” of the wrong may be full of malice and wickedness, but faith never sees second causes. It sees only the hand of God behind the second causes. They are all under His control, and not one of them can touch us except with His knowledge and permission. The thing itself that happens cannot perhaps be said to be the will of God, but by the time its effects reach us they have become God’s will for us, and must be accepted as from His hands. Check out the rest of the chapter here.
But First…
“But seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (everything else – emphasis mine) will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33.
My life gets very crowded. The onset of school for our kids is great in some respects, but it also means that we, as a family we quickly become “logistically challenged” with kids & adult activities, as I like to say…football practices 3x per week, dance 2 to 3 times per week, now cheerleading – practice and for games, church, small groups, work, games, meetings…and repeat. Can you relate? We just have two kids and it’s a crazy schedule – but we don’t hold a candle to some.
A number of months ago, I had a bit of a revelation – where some things came together as the Lord illuminated them for me. I’ve been contemplating them since, and trying to weave this in the fabric of my life better…this idea of first fruits & daily bread.
First Fruits – tithing, yes. It’s an act of worship and a recognition to THE Provider…a thank you. It is by no means a formula (If I give to Him, then He takes care of me – or whatever), but it is not coincidental that when I put Him first in that area of my life, my monthly dollar seems to stretch or I see Him work in other cool ways…because I’m more open to it. It’s no longer a “have to” but a “get to” for me, by the grace of God.
Then I thought, “What do I seem to have the least of?” Ah yes. Time. Thinking about offerings again, I gather thant the first fruit of my day is my time…my daily offering to the Lord could be considered my time that I spend with Him, right out of the chute. I have noticed that when ever I try to just throw in some quiet time with Him sometime else during the day, it doesn’t seem to get done. Life happens and the tyranny of the urgent overtakes my time.
As I’m reading in Proverbs & Psalms and in other places where the Lord describes Himself, I can see that all wisdom, knowledge, discernment come from Him. As the father of a teenager, one of the primary things I seem to be in REAL short supply of is…all of the above (all I know is what NOT to do, since I tried all those things myself as a teen :-)). In John 15, Jesus describes Himself as the Vine and we are the branches. As a branch, I cannot produce fruit by myself. I have to live as an attached branch or I wither and die!
Then, I read in Exodus 16:18-21 where God provided daily manna to the Hebrews in the wilderness – for 40 years. Read it, but here’s the Cliffy Notes:
* Whoever gather excess – didn’t gather too much.
* Whoever gather little – didn’t lack anything
* When the sun got hot, it melted on the ground – so they had to gather early in the cool of the morning
* If they tried to keep some for the next day, it got wormy and foul.
The reason the Lord did this – in my opinion – was to breed a day to day dependence on Him.
Muuuuch later, Jesus, after feeding the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish (actually, I’ve heard it said that 5,000 was just the count of the men, but in reality there were more like 30,000 fed if you count women & children – either way…WOW.), He says “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” (John 6:35)
So…meshing these together: If I don’t go to the Lord Jesus each day to receive the “bread of life” (Jesus Himself), the bread of yesterday/last week/when I was twelve…is “wormy and foul”. To be clear – I have to go to Christ and receive Him as my Lord and Savior ONE TIME (one and done) for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. A one time action, with lasting results. However, for growth and the ongoing “renewing of my mind”, I need to go to Him on a day by day, moment by moment basis – as He is my Provider…of everything. Again, I think, this is to breed a day to day dependence on Him. I am slowly getting that now.
Hence the phrase, “Fresh Bread, Baked Daily” is a good reminder for me. He’s serving it up – would you like a free sample today?
(Re-posted from August 2009 Facebook Notes)
As Jesus was sent, so are we – Reflections on the word “because”
I love it when the Lord gives me some clarity, even for a moment. This morning it was with the word “BECAUSE”.
I’ve was reading through Luke 4:18-19 again this morning…Jesus is in the synagogue reading out of the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1):
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me BECAUSE:
He annointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor,
He has sent Me to proclaim release of the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
I am of the opinion that In Christ, this verse applies to those of us who follow Jesus as well. However, I have been focused more on the “mission” part (after the “because”), instead on the key word that makes the mission POSSIBLE in the first place. The word “because” points us back to what is before the word…”The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…”. Jesus was given a supernatural mission – but He was not sent empty handed/empty hearted…He would need superior firepower. He was sent with the Spirit of the Lord on Him. That is the only way He could successfully complete the mission set before Him.
What is a more powerful weapon than the Lord Himself? David knew it – “Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.'” (1 Samuel 17:45).
Now, check this out…
John 17:18 – Jesus is praying for us and says, “As You have sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”
Then upon Jesus’ resurrection, He tells the disciples (shedding light on what was to come – the indwelling Holy Spirit for those who believe) in John 20:21-22, “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’.”
As a free and freed people, we are on the same mission that Jesus is on as told in Luke 4:18-19. As such, we need superior firepower too, and in Christ POSSESS it – the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is not a “suicide mission” where we aren’t really expected to succeed and have to fend for ourselves and achieve by our own wits. Quite the contrary. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me BECAUSE…”. We are armed with the Spirit of the Lord – it is only then that we are sent to do His work (Ephesians 2:10).
Therefore we should GO and DO, as CHRIST IS IN YOU. We’ve been sent in His authority (as ambassadors for the Kingdom of Heaven), armed with Himself.
All of that from one word. Just like the Lord to do that.
(Re-posted from May 2009 Facebook note)
Dangerous For Good 