“What is This Sound of Sheep and Cattle That I Hear?”

I laughed in court when a man who has been in and out of prison, convicted of a string of armed robberies, testified that during a dice game he was keeping an eye on his money because “everybody ain’t got integrity.”  True.

“EVERYBODY AIN’T GOT INTEGRITY.”

Period. Mic drop.

Many of us lack integrity.  King Saul lacked integrity.

When God commanded Israel to slay the Amalekites—every person and every animal—Saul and his men spared the king and the sheep and cattle.  When Samuel came, he immediately accused Saul of disobedience, but Saul argued:

“I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

“Then what is this sound of sheep and cattle I hear?”

1 Samuel 15:13-14.

Samuel went on: “‘Why didn’t you obey the Lord? Why did you do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?’ ‘But I DID OBEY THE LORD,’ Saul answered, arguing he only spared the animals so he could sacrifice them to the Lord. 

Saul could not grasp that he was in the wrong—God gave him an order and he failed to obey.  Samuel tried again:

“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience? Behold, TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, and to heed than the fat of rams.  For REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF WITCHCRAFT (wow!) AND INSUBORDINATION IS AS THE SIN OF IDOLATRY.  Because you have rejected the command of the Lord, He has rejected you as king” 1 Samuel 15:23.

Are you ever tempted to think you can excuse sin by making some sacrifice? That worshipping God well or serving Him in one area can make up for failures in other areas? It is a lie.  TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE.

God, bless us with integrity—make us people who obey you even in secret. HELP US LIVE LIVES OF OBEDIENCE, NOT SHOWY WORSHIP.  If we have ever been deceived into thinking our religious deeds could make up for areas where we disobey, show us. Make us true worshippers, who strive to obey, not to appear religious.

ΑΩ

Corner Cutting.

Do you cut corners? Do you tell yourself, ‘it will be okay, just this once’? 

King Saul did.  Before one battle, Israel was greatly outnumbered.  The Philistine army had “troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore” 1 Samuel 13:5.  The men of Israel were terrified and “hid in caves, thickets, among rocks, and in holes and cisterns” v.6.  Everyone was waiting on Samuel.  The prophet was supposed to make sacrifices to seek God’s favor.  As the nation’s prophet and priest, sacrifices were Samuel’s duty—not King Saul’s. 

But after seven days, Samuel remained a no-show.  The frightened troops had no idea where he was, but they desperately wanted the sacrifices to be made—they believed God would not help them until they made sacrifices.

Saul was afraid too, so he took action:  “‘Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offering.’ Then he offered the burnt offering” v.9.

Guess what happened next?  Samuel showed up.  Saul explained what he had done and Samuel rebuked him:

“You have been foolish.  You have not obeyed the Lord’s command. It was at this time that God would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man LOYAL TO HIM, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded” 1 Samuel 13:13-14.

Offering sacrifices may not seem like a big deal. Why would God care? But the rules were in place because of holiness.  God chose Samuel to offer sacrifices.

Holiness is about BOUNDARIES. 

Saul’s weak slide into disobedience reminds me of pre-marital sex. Everyone seems to think GOD WILL UNDERSTAND.

But there are rules in place because of HOLINESS and BOUNDARIES. Following God’s rules leads to God’s blessings; breaking rules cuts off blessings, just as Saul lost his entire kingdom.

God, help us see temptations as you see them. Teach us holiness, boundaries, and obedience.

ΑΩ

Israel Rejected its True King.

When Israel kept begging for a king (“so we can be like the other nations”), God finally gave them Saul. And they were pleased: Saul was exactly what people would want in a king—he was handsome and stood a head taller than everyone else, an impressive physical specimen. He probably had a deep voice and was the sort of man other men would gladly follow into battle.

But God was not happy. He told the prophet Samuel that He would grant Israel’s wish, but that by begging for a king, the nation was rejecting God—their REAL king.

Don’t we do that? We have needs that only God can fill, but we try to fill them with other things: our work, our health, our goals? Even “veteran” Christians often expect a romance or a spouse to fill the God-shaped void in their hearts. We make idols of our gifts, talents, accomplishments, expecting our achievements (or animal lusts) to fulfill us. But true fulfillment can only be found in God. If you try to fill your heart with other things, He will make those things rot and you will be left unsatisfied. On the day that God gave Israel King Saul, He also gave them a punishment.

“Isn’t the wheat harvest today? The Lord will send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what great evil you committed in the Lord’s sight by requesting a king for yourselves” 1 Samuel 12:17.

The wheat harvest was destroyed so Israel would learn: God is your King, not any man.

What will God have to destroy to teach us the same thing?

PRAY: Dear God, teach me that You are my King. You are the One who can fulfill me and meet my needs. Speak to me today—tell me if I am allowing anything to come between me and You. Only You can fill the God-shaped hole in my heart. Never let me fill that place with anything but you. Keep me on a short leash so that I can never stray from You.

ΑΩ

The Spirit of the Lord Will Control You.

I wrote recently of Samson, Gideon, David, Noah, Moses, and Elijah—men whose achievements followed a deep indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  The phrase the Holman translation uses is “the Spirit of the Lord took control,” as in this passage about King Saul:

“The Spirit of the Lord will control you; you will prophecy with [the prophets], and you will be transformed into a different person” 1 Samuel 10:6.

The text then reports several times when God poured His power into Saul:

“God changed his heart…. Then THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD TOOK CONTROL OF HIM, and he prophesied….” And when the Ammonites had threatened Israel—”THE SPIRIT OF GOD SUDDENLY TOOK CONTROL OF HIM, and his anger burned furiously” and Saul led the nation in a great battle.

Saul was an ordinary man who never expected to become king. But when God chose him, he was willing.  He was available. 

That’s the first step.

Are you available?

We will probably never be kings. God does not ask us to become kings, but to be AVAILABLE.  Are you available? Could God come to you and present you with any task and know you will submit to His will and obey Him? Is obedience to God and walking in His plan more important to you than anything else? If not, you may never know the power of God. The Spirit of the Lord will never take control of you and use you in miraculous ways if you refuse to obey in humble, small ways. However, if you are faithful in small things, God will give you larger opportunities.

“Because you were faithful in the small things, I will make you ruler over much” Matthew 25:21.

God, help us seek you, hear you, submit to you, and OBEY in all things. Make us faithful in small things, and may your Spirit take control of us the same way you took control of Saul, Gideon, Samson, and so many others. We are available.

ΑΩ

Scotty.

Scotty is NBA-tall.  At six-foot, nine inches, he is taller than the average pro (6’7”).  Scotty is handsome too, with wavy black hair and dimples.  I played basketball with Scotty a few times.  My novice skills were useless against him, yet Scotty dogged himself constantly. I’ll never forget the way he practiced three-pointers, yelling “OFF!” the instant the ball left his hand, knowing he had missed.  In spite of his height and his hard work, Scotty was insecure.

Scotty reminds me of King Saul.

“Saul [was] an impressive young man. There was no one more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else” 1 Samuel 9:1-2.

When Samuel presented Saul—the new king—to the people of Israel, he said “‘Do you see the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among the entire population!’  And all the people shouted, ‘Long live the king!’” 1 Samuel 10:24.

Everyone was impressed with the young Saul—except Saul.  No matter how tall or talented you are, you know your weaknesses and they sometimes eat at you.  Saul knew himself and Saul had DOUBTS.  When it was time to announce the new king, he could not be found. In fact, he had hidden himself so well that God had to tell Samuel where to look: “There he is, hidden among the supplies” 1 Samuel 10:22.  The people found Saul, drug him up on stage, and marveled at the impressive creature, shouting “Long live the king!”  But Saul did not feel prepared.

When you feel unprepared, what is the answer? 

IF GOD CALLS YOU, HE WILL EQUIP YOU.

“Faithful is He Who calls you, and He will also bring it to pass” 1 Thessalonians 5:24.

Samuel told Saul that God would change him.  “The Spirit of the Lord will control you … and you will be transformed into a different person” 1 Samuel 10:6.  And that is what happened:  “When Saul turned to leave, GOD CHANGED HIS HEART … then THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD TOOK CONTROL OF HIM,” 1 Samuel 9-10.

Remember:

IF GOD CALLS YOU, HE WILL EQUIP YOU.

ΑΩ

The Apple and the Tree.

You know the expression: Teachers say it about difficult parents, to explain the behavior of the children.  People say it when the children of criminals become criminals themselves. Or when children raised by alcoholics become alcoholics: “THE APPLE DOES NOT FALL FAR FROM THE TREE.” Children follow the model placed before them.

But there are other options—there are rare children who choose more-virtuous paths than those walked by their parents.  And many children choose less-virtuous paths. The less-virtuous path is easy.  Sin is easy.

Maybe that explains what for me has always been one of the mysteries of the Bible: why do Godly parents sometimes raise ungodly children? 

Consider Samuel:

“Samuel appointed his sons as judges over Israel….  However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice” 1 Samuel 8:1,3.

The sons of Samuel took bribes? SAMUEL?  What happened? Samuel appears to have lived a life of integrity, yet his sons did not.  It is not clear whether Samuel sinned, failed as a parent, or both, or neither.  All we know is, this man of God raised two men who must have disappointed him deeply.

And we can only respond to that with GRACE.  It is too late for Samuel’s children, and it is too late for the wayward children we know—they are already wayward or we would not be thinking of them as we read this.  The only thing left to do is to show GRACE to the parents.  God forgave Samuel (assuming there was something to forgive) and He will forgive and give grace to us and to everyone around us who might fail as parents—and when we do NOT fail, but are nevertheless disappointed by difficult children.  We must have GRACE for others, and for ourselves.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ” Romans 8:1.

God, help us LOVE ourselves and others who struggle with difficult children.

ΑΩ

“The Word of the Lord Had Not Yet Been Revealed.”

Samuel began serving in the Lord’s temple as a small child after his mother Hannah gave him to the Lord. Being raised by priests sounds lonely, but there must have been advantages for the future prophet, or God would not have put Samuel there. There was training and education and so many kinds of servants and priests and rabbis and teachers and the sacrifices and the people worshipping—there was a rich pageant of constant activity for Samuel to take in.  Surely it was a special, amazing childhood.  But he did not yet know God’s voice:

“Now Samuel had not yet experienced the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him” 1 Samuel 3:7.

Samuel was doing well, “growing in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men” 2:26.  But though he was growing, experiencing all the flavors of the Lord’s work at the temple, he did not yet know the voice of God.  And that’s TOTALLY NORMAL: None of us know God’s voice until He chooses to reveal Himself. 

One night Samuel heard his name, “Samuel, Samuel.”  Three times he heard his name and three times he left his bed and went to Eli the priest saying, “Here I am; you called me.” After the third time, Eli realized what was going on and told Samuel to answer, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” 3:9. 

Samuel lay down a third time and when God called his name he answered as instructed and the Lord gave him a powerful message of judgment against Eli and Eli’s family.  (Interesting that God revealed Himself to Samuel first as One who punishes corrupt priests.  Samuel’s life would include hard words for Eli, Saul, and others, and he was never afraid to speak those words.)

God, REVEAL yourself to us.  May we “experience the Lord” as Samuel did—and help us know when our thoughts are ours alone and are NOT from you.

 ΑΩ

Speak, Lord. 1 Samuel 3:10.

When God spoke to the little boy Samuel, Samuel ran to Eli the priest (his guardian) and said, “Here I am. You called me?”

Eli said no.

God spoke again, and again Samuel left his bed and ran to Eli.

Eli said “it was not me.”

“Now Samuel had not yet experienced the Lord, because the Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. God spoke a third time, and a third time Samuel ran to Eli. ‘Here I am. You called me.’ And Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy.” 1 Samuel 3:4-8.

So Eli told Samuel to go back to bed, and what to say if the voice spoke again.

“The Lord came, and stood there, and called out to Samuel as before, ‘Samuel, Samuel!’

Samuel responded, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’” 1 Samuel 3:10.

When Samuel gave that answer, God spoke, warning Samuel of judgment to come that would bring death to Eli’s two sons, the wicked priests who were bringing shame to God’s temple. After that, “Samuel grew and the Lord was with him.” Another verse says, “Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men,” a verse that should remind you of the way Jesus was described as a young man.

Have you ever “experienced the Lord,” as described in verse 4, above? If not, pray the prayer of Samuel: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Spend time with Him. Spend time in prayer. Spend time listening to Him. If you don’t believe God will speak to you, He probably will not. But pray about it. Invite Him to speak. Come to Him with your needs and your questions, and even your doubts. Tell Him all about it. Then invite Him to answer.


Pray: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

ΑΩ

Here I Raise Mine Ebenezer.

Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, and Shane & Shane have each released new versions of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”  While these hit-makers have breathed life into an old classic, the real story is the greatness of the original: few songs still command respect 300 years after they were written!

This hymn is the work of British hymnwriter, Robert Robinson.  He speaks of God’s goodness in spite of his own failures, and though he is sure to fail again in the future, He trusts God with that too:

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it!  Prone to leave the God I love.

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it.  Seal it for Thy courts above.”

(Is that not a perfect picture of salvation?  We know we will fail, but we give God our heart—and future failures—so that He can securely hold it, preserving it for heaven.)

 I love the line that reads:

“Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I’m come …”

Do you know ‘Ebenezer’?  Not from Dickens but from 1 Samuel 7:12:  “Samuel took a stone and set it upright ….  He named it Ebenezer, explaining, ‘The Lord has helped us to this point.’”  “Ebenezer” means “stone of help.”  Samuel set up a marker to remind the nation of all that God had done for them.  We need such markers.  What markers could you erect along the highway of your life?  When did you first see the Lord’s glory, or a miracle? When did you first hear His voice? When did you give Him your life? When did He do something amazing for you, in you, or through you? 

Moments with God are the BIGGEST MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE.  Write them down!  Set up a marker.  Memorize them and rehearse them in your mind over and over.  When life gets hard, you need Ebenezers—spiritual markers—to remind you of God’s goodness.

Take the time to write down your spiritual milestones.  What have been the biggest steps in your journey?

ΑΩ

A Biblical Romance.

The story of Ruth may be the most romantic in the Bible. Ruth was a widow and moved to Israel with her mother-in-law Naomi, also a widow. Ruth did all she could to take care of Naomi. She was selfless.

Soon Ruth meets Boaz, a wealthy farmer, and he takes care of her and Naomi. The writer points out that Boaz was a man of great integrity: “He was a prominent man of noble character.” Ruth 2:1.

When Boaz realizes that Ruth has been taking care of Naomi, he knows that by custom he is a kinsman-redeemer. That is, he is one of the men in line to marry Ruth and thus redeem the family.

Naomi knows that too, and advises Ruth about how to approach Boaz. Boaz understands what is being suggested, and is flattered. He also realizes what high character Ruth must possess:

“May the Lord bless you, because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor. I will do whatever you say, since everyone in town knows that you are a woman of noble character.” Ruth 3:11.

Noble character? Where have we seen that phrase before? Oh yeah—that was the way Boaz was described.

But there was one man in line ahead of Boaz. Suddenly we are in suspense—what if the other man wants to marry Ruth? But the other man says no, and Boaz agrees to marry Ruth. Now a man of noble character has found a wife of noble character. They marry and have a son—and God has something great planned for these two selfless people. They become the great-grandparents of King David, and ancestors of the Messiah.

Romance is never about FINDING the right person, but BEING the right person.

Don’t pursue romance—pursue noble character. If you want to be a half-way Christian, never quite unselfish or mature, don’t be surprised if God brings you an equally mediocre spouse. But if you learn to be a selfless servant, a hard-worker, and devoted Christ-follower, God will provide someone equally great to marry you.

ΑΩ