Good Morning!
Today’s readings are 1 Samuel 9-12
🌿FEAST TIME! 1 Samuel 9:1-2 Meeting Saul – Today we meet the first king of Israel, Saul. From the first two verses we are told that he is tall, incredibly handsome, and taller than all the others. Well, that is one way to please the folks whose values have lined up with the world!
🌿1 Samuel 9:3-4 details the search for the donkeys of Saul’s dad. I was reading all the places they had traveled through and thinking “Man, these are some special donkeys!”
🌿1 Samuel 9:15 flash backs and tells us that YHWH had told Samuel that the future king would arrive the following day. When we read in 1 Samuel 9:13 that Samuel was preparing to make a sacrifice, the original text denotes the type of sacrifice as one made in an offering of thanksgiving to YHWH, that is then allowed to be eaten in a feast of Thanksgiving. (You can dig into this on Biblehub.com with the interlinear option)
It is entirely possible, probable, and highly likely that Samuel was making this sacrifice in response to the news YHWH gave him the previous day. We further see proof that this was the case when we find that Samuel had a special portion put back for Saul’s arrival.
Now that’s some faith, trust, and obedience!
🌿1 Samuel 9:27 has a line I just love…
…stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.
Doesn’t that just feel like balm to your soul. Y’all, that is what we do each day in this group. We stop a while while the Father makes known to us His word. Shalom washes over my soul just thinking about it.
🌿1 Samuel 10:1-8 I also love how specific Samuel was as to all of the signs the Father was going to send to prove to him that he was the anointed king of Israel! I mean, read these and see how incredibly specific, one after the other, each sign was. In fact, they grew MORE specific from start to finish! Recall that in order to be a prophet of YHWH all things prophesied must come true, with this knowledge it is easy to see that Samuel was close indeed to the Father and his faith was great! WOW!
🌿1 Samuel 10:9 “When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart…”
Directly following that sentence we will read of an encounter in which the response within Saul was this “and the spirit of God rushed upon him.”.
This is so akin to the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:33) ! Wherein the Father gives us a new heart to WANT to obey His law and then equips us with His spirit to help us do just that!
Do we have a new heart? Do we want to obey the Father or do we make excuses as to why we don’t need to? That question can quickly determine where our heart lies.
🌿1 Samuel 10 marks the first time we read of someone being anointed with oil outside of the priesthood.
🌿God gave Saul a new heart after he was anointed with oil. Think of this in terms of our concept of being born again. Saul was now a new person, with a heart for God! 🙌🏻❤️
🌿10:18 “This is what the Lord says….” Or to translate more accurately “This is what YHWH says…”
Pay attention to statements like this because it lets us know that YHWH Himself is speaking. It is important in our reading to always be aware of who is speaking. Obviously, not every statement in the Bible can be attributed to YHWH but those that are His certainly should be. Conversely, when mere men are speaking their own words, they should never be given the authority of YHWH’s. That has already got us into a whole heap of trouble.
🌿We have another if/then statement today in 1 Samuel 12:14-15 . Check it out and see that the pattern of YHWH’s if/then statement has been established. Recall that YHWH has told us, through His words and His repeated actions, that He does not change (Malachi 3:7). Based on that, we can easily imagine (and most definitely should) that these if/then statements were spoken directly to us.
Are we somehow the only people in history that the Father does expect to obey Him? Did Messiah truly die for us so that we could live however we wanted? If these are still unanswered questions in your mind, I want to encourage you to keep reading. Regardless of how many times the Father has already answered these questions, He is going to continue to repeat those answers time and again – and we will see Messiah do the same, with the same answers as the Father. Keep reading, keep praying, keep seeking. If the light hasn’t come on yet, and you are truly seeking Him with your whole heart, it is just a matter of time. For some, the pieces have fallen into place, but others are still collecting pieces and just now beginning to assemble the puzzle – and that is okay. He reveals in His time, according to His will, and for His good purpose. Keep reading, set your heart to understand, and show up – every day. He will meet you there.
🌿At the end of chapter 12 we see Israel begin to understand that in demanding a king they were actually rejecting the kingship of YHWH, and the awareness of the gravity of that sin is sinking in. I don’t know about you but I know that feeling all too well.
🌿We finish our reading with yet another reminder that YHWH wants our whole hearts, not just part time devotion. When does a parent repeat themselves? When it is important.
24 Only fear YHWH and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24
I’m so glad you are here today. So thankful for the blessing of this group and the ability to read the word together with such amazing people who act as iron sharpening iron with one another!!!
Begin at the beginning with our Genesis notes
Yum