IT IS BETTER TO FEAR AND OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MAN

PROCLAMATION

“And Saul said unto Samuel, ‘I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of The Lord, and thy words; because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.’ ”  1 Samuel 15:24 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  In this chapter Samuel tells Saul that The Lord said to attack and totally destroy the Amalekites for what they did to Israel. (1 Samuel 15:1-3)  Saul attacked the Amalekites and defeated them but did not totally destroy them as he was told to do. (1 Samuel 15:4-9)  Thus The Lord God told Samuel that He regretted that He had made Saul king because he would not carry out His instructions. (1 Samuel 15:10-11)  When Samuel caught up with Saul he told him what The Lord had said to him and he asked Saul why he disobeyed The Lord.  Saul said that he brought back the king of the Amalekites as a prisoner, and he said that the soldiers took the best of the sheep and cattle to use them as a sacrifice unto The Lord.  Samuel said it is better to obey than to sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:13-22)  Samuel told Saul that because he had rejected The Word of God, now God has rejected him as king.  Then Saul admitted that he had sinned but said that he was afraid of the men so he gave in to them. (1 Samuel 15:23-25)  Samuel said that he would not go back with Saul.  As Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed his robe and it tore.  Samuel said that The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from him and given it to one of his neighbors. (1 Samuel 15:26-29)  Saul begged Samuel to come back with him and Samuel relented and went with him.  When they got back to Gilgal Samuel sent for Agag the king of the Amalekites and cut him into pieces before The Lord.  Then Samuel left for Ramah and Saul returned to Gibeah. Samuel did not see Saul again. (1 Samuel 15:30-34)

 

APPLICATION

No man can serve two masters.  We cannot serve The Lord God and serve man at the same time. (Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13)  We must choose which one we will serve. (Joshua 24:15)  It is never a good idea to choose man over God.  It is much better to put our trust in The Lord than it is to trust in man. (Psalm 118:8)  No human can save your soul. (Psalm 146:3)  Christ is the only way we can make it out of this world alive and have life after death. (John 14:6)

JONATHAN'S BRAVERY AND HIS SIN

Proclamation

“And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, ‘Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that The Lord will work for us; for there is no restraint to The Lord to save by many or by few.’  And his armor-bearer said unto him, ‘Do all that is in thine heart … behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.’ ” 1 Samuel 14:6-7 (KJV)

 

Explanation

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  One day Jonathan, the son of King Saul, took his armor-bearer with him and went over to the Philistine outpost without his father knowing it. (1 Samuel 14:1-8)  Jonathan and his armor-bearer went to the Philistines and they killed about twenty men. (1 Samuel 14:13-14)  Then The Lord God caused a panic to break out among the Philistines.  The lookouts of Israel’s army told Saul of the panic among the Philistines army.  Then Saul gathered together the men he had left, called for the ark of God, and went to battle the Philistines. (1 Samuel 14:15-20)  When the Israelites who had fled and hidden in the hills heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined in the pursuit of them. (1 Samuel 14:21-23)  Unbeknownst to Jonathan, Saul had the people take an oath cursing anyone who ate before evening.  When the entire army entered the woods, there was honey oozing out of the trees but no one ate any of it because of the oath.  Jonathan ate some of the honey and immediately he was enlightened.  One of the soldiers told him of the oath which they had all taken and Jonathan said that was why the men were faint. (1 Samuel 14:24-28)  Later that day when the Israelites struck down the Philistines, they took their livestock and butchered them and ate the raw meat.  Someone told Saul that his men were sinning by eating meat with blood in it.  He built an altar unto The Lord.  He consulted with the priest before continuing his attack on the Philistines but God did not answer him. (1 Samuel 14:31-37)  After questioning the men Saul learned of Jonathan’s sin. 

 

Application

We can have good intentions and yet do wrong.  As the old saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” (Henry G. Bohn)  It is not enough to simply mean to do well; one must act and actually do a good action as well.  While it is true that God sees our heart and knows our intentions, a sin is still a sin.  Although “all unrighteousness is sin …” (1 John 5:17) all sin is pardonable.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

 

SAUL OVERSTEPS HIS BOUNDS

Proclamation

“And Saul said, ‘Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings.  And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.  And Samuel said, ‘What hast thou done?’ ” 1 Samuel 13:9-11 (KJV)

 

Explanation

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba and angered the Philistines.  The Philistines assembled a very large army to fight the Israelites.  They were so outnumbered that the Israelites ran and hid in caves. (1 Samuel 13:2-6)  The men with Saul were afraid.  Saul called for Samuel but he did not come within the seven appointed days.  Then Saul took it upon himself to offer up a burnt offering and the fellowship offerings unto The Lord. (1 Samuel 13:7-9)  Just as he finished with the burnt offering Samuel arrived and asked him what he had done.  Saul explained his actions and his reasons but Samuel told him that he had done a foolish thing for he was not a priest.  Because of his impatience, and his disregard for the man of God, Saul would lose his kingdom to a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:10-14) 

 

Application

All too often we are impatient.  We want whatever it is that we want, and we want it right now.  We do not seem to understand the concept of waiting on The Lord.  Our impatience causes us to rush into things for which we are not prepared, or for which we should not get involved.  The Bible states that we are to wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14)  Some of our battles are not ours to fight. (Proverbs 20:22)  The Lord God will fight our battles. (2 Chronicles 32:8)  We need to trust in The Lord and not lean upon our own understanding and abilities. (Proverbs 3:5)

 

SAMUEL'S FAREWELL SPEECH

Proclamation

“Only fear The Lord, and serve Him in truth with all you heart; for consider how great things He hath done for you.  But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.”  1 Samuel 12:24-25 (KJV)

 

Explanation

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  After the people had officially made Saul their king, (1 Samuel 11:14-15) Samuel told them that they now had what they asked for. (1 Samuel 12:1-2)  He said that he had been their leader but now he was old and gray.  He asked them if he had done any of them any type of wrongdoing and they replied that he had not. (1 Samuel 12:2-5)  Then Samuel reminded them that The Lord had given them Moses and Aaron, and a series of other leaders to deliver them from their enemies.  But they wanted a king and now they have a king. (1 Samuel 12:6-13)  Samuel warned them that if they and their king did not serve The Lord and obey Him, then He would raise His hand against them as He did to their ancestors. (1 Samuel 12:14-15)  Then Samuel told them that he would call on The Lord for thunder and rain, in the middle of the dry harvest season, as a sign to them that they had done wickedness in the sight of the Lord by requesting a human king in place of God.  Then Samuel prayed and that day The Lord sent thunder and rain, and the people stood in awe. (1 Samuel 12:16-18)  Then the people asked Samuel to pray for their forgiveness.  Samuel told them that as long as they and their king served The Lord they would be okay, but if they turned from Him then they would be punished, both them and their king. (1 Samuel 12:19-25)

 

Application

Sometimes we ask for things which are not in our best interest.  Why would we want to imitate and copy the sinful people of the world when we know that in the end they will end up in hell? (Revelation 20:15)  As believers we have The Holy Spirit of God within us (Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26-27) and therefore we are not of this world. (John 8:33)  We know that the wages of sin is death (Roman 6:23) and those whose name is not recorded in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire for eternal damnation. (Revelation 20:15 and 21:27)  Having been warned of the consequences, the lost have no one to blame for their plight but themselves.  Choose wisely.

 

MOVED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN

Proclamation

“And The Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.”  1 Samuel 11:6 (KJV)

 

Explanation

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  After the people of Israel had selected Saul to be their king, they all returned to their homes and Saul returned to his home. (1 Samuel 10:25-26)  Not long afterwards Nahash the Ammonite came and sieged the city of Jabesh Gilead.  The men of Jabesh asked Nahash to make a treaty with them and said that they would serve him.  Nahash replied that he would make a treaty with them only if every man would gouge out his right eye so as to bring disgrace to all of Israel. (1 Samuel 11:1-2)  They requested seven days to think about it and sent messengers throughout Israel for help.  Saul was at home working in his fields.  When he heard this he was angered and The Spirit of The Lord came powerfully upon him. (1 Samuel 11:3-6)  The fear of The Lord fell upon the people and they came together to follow Saul and Samuel into battle.  The next night Saul led the Israelites into the camp of the Ammonites and they slaughtered them. (1 Samuel 11:7-11)  Afterwards Samuel led the people of Israel to Gilgal and they officially made Saul their king and they had a big celebration. (1 Samuel 11:12-15)

 

Application

There are times when we just go about our normal daily activities in an unmotivated manner nonchalantly doing things with no real urgency about anything.  Then there are times when something comes upon us and we get a real zeal for what we are doing.  All too often we go about our service to The Lord and our praise and worship without much zest and gusto.  We need to come alive and get on fire for The Lord.  It is past time for casual business as usual, it is time to get seriously busy.  We should pray that The Spirit of The Lord will light a fire within us so that we can get active.  God does not want any lukewarm Christians. (Revelation 3:16)  Let us do God’s work while we can for soon the time will come when we cannot work. (John 9:4)

 

CHOSEN BY THE LORD GOD

PROCLAMATION

“And Samuel said to all the people, ‘See ye him whom The Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?  And all the people shouted, and said, ‘God save the king.’ ”  1 Samuel 10:24 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  The people of Israel wanted a king to lead and rule them and The Lord God told Samuel to give them a king. (1 Samuel 8:21-22)  The Lord God told Samuel that He would send the man to him.  When Samuel saw Saul, The Lord God spoke to him and said, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern My people.” (1 Samuel 9:17)  The Lord saw something in Saul that he did not see in himself. (1 Samuel 9:20)  Only when The Spirit of God came upon him did he begin to act like an anointed man of God. (1 Samuel 10:6 and 10:10)  Saul’s uncle came to him and asked him where he had been, and Saul told him everything except what Samuel had told him about the kingship. (1 Samuel 10:14-16)  Then Samuel called all the people of Israel together and told them what thus saith The Lord.  He called for each of the tribes to come forward and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.  Then he called them forward clan by clan and Matri’s clan was chosen, and from them Saul the son of Kish was selected. (1 Samuel 10:17-21)  When they called for Saul, he could not be found.  The Lord told them that Saul had hidden himself among the supplies.  They ran and got Saul and Samuel presented him to the people as the one whom The Lord God had chosen to be king. (1 Samuel 10:21-24)

 

APPLICATION

When The Lord God has a position for us, it will not be necessary for us to seek it out.  Others will see the leadership qualities in us, which we may not see in ourselves. (1 Samuel 10:23)  The Lord will make a way for us to get where He wants us to be at the appropriate time.  Promotion comes by the hand and the will of God, and only He can make it happen for us. (Psalm 75:6-7)  Whatever The Lord God has in store for us will be ours.  We just need to make sure that we don’t block our own blessings by willful disobedience to The Word of God.  We are both called and chosen by The Lord God and each of us has work to do, specific assignments from God, and He will be with us until we have completed that work and He has called us home from labor to reward.  

 

SAMUEL MEETS SAUL

PROCLAMATION

“And when Samuel saw Saul, The Lord said unto him, ‘Behold the man whom I spake to thee of.  This same shall reign over My people.’  Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, ‘Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is.’  And Samuel answered Saul, and said, ‘I am the seer …’ ”  1 Samuel 9:17-19 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  There was a young Benjamite whose name was Saul the son of Kish.  Saul was sent to find his father’s lost donkeys.  He and a servant went through the country of Ephraim, around the area of Shalita, into the district of Shaalim and did not find them.  When they reached the district of Zuph, they decided to seek the advice of the man of God, who in those days was called a seer. (1 Samuel 9:1-9)  As they approached the town they inquired where the seer was and they were given directions.  When they entered the city, there was Samuel coming towards them. (1 Samuel 9:10-14)  Now on the day before The Lord God had revealed to Samuel: “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man … Anoint him ruler over My people Israel …” (1 Samuel 9:15-16)  When Samuel saw Saul, The Lord said to him, this is the man that I spoke to you about.  As Saul drew near him he asked Samuel where the seer’s house was, and Samuel answered him and said, “I am the seer ...” (1 Samuel 9:17-19)  Saul and Samuel conversed and Samuel invited him to dine with him.  They conversed even more after they ate. (1 Samuel 9:20-27)

 

APPLICATION

Everyone who comes into our lives is there for a purpose.  They are there as a blessing, as a lesson, or as a test.  No one that we meet is by accident, by chance, or by luck, it is all by the providence of God.  Our reasons for coming to a particular place may be different, but the outcome of our meeting will be according to the will of God.  Remember, all things work together for the good of them that love The Lord. (Romans 8:28)

 

DO NOT COPY THE LOST SINNERS OF THE WORLD

PROCLAMATION

“Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, ‘Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’ ”  1 Samuel 8:4-5 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to lead and judge Israel. (1 Samuel 8:1)  However, although Samuel was a prophet of The Lord God, (1 Samuel 3:19-21) his sons did not follow his ways.  They accepted bribes and perverted justice. (1 Samuel 8:2-3)  So the elders of Israel got together and told Samuel to appoint a king to be over them so that they could be like all of the other nations around them.  Having The Lord God as their king was not good enough for them.  They wanted to copy the sinful nations around them.  Samuel was displeased with them for this request and he prayed to God. (1 Samuel 8:6)  As an answer to his prayer, The Lord God told him that the people of Israel had rejected God as their King, but they had not rejected Samuel as their leader. (1 Samuel 8:7)  He told Samuel to warn them and let them know what having a king over them would mean.  Samuel told them all that The Lord had told him to say, in terms of what it would cost them and their families, but the people still wanted a king. (1 Samuel 8:8-20)  The Lord God then told Samuel to listen to them and give them a king. (1 Samuel 8:21-22)

 

APPLICATION

There are times when we ask for things which are not in our best interest.  Some of the things we want because they are popular and everybody else has them.  However, when you have the best, why would you want to copy something less?  Why would we want to imitate the sinful people of the world when we know where they will end up? (Revelation 20:15)  As believers we have The Holy Spirit of God within us (Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26-27) and therefore we are not of this world. (John 8:33)  We are to behave in a Christ-like manner. (Romans 6:4 and 6:11)  It is Christ that we ought to imitate and not the sinful people of the world.

 

SAMUEL LEADS ISRAEL

PROCLAMATION

“And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If ye do return unto The Lord with all your hearts … He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’  Then the children of Israel put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served The Lord only.”  1 Samuel 7:3-4 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took the ark of The Lord from Beth Shemesh as requested.  They kept the ark with them for twenty years. (1 Samuel 7:1-2)  Then the Israelites turned back to The Lord.  Samuel told them to put away their foreign gods and serve only The Lord, and He would deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 2-4)  The Israelites put away their idols and gathered at Mizpah where they fasted and confessed with Samuel as their leader.  When the Philistines heard that they had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines led an attack against them. (1 Samuel 7:5-7)  Samuel offered a sacrifice unto The Lord and that same day The Lord thundered with a loud thunder and caused the Philistines to panic.  The men of Israel then rushed out and pursued and slaughtered the Philistines. (1 Samuel 7:8-11)  They so subdued the Philistines that the towns of Ekron and Gath which had been captured were restored to Israel. (1 Samuel 7:12-14)  Samuel continued as the leader of Israel all the days of his life. (1 Samuel 7:15-17)

 

APPLICATION

If we as believers, who are called Christians, would humble ourselves, and pray, and seek The Lord God, and turn from our wicked sinful ways, then He would forgive us and heal us and our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  We have heard The Word of God preached to us, but we need to internalize it and become doers of The Word. (James 1:22)  We also need to read and study The Word of God, (2 Timothy 2:15) so that we can grow in the knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18) and grow in holiness.  We should not stay babes in Christ and be fed The Word as milk instead of meat. (1 Corinthians 3:2)  We should want to grow spiritually.

 

GOD IS IN CONTROL

PROCLAMATION

“And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart … and they laid the ark of The Lord upon the cart … and the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-Shemesh … and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-Shemesh.”  1 Samuel 6:10-12 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.   The people of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron had been afflicted with tumors because the Philistines had brought the ark of The Lord into their cities and they wanted it taken away.  The Philistines asked the priests and the diviners what to do with the ark and how should they send it back to Israel.  They were told to send it back along with a guilt offering of five gold tumors and five gold rats, one for each of the five rulers and cities which were stricken with the plagues.  They were told to put the ark on a new cart, hitched to two cows that had never been yoked, along with a chest containing the gold objects, and send it on its way. (1 Samuel 6:1-10)  They did as they were told and they watched the cows take the ark straight to the city of Beth Shemesh.  The people of Beth Shemesh rejoiced when they saw the ark.  The Levites took the ark and the people chopped up the cart and sacrificed the two cows as a burnt offering to The Lord.  The Philistines followed the cows at a distance and when saw this, they returned to Ekron. (1 Samuel 6:11-18)  The Lord God struck down seventy people of Beth Shemesh because they looked into the ark of God.  Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim to come and take the ark to their town. (1 Samuel 6:19-21)    

 

APPLICATION

The Lord God was in control and guided the two cows and the ark from the Philistine territory in Ekron to the Israelite city of Beth Shemesh.  Just as The Lord controlled and guided the cows, He can control and guide all of the other events and actions in this world.  The wind and the waves even obey His will. (Mark 4:39)  The people, however, are not robots and have the free will of choice regarding their behavior and beliefs. (John 3:16)  He wanted that all people would be saved, (1 Timothy 2:4) but He gave us the choice to accept Him or not.  Whosoever will, let him come to The Lord. (Revelation 22:17)

 

THE POWER OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of The Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.”  1 Samuel 5:4 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.   After the Philistines captured the ark of God they took it from the city of Ebenezer to Ashdod and placed it beside the statue of their god Dagon. (1 Samuel 5:1-2)  The next day they arose to find that Dagon had fallen on his face, on the ground before the ark of The Lord.  They picked Dagon up and put him back in his place.  On the following morning they arose and again found Dagon had fallen on his face, but this time his head and both hands were broken off and they were lying upon the threshold of the temple. (1 Samuel 5:3-5)  The hand of The Lord was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and they were afflicted with tumors so they moved the ark to Gath.  When the ark arrived in Gath, the young and the old were also afflicted with tumors. (1 Samuel 5:6-9)  So they sent the ark to Ekron.  As the ark entered Ekron the people cried out against it, saying that it would kill them.  Then they asked the leaders of the Philistines to send the ark of The Lord away and let it go back to its own place. (1 Samuel 5:10-12)

 

APPLICATION

Our bad times and bad situations do not reflect a diminished power of The Lord God, or a loss of His control.  The Philistines had defeated the Israelites and captured the ark of God, but The Lord punished the people wherever they took it.  Even the people who profess that they do not believe in The Lord God will be made to respect His power.  The day will soon come when everyone everywhere will respect the power of The Lord God.  For as it is written, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Christ is The Lord. (Romans 14:11)

 

NON-BELIEVING PRETENDERS WILL BE PUNISHED

PROCLAMATION

“And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten … And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.”  1 Samuel 4:10-11

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  The Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines and were defeated. (1 Samuel 4:1-2)  The elders of Israel asked why The Lord allowed them to be defeated, and then they sent for the ark of covenant so that The Lord could go with them into battle. (1 Samuel 4:3)  When the people brought the ark of the covenant to them, the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, came with the ark. (1 Samuel 4:4)  Eli’s sons did not know The Lord although they ministered in the temple. (1 Samuel 2:12-17)  Again Israel fought against the Philistines, and again they were defeated.  This time the ark was captured and both of Eli’s sons were killed. (1 Samuel 4:10-11)  Eli the priest fell over backwards, broke his neck and died when he heard that his sons had died and that the ark had been captured. (1 Samuel 4:15-18)  Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was near the end of her pregnancy and she went into labor when she heard that her husband and father-in-law were both dead.  She died during childbirth but delivered a son whom she named Ichabod saying, “The glory of The Lord is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken.” (1 Samuel 4:19-21)

 

APPLICATION

Everybody carrying a Bible is not a man of God.  For whatever reason, some men pretend to be men, prophet, or priest of God and they mislead God’s people. (Matthew 24:11 and 2 Peter 2:1)  That is why we a taught to compare everything that we hear to The Word of God before we accept it as truth. (1 John 4:1)  That is also why we should read and study The Word of God so that we can rightly divide the word of truth.  The Lord God will deal with those who pretend to be His servants. (Revelation 20:10)

 

GOD SPEAKS TO HIS PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“Now Samuel did not know The Lord, neither was the word of The Lord yet revealed to him.  And The Lord called Samuel again a third time.  He arose and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here am I; for thou didst call me.’  And Eli perceived that The Lord had called the child.  Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He call thee, thou shalt say, ‘Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth.  So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  And The Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, ‘Samuel, Samuel.’  Then Samuel answered, ‘Speak; for Thy servant heareth.’ ”  1 Samuel 3:7-10 (KJV) 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  The young boy, Samuel, was being raised up in the temple by Eli, the priest. (Samuel 3:1)  His mother, Hannah, had given him to Eli to keep her vow to The Lord God for giving her a son. (Samuel 1:24-28)  Samuel was being trained in the temple but he did not know The Lord God for himself.  That is why he got up from his resting place and ran to Eli three times because he thought that the priest was calling him. (1 Samuel 3:2-8)  Eli finally realized that The Lord God was calling Samuel so Eli told him to answer The Lord the next time that He calls him.  When The Lord called Samuel again, he answered Him. (1 Samuel 3:8-10)  The Lord told Samuel what He was going to do in Israel and to the house of Eli. (1 Samuel 3:11-14)  The next morning Eli called Samuel and questioned him regarding what The Lord had told him and Samuel told him everything. (1 Samuel 3:15-18)  Samuel grew and The Lord was with him.  All of Israel recognized Samuel as a prophet of The Lord. (1 Samuel 3:19-21)  

APPLICATION

Everyone cannot hear the voice of The Lord God.  Some people hear only a noise, (Acts 9:7) or a sound like thunder, (Exodus 19:16) but nothing which they can understand.  Those who hear the voice of The Lord and obey it will be blessed. (Deuteronomy 28:2 and 30:10)  There are times when The Lord God speaks in “a still small voice” to His people. (1 Kings 19:12-13)  At times the voice of The Lord is powerful. (Psalms 29:4-5)  The voice of God can create something out of nothing. (Genesis 1:1-30)  At other times His voice can be soft and gentle.  Jesus, The Christ, said that His sheep know His voice and follow Him. (John 10:27)  As a believer we need to listen carefully for our call, answer it, and then get busy doing whatever it is that The Lord has for us to do.  He also speaks to us today through His Holy Word so read it prayerfully.  Woe be unto them who hear the voice of The Lord and understand it but do not hearken unto it. (Deuteronomy 28:62 and 1 Samuel 12:15)

 

RUTH IS BLESSED

PROCLAMATION

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife; and when he went in unto her, The Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son.”  Ruth 4:13 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

The Bible Book of Ruth was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Prophet Samuel.  As part of his attempt to acquire Ruth, Boaz met with the kinsman, guardian-redeemer who was more closely related to Naomi than he was. (Ruth 3:12 and 4:1)  Boaz took ten elders with him to witness the transactions of the sale of Naomi’s property and the acquisition of Ruth.  When the guardian-redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it”  Boaz announced that he would redeem it. (Ruth 4:2-10)  Afterwards, Boaz took Ruth as his wife and she conceived and bore him a son Obed, who would become the father of Jessie, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17)  The chapter and the Bible Book of Ruth ends with listing of the genealogy of David. (Ruth 4:18-22)

 

APPLICATION

All things happen for a reason, even if that reason is not apparent at the time of the occurrence.  The Lord can turn bad things into blessings and our enemies can become steppingstones to higher ground.  Sometimes what The Good Lord has in store for us is better than the thing that we wanted for ourselves, and better than the thing that we lost.  We just need to learn to count it all as joy when bad things happen (James 1:2) because even the darkest of storm clouds can have a silver lining.  Blessings come to those who wait on The Lord.

 

 

WAITING

 

WAITING FOR YOUR BOAZ

PROCLAMATION

“Then said she, ‘Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall; for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.’ ”  Ruth 3:18 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

The Bible Book of Ruth was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Prophet Samuel.  While Ruth was in the fields, picking up leftover grain behind the harvesters to provide for herself and Naomi, (Ruth 2:1-3) she was spotted by the owner of the field Boaz, who was a distant relative of Naomi.  When Boaz saw her, he asked the overseer of his harvesters about her and he took an interest in her. (Ruth 2:5-16)  Later that day Ruth told Naomi what had happened. (Ruth 2:19-23)  It was Naomi who had discerned that Boaz had an interest in Ruth and she gave Ruth some advice. (Ruth 3:1-18)  The last bit of advice she gave Ruth was to be patient and wait on Boaz for she knew that he would not rest until he had taken care of the things that he needed to do to get Ruth for himself. (Ruth 3:18)

 

APPLICATION

Because of her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, Ruth gained the respect of the people in her mother-in-law’s homeland. (Ruth 2:11-12)  She did not go running after the young men in town and she demonstrated that she was a woman of good character. (Ruth 3:10-11)  Ruth honored her commitment, and she was patient before she was blessed to get what she wanted.  We should understand that The Lord God can supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19) and He may even bless with some of the things that we want.  However, we must first learn to be content with that which we already have. (Philippians 4:12)  We must also show that we love Him by keeping His commandments and obeying His Holy Word. (John 14:15 and 14:23)  We must learn to be patient and wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14 and 37:34)  If we believe in Him and exhibit good Christian behavior, we will be rewarded. (Hebrews 11:6)

 

 

PUNISHED FOR MISTREATING PEOPLE OF GOD

 Proclamation

“And The Lord smote Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed the Benjamites that day and twenty and five thousand and an hundred men; all these drew the sword.”  Judges 20:35 (KJV)

 

Explanation

These are the words of God which were written by the prophet Samuel under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After the tribes of Israel received the message for the Levite regarding what the Benjamites had done to his concubine, they gathered together to fight the Benjamites. (Judges 20:1-11)  The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin asking them to turn over to them the wicked men who raped and murdered the concubine but they refused.  The Benjamites gathered their men and prepared to fight against their fellow Israelites. (Judges 20:12-16)  The men of Israel attacked the Benjamites.  They lost the early battles but eventually they defeated the Benjamites because The Lord God was with them. (Judges 20:17- 35)  Some of the Benjamites, about six hundred of them, escaped and fled into the wilderness.  So the men of Israel went from town to town in Benjamin and killed every living thing, including the animals, and then they burned down every town. (Judges 20:36-48)

 

Application

People may do wrong to the people of God and they may appear to get away with it.  However, they will be punished (Psalm 37:1-2) along with the people who help them and support them. (Judges 20:13)  The Lord God sees all and He will deal with them in His own good time.  We just need to pray and trust in Him.  “… Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith The Lord.” (Romans 12:19)  Wait patiently on The Lord and fret not because of evil doers for they will be cut off. (Psalm 37:7-9)

 

DO NOT MISTREAT STRANGERS

Proclamation

“Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, ‘Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.’  And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, ‘Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.  Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine, them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you; but unto this man do not so vile a thing.’ ”  Judges 19:22-24 (KJV)

Explanation

These are the words of God which were written by the prophet Samuel under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In the days when there was not king in Israel every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6, and 18:1, and 19:1)  There was a certain Levite who lived in Ephraim who took a concubine from Bethlehem.  However, she was unfaithful to him and she left him and returned to her father’s house.  The Levite went there to persuade her to return to him.  When the Levite was ready to leave, her father prevailed upon him to stay and spend the night.  He did this for five days before the Levite actually left. (Judges 19:4-10)  As he journeyed home he continued on to Gibeah, the inhabitants of which were Benjamites.  No one there took them in so they sat down in the city square. (Judges 19:11-15)  That evening an old man came home from his work in the fields, saw them, and took them into his home.  While they were eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves, some wicked men from the city beat on the door and demanded that the old man bring the Levite out to them so that they could have sex with him. (Judges 19:16-22)  The old man refused and offered them his virgin daughter and the concubine of the Levite.  The wicked men refused the women but the old man sent the concubine out to them anyway.  The wicked men abused her repeatedly throughout the night and left her at the doorway of the house. (Judges 19:23-26)  In the morning when the Levite went out to leave he found her dead body.  He put her body on a donkey and took her home.  When he got home, he cut up her body into twelve pieces and sent a piece to the tribes of Israel with a message of what had happened.  The people were alarmed and said that something must be done about this. (Judges 19:27-30)

Application

As believers we are to be kind to strangers.  Some have entertained angels and been unaware of it. (Hebrews 13:2)  We are to be kind to one another. (Romans 12:10 and Ephesians 4:32)  We are to love one another. (John 13:34-35)  Those who do wrong to others and mistreat people, especially to God’s people, will be punished.  “… Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith The Lord.” (Romans 12:19)  We may do wrong to people but all sin is against God. (Psalm 51:4)

 

BECAUSE YOU CAN DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD

Proclamation

“And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image …”  Judges 18:18 (KJV)

Explanation

These are the words of God which were written by the prophet Samuel under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In the days when there was not king in Israel every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 and 18:1)  The tribe of Dan was seeking a place to settle as they had no place of their own for they had not yet come into their inheritance among the tribes of Israel.  The Danites sent out five of their leading men to spy out the land and explore it.  When the five men entered Ephraim and came upon the house of Micah they recognized the voice of the young Levite priest and went in there. (Judges 18:1-3)  The priest explained his situation and what Micah had done for him.  The five men asked him to inquire of God to learn whether their journey would be successful.  He told them to go in peace for their journey had God’s approval. (Judges 18:4-6)  The five men then left and came to Laish where they found a people living in safety and peace, and land which lacked for nothing.  So they return to their brethren and reported what they saw. (Judges 18:7-10)  Then the Danites sent out six hundred men armed for battle to take the land.  On their way there they stopped at Micah’s house.  The five men who had spied out the land went into Micah’s house.  They took the silver idol and the ephod and the other household gods.  They told the priest to come with them and be their priest where he would serve a tribe and a clan of Israel rather than just one man’s household, and the priest was pleased and went with them. (Judges 18:11-20)  When they had gone some distance away, Micah and some men he had gathered caught up with the Danite army.  He told them that they had taken all that he had.  They told him that if he fought them that he and his family would also lose their life.  Seeing that he was greatly outnumbered, Micah returned to his home. (Judges 18:21-26)  Then the Danites proceeded to Laish and attacked the people there and burned down the city.  Afterwards they rebuilt the city, settled there, and named it Dan.  They set up Micah’s idol and worshiped it. (Judges 18:27-31)

Application

The Bible says, “Thou shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)  The Bible also says, “Thou shall have no other gods before Me” and “Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image …” (Exodus 20:3 and 4)  Taking that which does not belong to you is wrong.  Just because you can does not mean that you should.  “Might does not make right. Right makes right.” (T. H. White)  The people of God should not worship anything other than The Lord God.  Idol worship is sinful.

 

TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT

Proclamation

“And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, ‘I had wholly dedicated the silver unto The Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore I will restore it unto thee.”  Judges 17:3 (KJV)

 

Explanation

These are the words of God which were written by the prophet Samuel under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  There was a man from Ephraim whose name was Micah who stole eleven hundred shekels of silver from his mother. (Judges 17:1-2)  He later confessed and returned the silver to her.  She took the silver to a silversmith, had it made into an idol, and then gave the idol to Micah. (Judges 17:3-4)  In his house Micah had a shrine to many gods.  He even made one of his sons a priest. (Judges 17:5-6)  One day a young Levite came into town and was looking for a place to stay.  Micah invited the Levite to live with him and be his priest, offering to pay him and provide his clothes and food. (Judges 17:7-10)  The Levite agreed to stay with Micah who thought that The Lord would be pleased with him since he had a Levite as his priest. (Judges 17:11-13) 

 

Application

Micah did wrong when he stole the silver.  His mother did wrong when she made an idol with it.  The fact that she “wholly dedicated the silver unto The Lord” does not make it right since she used the silver to overlay an idol.  “Two wrongs do not add up to a right.”  Going to church for the wrong reason does not make it right.  Being active in service or worship activities when it is done for personal glory is not right.  All that we do should be done to the best of our ability for the glory of God. (Colossians 3:23)  All unrighteousness is sin. (1 John 5:17)  We cannot do that which is wrong in the eyes of God and think that He will be pleased with us.

SOME THINGS WE SHOULD KEEP TO OURSELVES

Proclamation

“And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; that he told her all his heart … If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me … And when Delilah saw that he had told her … she sent and called … the Philistines … and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head … and his strength left him … And he wist not that The Lord was departed from him.”  Judges 16:16-20 (KJV)

Explanation

These are the words of God which were written by the prophet Samuel under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After he slew the Philistine army with the jawbone of a donkey, (Judges 15:14-17) Samson then went to Gaza.  There he went in to spend the night with a prostitute. (Judges 16:1)  The people of Gaza surrounded the place where he was and they were going to kill him in the morning, but Samson left in the middle of the night. (Judges 16:2-3)  Some time later Samson fell in love with a woman from the valley of Sorek named Delilah.  The rulers of the Philistines went to her and asked her to get Samson to tell her the source of his strength.  They promised to each give her eleven hundred shekels of silver. (Judges 16:4-5)  So Delilah asked Samson to tell her the source of his strength.  She asked him three times, and each time he gave her some false information.  Delilah told Samson that he didn’t love her because he had made a fool of her three times.  She continued to nag him daily until he told her the truth.  If his head was shaved he would lose his strength.  She sent word to the rulers of the Philistines and for a man to shave his head.  After his head was shaved, she woke him and told him that the Philistines were attacking him.  Samson did not know that his strength was gone and that The Lord had departed from him. (Judges 16:6-20)  So the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, bound him in shackles and put him in prison.  The rulers of the Philistines gathered together for a feast to offer a sacrifice to their god Dagon for delivering their enemy to them. (Judges 16:21-24)  They brought Samson out of prison to the temple where the feast was being held so they could make fun of him.  The temple was crowed with about three thousand men and women.  They stood Samson between the two central pillars of the temple.  Samson prayed, then he put his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other, and pushed with all his might, and the temple collapsed killing all of the people inside.  Thus Samson killed more people when he died than he did when he was alive. (Judges 16:25-31)

Application

Some of the time we talk too much.  We should learn to keep some things to ourselves.  If we are asked a question, we do not have to tell them all that we know.  We should also learn to just say yes or no, when we say more than that we frequently fall into condemnation. (James 5:12)  Additionally, we should not get mad at people who tell others the secrets that we told them.  We could not even keep our own secrets or we would not have told them in the first place. 

 

DO NOT MISTREAT THE MAN OF GOD

Proclamation

“Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, ‘Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us?  What is this that thou hast done unto us?’  And he said unto them, ‘As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.’  And they said unto him, ‘We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines.’ …”  Judges 15:11-12 (KJV)

Explanation

These are the words of God which were written by the prophet Samuel under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After he had struck down the thirty men in Ashkelon, stripped them of their clothes, and gave the clothes to the thirty Philistine wedding companions that were chosen for him to keep his agreement with them, Samson returned to his father’s house because he was angry with his wife for betraying him.  He did not know that his wife had been given to one of the thirty men. (Judges 14:19-20)  After a while Samson went to visit his wife at her father’s house but he would not let him go in to her room.  Her father told him that he had given her to one of his companions because he thought Samson hated her.  Then he tried to appease him by offering him her younger sister. (Judges 15:1-2)  Wanting to get even with the Philistines, Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes.  He tied them together in pairs by their tails and fastened a torch to each pair of tails.  Then he set the foxes loose in the corn fields and burned the corn fields, the vineyards, and the olive groves. (Judges 15:3-5)  When the Philistines learned what Samson had done they went and burned to death his wife and her father.  Angered by their actions Samson attacked and slaughtered many of the Philistines then hid in a cave in the rock of Etam. (Judges 15:6-8)  The Philistine army then camped in Judah and said they had come to take Samson prisoner.  The men of Judah then went to the rock of Etam and told Samson they had come to tie him up and turn him over to the Philistines who were rulers over them.  He agreed to let them bind him. (Judges 15:9-13)  However, as he approached the Philistines, they came toward him shouting and The Spirit of The Lord came mightily upon him.  He grabbed the jawbone of a donkey and struck down a thousand men. (Judges 15:14-17)

Application

Samson’s wife betrayed him to avoid being burned to death with her father by her own people, the Philistines.  The very thing that she was trying to avoid happened to her anyway by her own people.  The Philistine army burned his wife to death and, when The Spirit of The Lord came upon him, Samson slew the entire Philistine army. (Judges 15:14-16)  God is all powerful, and He can use or share that power as He pleases.  Bad things can happen to you when you mistreat a child of God or a man of God.  “… For it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ saith The Lord.” (Romans 12:19)  Be very careful how you treat people of God.