Forget the Philistines
"Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists. ...When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, 'Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.' And his servants said to him, 'Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at Endor.' ...Then the woman said, 'Whom shall I bring up for you?' And he said, 'Bring up Samuel for me.' ...Then Samuel said to Saul, 'Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?' And Saul answered, 'I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.'" (I Samuel 28:3,5-7, 11, 15)
The Philistines are warring against Israel and Saul is panicked because when he tries to ask God what to do, God doesn’t respond. So Saul seeks Samuel’s advice via a medium.
Even though Saul has banned all mediums and wizards from the land, when he asks his servants to find him a medium, they immediately know where to look. The people closest to Saul are close to the things he has outlawed. What does this say about Saul?
Saul is as distressed by the fact that the Philistines are against him as he is by the fact that God has turned away from him. His big concern should be that God has become his enemy, but he is as equally, if not more so, concerned by the Philistines. We are more troubled by the war the Philistines wage against us than we are by the war God wages against us. We think if only we can conquer the Philistines, all will be well. But is God is our enemy, nothing can be well.
The big difference between Saul and David was that Saul fought with the Philistines, but David fought with God, wrestling with Him in the way that Jacob did before him. Saul worried about the anger and threat of the Philistines; David worried that the all-powerful, all-righteous God of the universe has a complaint against him. In this sense, David fought with God, rather than the Philistines, almost every day of his life.
It may be easy to defeat the Philistines and have the appearance of a believer, and yet not be one. It may be easy to have a Christian lifestyle, a successful Christian lifestyle, and to not have a Christian life.
[AV, 1997]
The Philistines are warring against Israel and Saul is panicked because when he tries to ask God what to do, God doesn’t respond. So Saul seeks Samuel’s advice via a medium.
Even though Saul has banned all mediums and wizards from the land, when he asks his servants to find him a medium, they immediately know where to look. The people closest to Saul are close to the things he has outlawed. What does this say about Saul?
Saul is as distressed by the fact that the Philistines are against him as he is by the fact that God has turned away from him. His big concern should be that God has become his enemy, but he is as equally, if not more so, concerned by the Philistines. We are more troubled by the war the Philistines wage against us than we are by the war God wages against us. We think if only we can conquer the Philistines, all will be well. But is God is our enemy, nothing can be well.
The big difference between Saul and David was that Saul fought with the Philistines, but David fought with God, wrestling with Him in the way that Jacob did before him. Saul worried about the anger and threat of the Philistines; David worried that the all-powerful, all-righteous God of the universe has a complaint against him. In this sense, David fought with God, rather than the Philistines, almost every day of his life.
It may be easy to defeat the Philistines and have the appearance of a believer, and yet not be one. It may be easy to have a Christian lifestyle, a successful Christian lifestyle, and to not have a Christian life.
[AV, 1997]
posted by CS at 12:15 AM
2 Comments:
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I miss you guys and your Bible studies! I love that I can come here and still be able to read what God is teaching you even though I'm so far away...luv you!
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