CHOSEN BY THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“Now the day before Saul came, The Lord had revealed this to Samuel: ‘About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin.  Anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will deliver them from the land of the Philistines.  I have looked on My people, for their cry has reached Me.’”  1 Samuel 9:15-16 (NIV)

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)  Saul was looking for his father’s lost donkeys (1 Samuel 9:3 and 9:6) but Samuel was looking for a king. (1 Samuel 9:17)  The Lord God saw something in Saul that he did not see in himself.  After Samuel told Saul what he had in store for him, Saul ran and hid himself among the supplies and the people had to come and get him. (1 Samuel 10:22-23)  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 11:6)

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) and The Lord will make a way for us to get where He wants us to be.  Promotion comes by the hand and will of God, and He will make a way for it to happen. (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.

CHOSEN FROM BEFORE BIRTH TO LEAD GOD'S PEOPLE

Proclamation:

“You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb.  He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines … Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.”  Judges 13:5-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Samuel under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After the Israelites did evil in the eyes of The Lord, He let them be conquered by the Philistines. (Judges 13:1)  Afterwards, The Lord God raised up Samson, who was chosen before he was born, to lead His people. (Judges 13:2-14)  It was Samson who killed a young lion with his bare hands, (Judges 14:5-6) who killed thirty men to pay a debt, (Judges 14:12-19) and who took the jawbone of a donkey and slew a thousand Philistines. (Judges 15:14-16)  Then Samson led Israel for twenty years. (Judges 15:20)  Unfortunately, Samson had a weakness for the Philistine women.  His first wife was a Philistine woman, (Judges 14:1-8) who betrayed him. (Judges 14:15-17)  So was the second woman who was the love of his life, Delilah. (Judges 16:4)  It was Delilah who told the Philistine leaders the secret of Samson’s strength so that they could defeat him. (Judges 16:5-20)  When they seized him, they gouged out his eyes, bound him in shackles, and made him push the grain grinding machine in the prison. (Judges 16:21)  Samson killed more Philistines when he died than he did when he was alive.  The temple was filled with the rulers of the Philistines and there were about three thousand more people on the roof of the temple when Samson collapsed the two pillars which supported the temple killing more than three thousand Philistines. (Judges 16:27-30)

Application:

The Lord God knows everything about each of us.  It was He that made us when we were in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13-16)  Each of us is unique.  The Lord God has something special for each of us to do and He knew what we would do before we were born. (Psalm 139:16)  Just as He knew what Samson would do, He knows what we will do.  Samson made some bad choices during his life but he never lost faith in The Lord.  He prayed to The Lord God for strength on his dying day.  We need to remember, just because we are in a bad situation does not mean that The Lord God is not with us or that He cannot hear us when we pray.  We are part of God’s plan and we just need to do our part.

We Are Assured Of God's Help

"But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:8-10 (NIV)

The nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, were God's chosen people and, because of the remnant of believers, He assured them that He would strengthen them, help them, and uphold them.

Today, Christians are God's chosen people. We enjoy the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant. The blessings that God promised to him, are afforded to us. We can be assured that God will strengthen us, help us, and uphold us.

The World Hates Us

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." John 15:18-19 (NIV)

After entering Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus predicted His betrayal and denial, then comforts His disciples with the promise of The Holy Spirit and He began to teach them. Here He lets them know the reason why the world hate them.

We should not be surprised that so many people hate us. They hated Jesus for what He said and did, and we are continuing to spread the good news about Him. Those who do not believe in God, will not want hear what we have to say, and they will hate us if we insist upon saying it. We the elect of God have been chosen to spread The Word of God throughout the world, but we should not expect that everyone will be happy to hear it or believe it. All we can do is speak it and be living examples of it. Remember, we are not of this world, we are just passing through it.

Stand Firm And Hold On

"... From the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians in Thessalonica by reminding them that God chose them to be saved. He is telling them to "... stand firm and hold on ..." to what they have been taught. Then he prays that God will encourage them, and strengthen them, and allow them to do more good work.

We each were created and saved by God for a purpose. Our good works here are a part of kingdom building here on earth. All that we do should be done for the glory of God. While temptation is all around us, our human nature is basically sinful, and trials, storms, and tribulations seem to keep pulling us down, we need to "stand strong and hold on" to our Bible teachings and our faith in God. Whatever it it that you are going through, may God encourage your heart and strengthen you, and allow you to do more good deeds in the future.