1 Samuel 10-11
1 Samuel
10
V. 1 is
probably an emotional moment for Samuel since he had judged and cared for
Israel so long. If Saul was a man of faith, this would be a great confirmation
for him to follow God boldly.
Vs. 2-8
These signs were meant to increase Saul’s faith and give him the motivation to
take personal ownership of the charge that was given to him. We have seen some
meekness in Gideon, so what we’ll see will look like no surprise, but then
we’ll be surprised later.
V. 6 The
fact that Saul is turned into another man might mean the change was for that
moment, or he was given some special gift for organizing and ruling Israel, the
same way Solomon was given wisdom. I know I’d be overwhelmed if God told me to
direct and lead a country, so the Lord must have given Saul a sense of
understanding that made organizing Israel seem like a piece of cake.
Vs. 7-8
Notice that in all of the signs of confirmation, going to Gilgal was part of
the charge God gave to Saul. It is as if to say, "Just as the other signs
will be confirmed, go down to Gilgal and wait." Waiting can be the hardest
thing to do, but the signs that preceded the waiting were to help Saul wait
confidently. Remember, when Israel came through the Jordan with Joshua, they
came to Gilgal and renewed the covenant with God. Since that place had been
very important in Israel's history, God is telling Saul that this will be an important
meeting.
Vs. 9-13
And it all took place. Notice that the Spirit rushed upon him. This is what the
Spirit did to Samson too. Unfortunately, the next time Saul prophesies, it will
be to keep him from attacking David. This same saying will be quoted.
Vs. 14-16
This seems like humility, but it will bear a nasty kind of fruit later. Saul
didn’t have “root” in himself and this deep insecurity will cause great
problems later. God is going out of His way to make Saul feel confident.
Vs. 17-19
This is a solemn moment in Israel’s history. The attempt for God to rule over
the people on the basis of their faith has failed. Compare that to the church.
The Lord somehow governs the church without a human king. He is the king. Now
Israel will be given a king according to their craving.
Vs. 20-24
God wisely had Samuel use the Urim and Thummim to choose the king. This way no
one could say that Kish paid Samuel under the table.
The only
thing I would mention here is the attitude of Saul. In v. 16 his silence is
noted. In v. 22 he is hiding where the baggage was stationed. How cute.
Vs. 25-27
Notice that Saul’s home was in Gibeah, that infamous city. This is seen as
negative in v. 27 as Saul allows the disrespect to go unanswered.
As people,
we can identify with the awesome responsibility thrust upon Saul. We can
imagine the weight and the desire to hide. But, Saul had God as a great
resource. The kingship and leadership of Israel wasn't about him; it was about
the nation and God. To allow these men to disrespect God was a serious problem.
This shows Saul’s focus. It wasn’t on God or the nation, but on himself. This
attitude about himself will eventually get him, Israel, and David into a lot of
trouble.
As disciples, we face the same thoughts. But
what we've been called to be and do is not about us; it is about Christ, the gospel
and a lot of dying people. The easiest way for Satan to neutralize us is to get
us thinking and worrying about ourselves. Jesus warned His disciples in Luke
8:14, And as for what fell among the thorns, they are
those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and
riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
1 Samuel 11
Vs. 1-4
Notice that God brings about this "disaster," so that He can use it
against the bad guys. Since Saul's selection ceremony seemed to lack full
confidence in Saul, the Lord provided an occasion where Israel could be
confident of the king God had chosen for them.
Did you
notice the city that was threatened? It is also famous in the story of the near
extermination of the tribe of Benjamin. Remember that there were only 600 men
from Benjamin left. The people of Israel destroyed Jabesh-gilead, because they
wouldn’t fight against Benjamin. But they saved 400 young women to be married
to 400 of the surviving men from Benjamin. It is thought that Saul may have had
an emotional attachment to Jabesh-gilead, because most likely, his
great-great-great-great grandmother was from there.
Vs. 6-11 I
mentioned before with Samson, that when the Spirit "rushes" on
someone, sometimes, it looks pretty angry. Suddenly, Saul was an inspired,
organized and deadly guy. Notice there is a separation made regarding Israel
and the men of Judah. I don’t know if this means it was written after the
kingdom was divided, but Judah, as a people and territory, must have had the
character of Texas. They were part of the union, but there was something
different about them. The king was supposed to have come from Judah according
to Jacob in Genesis 49.
V. 11 I
think this is that "other person" the Spirit made Saul. Saul knew how
to form his army and fight.
Vs. 12-13
The people knew, and I think God did too, that the men who disrespected God and
Saul needed to be punished. Saul still wasn't up to the task. Later in his
reign, Saul will be direct, brutal and bloodthirsty, but against all the wrong
people.
Vs. 14-15
Samuel immediately led the people to Gilgal and officiated a victory
celebration where they officially made Saul king. But notice, Saul wasn’t
required to wait for Samuel for seven days. This is not the event that Samuel
told Saul of when he first anointed him. That future meeting in Gilgal would be
like a covenant renewal and confirm Saul's reign. That meeting will happen in
chapter 13, but it will not go as planned. It seems to me that at this meeting in Gilgal, Samuel/God
humbled the people because of their desire for a king (Ch. 12) and then told
them to come together again for a full consecration of themselves and Saul (Ch.
13). Again, that future meeting in Gilgal will not go well.
I'll warn
you in advance, that some of this early history with Saul is hard to understand
timewise.
For us as
disciples in the harvest, we need to patiently follow, remembering every
confirmation God has given us in His Word and in our labor. Our service is not
about us. It is about the glory of the Father and the redemption found in our
Lord. The minute this becomes about us, our work in the harvest is hindered.
John 6:43-71
Looking at
v. 59, we see that this talk took place in a synagogue. Notice that there is
grumbling mentioned in two places. God is writing this in such a way as to
remind us of the murmuring of Israel in the wilderness.
Vs. 43-51
There is a subtle rebuke here. The Father blocks the unbelieving from coming to
His Son. Jesus is saying it is understandable that the Jews (Jewish leaders)
couldn’t grasp what He is saying. If they were taught by God (humble, open,
submissive), they would understand. The rebuke is that the leaders thought they
were the learned people of Israel who really knew God. Jesus is telling them
they don't know God and haven't been taught by God. And, Jesus is declaring
Himself to be the Savior in very graphic terms.
V. 51 We
know that Jesus was talking about the sacrifice of His body. They were all
struggling with this imagery.
Vs. 52-59
Notice that in v. 53 Jesus responds to their discussion by becoming even more
graphic. I think He smiled and pressed them on purpose. Even so, notice that He
says they had to eat the flesh of the Son of Man. He directed them to the
concept of the Son of Man, to whom they knew they would owe absolute obedience.
They were smart enough to understand that what He was saying had something to
do with total dedication to the Messiah. This is like a parable, with Jesus'
own body as the main object.
As
disciples we get all balled up with our "expression" of the gospel,
but notice that Jesus is being very cryptic and He's doing it to divide the
serious followers from the superficial followers. He's doing it with full
confidence that those who the Father is leading to Him cannot be scared away.
We need to have confidence when we tell others about Christ. But the confidence
isn't in us or our presentation. We simply need to share what the Lord has
done. Some will hear and some won’t, but we know that God will do His work.
Their understanding and acceptance of the message doesn't rest on our
shoulders.
Vs. 60-65
This passage is gold for our confidence as disciples. We are told to proclaim.
He is the one who draws and redeems. It is interesting to me that this image of
eating His flesh and blood and absolute ownership of the Son was too much for
many of the disciples. The people couldn’t stand it, but neither could His
followers. This talk had done what the Father wanted to accomplish and the
“chaff” was being blown away.
Notice v.
63. They still were not understanding on a spiritual level. This was like
Nicodemus asking how a person could reenter their mother's womb and be born
again. What Jesus said wasn't grasped by the mind if the spirit would not
surrender to the truth. His words were spirit and life and there had to be
faith in His person, in order for the spirit and life to take effect.
Vs. 66-71
This was just as hard a test for the Twelve as for everyone else. For Peter
& Co. there was no option. They knew who He was, even if His words were
totally hidden and offensive to them. And remember, on the boat ride over, they
had had another notable experience and had worshiped Jesus, acknowledging that
He was the Son of God. That event had been fully planned by the Father for this
very moment. Notice that, for some reason, Judas Iscariot hung on, and Jesus
remarks about him.
From this
point on, many of Jesus' disciples left and this marks the down turn in His
popularity. That great sign, the feeding of the 5000, brought the people into
conflict with Jesus. Jesus was more interested in saving their souls than
feeding their bellies and meeting their needs.
Psalm 107
Some
psalms are broken into three days, but this long psalm is given in one whack.
Go figure. We should be able to get some good Bible study 101 lessons here.
I think
that the message of this psalm is found in the first three and last three
verses. Can you see that? Look for recurring patterns of words. Hint: Some…..then. Last year as I read this I
was having a bad day and it lifted my heart.
Vs. 1-3
This is the call to praise God for His
steadfast love. Notice that it is the redeemed
who are to praise Him. This could be the people gathered after the reign of
Saul or the people gathered after the exile. The important thing here is that
they realize that they have been redeemed. It makes a difference.
Vs. 4-9
This is the first cycle. To me, this sounds like David, who has finally stopped
his wandering and is now at home in Zion, recounting the wandering of Israel
since Abraham.
Vs. 10-16
Joseph was a prisoner. The entire nation was enslaved to Egypt. The people in
the land became slaves to the people around them. You see how the same themes
are recurring although the distress is different.
Vs. 17-22
I wonder if this was the loathing of the manna in the wilderness.
Vs. 23-32
I’m not sure what this is referring to, but it must have been scary.
In all of
these verses and in all of God's faithfulness and deliverance, their
responsibility was to worship and praise God publicly.
Vs. 33-38
God is the one who gives life and prosperity to the land.
Vs. 39-42
Regardless of how the people were afflicted and crushed, God helped His people.
V. 43 The
wise will learn from Israel’s history. They will be moved by the steadfast love of the Lord.
As we are
reading all of this history, God wants us to be overwhelmed too, with His
steadfast love and faithfulness.
Proverbs 15:1-3
Wow! Talk
about three big verses.
Going
backwards:
V. 3 The
person who fears God and knows that He's watching,
V. 2 keeps
watch over his words and lives in the knowledge God has given him,
V. 1 which
gives him wise control over his own emotions and, even in a hard place, he will
give a soft answer.
But a fool
forgets or doesn't care that God is watching. He lets his mouth run and stirs
up all sorts of evil.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/
and click on “Every
Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple,
following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship
culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging
each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make
disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here
or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some
explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My
comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on
Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups
will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with
and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is
encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the
comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding,
that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but
only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
No comments:
Post a Comment