The Consequence of Not Waiting 1 Samuel 13

   To read more about this I would recommend Charles Swindoll's book "Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives" W.Publishing Group, 2005.  He addresses Samuel in chapter 6 and Saul in chapter 7

     There is a story in 1 Samuel 13 that has been on my mind lately.  Samuel has anointed Saul to be king over Israel.  Samuel had told Saul to go down to Gilgal and to wait seven days for him (1Samuel 10:8).  And when they came together after seven days they would offer burnt offering and fellowship offering.  Samuel said it was then that he would tell Saul what to do.  But, then later Saul grows restless and doesn't wait the 7 days.  Anyone else here grow tired of waiting sometimes?   The story in 1 Samuel 13:8-10 says

8 Now he waited for seven days, until the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 But as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to [a]greet him.

    Saul was facing an overwhelming number of enemy soliders in the historic enemy of Israel the people of the Philistines.  Everyday that he waited more and more of Saul's soliders were deserting him out of fear.  Saul then takes on a priestly role that he was not authorized to take and Samuel later calls him out on it.  Samuel is very direct and tells him he has acted foolishly.  Hee first received the kingdom and was anointed with humility.  All of that humility was lost and Saul acted out of fear and worry instead of obedience.  This story is placed here in the Bible to teach us.  Saul is not the only one who sometimes acts out of fear.  It appeared that Samuel was late, so he acted.  Then later in this chapter he makes excuses for his behavior, but it is too late.

   Later on in 1 Samuel 15, Saul will do something very similar.  Samuel tells him to go to war against the Amalekites and to destroy everything.  This was an opportunity for Saul to act in obedience to the word of God and to destroy everything But, Saul decides on his own to keep some of the best things and to keep the money and the animals for offerings.  When Samuel confronts him about that, Samuel says 

Samuel said,

“Does the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice,
And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry. . ."

      Saul had difficulty waiting on God sometimes and rushed ahead of God.  But, sometimes we may do the same things and rush ahead with our plans and not wait on God and pray and ask him what he wants us to do.  Have you ever rushed ahead of God and done something important without praying about it or seeking guidance? Just like with Samuel who appeared to be late, sometimes it seems like God is late or his answer is delayed.  But, this is when we are called to be obedient and to wait until we have clear direction from him.  I am guilty of sometimes rushing ahead of God or not praying like I should and asking him for guidance.  Allowing fear of the future or any fear to control us is not something that a child of God should do.  You are not called to walk by fear but by faith (2 Timothy 1:7).  He wants your obedience more than your sacrifice.  Saul refused to wait on God and act in obedience and he lost the kingdom as a result.

Resources:

https://www.gci.org/articles/samuel-and-saul/

https://bibleproject.com/blog/saul-tale-self-deception/

https://www.raystedman.org/bible-overview/highlights/the-flesh-and-the-spirit-1st-samuel

Blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Ephesians 1:1-5

 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus [a]by the will of God,

To the [b]saints who are [c]at Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before [d]Him. In love 5 [e]He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,"  Ephesians 1:1-5, NASB

    Paul here praised God for giving us every "spiritual blessing in Christ" verse 3.  The spiritual blessings are not the same as material blessings.  Nor does it say that it will be easy for us or that we will be wealthy in material possessions.  Paul himself was often in prison and in need.  It is the spiritual blessings that God has lavished upon us.  The idea of lavish is that our cup runs over.  Some of those blessings Paul will then go on to mention in the early part of this chapter such as the redemption through his blood and the adoption as children of God vs.4 also see John 1:12

    The word "adoption" implies an inheritance as a part of the family of God.  This idea is through the New Testament.  The word adoption is used 5 times besides here it is in Romans 8:15,23,9:4 and Galatians 4:5.  He saved us not because we deserved it or because of how great we have done but because of his will and good pleasure.  Wycliffe said it this way, "The cause of God's choice of us is not to be found in us, but in Him alone."  The determining factor is not in something we have done, but also as Wycliff says, "The will of God is the determining factor".  This choice of God occurred before verse 4 "the creation of the world".  Literally before you had the chance to do anything good or bad.

     There is something about the word predestination that may rub us the wrong way.  It is humbling to think that there is nothing that you could do to earn God's favor.  The Bible though always uses the word "chosen" or eklegomai in the greek as a positive.  It is to be chosen, much like choosing to adopt a child, that God chose you to be blameless and holy before Him.  This holiness does not come as a result of our works, but in verse 7 it says taht it is because of his redemption of us by his blood.  In other words, Christ death on the cross was a ransom paid for our sins that we could not pay ourselves for forgiveness of sins or trespasses (paraptoma) to fall beside, a lapse or deviation.  

      There is something about human nature that is a deviation from what God intended.  Even though we still care the image of God in us it is marred by sin.  It's kinda like when a foundation on a house is built.  If you ever noticed how long builders spending making sure everything is measured correctly and level before building on the foundation.  If the foundation is not correct, then nothing that is build on it will be true.  That is what sin did to the human nature.  It corrupted the foundation of our spirit and we need to be redeemed.  It is something only God can do for us and we cannot do ourselves.

John Courson Ephesians 1 https://www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/courson_jon/Eph/Ephesians.cfm#Ephesians_1_1_5

Chuck Smith media on Ephesians 1

https://www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/smith_chuck/5000/Eph/Verse_by_Verse_Study.cfm#Ephesians_1_1982_85_Audio

Dr. J Vernon McGee messages on Ephesians 

https://www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/mcgee_j_vernon/Eph/Ephesians.cfm#Ephesians_1_1_2

Charles Spurgeon sermon on Ephesians 1:7

https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/2207.cfm?a=1098001

Concluding thoughts about Revelation

 

      I recently spent several weeks listening to lectures from Dr. M. Robert Mullholland from Asbury Seminary about the book of Revelation.  He had a very different viewpoint than what I have heard before.  It has caused me to rethink some of my previously held views.  One of the concluding statements that is made in that class is that Revelation is a call to discipleship to live as faithful followers of Christ and citizens of New Jerusalem in a fallen Babylon world.  There are several other conclusions that I made.

     I don't know if you have ever gone to a worship service and felt dissatisfied with it.  You walk away feel like there must be something more and feel like while it was nice that there was something missing.  Maybe you felt like you really didn't meet with God, but only heard a viewpoint from a man or woman who was speaking.  Well, the good news of this passage is that this will one day change.  One day as citizens of New Jerusalem we will dwell with God and our worship of Him will be face to face and no longer missing anything.  Revelation 22:3-4 says

    "And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and HIs name shall be on their foreheads."

     This longing for something more will one day be fulfilled by God himself.  The second thing is that one day God will have the final word in his creation and make things right.  Even the best leaders of our country when you look back on history have had major weaknesses.  Whether it is JFK who was incredibly unfaithful to his spouse and use to sneak women up the back steps of the White House to Nixon who created Watergate and resigned in disgrace or other mistakes that leaders have made.  We aren't to put our ultimate hope in a world leader or party.   Don't pin all your hopes to some man who makes mistakes.

     While it is true that I am an American citizen, there is a sense in which all of us who are believers have a dual citizenship.   We are not only citizens of this country, but also of New Jerusalem.   We see our first glimpse of this in Revelation 21:1-2.  In it the tabernacle or dwelling place of God dwells among men.  It goes on to say, 

    "And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." vs.4

     Several times then Jesus issues the invitation to drink of the water of life without costs Rev 21:6, 22:17.  This book of Revelation is very difficult to understand.  It takes a serious student of the Bible who can look at the history and think about what John's original readers would have thought of this and how they would have interpreted it.  I heard someone say that the theme of Revelation really is the throne of God.  I don't think that is far from the mark.  This book begins and ends with a picture of the risen Christ as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end Rev 1:8; 22:13.  That while we live in a fallen world that is very much an adulterous and wicked generation we are called to live as citizens of a different kingdom.  A kingdom of New Jerusalem, loyal to the Lamb, in the midst of a fall Babylon world.

     Revelation 21:4 also mentions that there will no longer be any death.  Death robs all of us of loved ones interrupting our lives and creating an emptiness.  We miss those who have passed on before us.  Even Dr.Mulholland who taught the class I mentioned passed away years ago.  I am only able to see his lectures due to the fact that they were taped.  In Revelation 20:10 we see that the evil one is thrown into the lake of fire where he is tormented forever.  While at times it looks as though evil people win, that is only an illusion.  Satan is an enemy who has been beaten by the cross and resurrection of Jesus.  The citizens of New Jerusalem whose names are in the Lamb's book of life will one day be victorious.  The church will one day worship in God's presence fully victorious. It says of Death 

"And death and Hades (the grave) where thrown into the lake of fire. This the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Rev 20:14-15.  

The Woman and The Dragon Revelation 12:1-6

   

12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was pregnant and she *cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan

3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven crowns. 4 And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her Child.

The Male Child, Christ

5 And she gave birth to a Son, a male, who is going to [a]rule all the [b]nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there [c]she would be nourished for 1,260 days.  Revelation 12:1-6, NASV

    In the class that I am taking through biblicaltraining.org web site, Dr. Mulholland mentions that in his commentary on this passage he believe the woman is symbolic of God.  He gives several reasons for this, but I have noticed that many commentaries disagree and say that the woman is symbolic of either Israel and the church or we could think of it as symbolic of the universal church.  There are some clues that this may be the case.

    The woman is pictured in Revelation 12 as having the moon at her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head.  The number 12 could represent either the tribe of Israel or the 12 apostles or be symbolic of both.  Remember that the church in this period of time was largely Jewish and was only then beginning to move out of Jerusalem to the rest of the world.  The fact that the moon is there may be symbolic of the important place the cycles of the moon played in the life of people back then.  Their whole calendar was a lunar calendar.  The woman was clothed with the sun, which might indicate a glory and brilliance of the bride of Christ.  There is a purity to the church that is redeemed in God's eyes.   The woman is also bearing a child, who is symbolic of Jesus.

    The fact that the dragon is standing in front of the woman to try and devour the child may be symbolic of Herod.  In Matthew Henry's commentary on this passage, he says that the 10 horns are the 10 provinces that Rome was divided into by Augustus Caesar.  The 7 heads of the dragon could remember the 7 hills that Rome was founded on.  Herod attempted to kill Jesus by getting the wise men to find out about where Jesus was born and then he planned to kill him.  According to Matthew 2:12 the wise men were warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went home another way.  Joseph was also warned that Herod would try to kill Jesus and to flee to Egypt, which is what he did according to Matthew 2:13-15.  When Herod realized he had been tricked, he had all babies 2 years and younger killed in the region of Bethlehem, a horrific bloodbath Matthew 2:16-18.

    Revelation pictures often a battle that occurs such as in Revelations 12:7.  It is a battle of forces between good and evil.  A lot of people are very hesitant to read Revelation due to all the symbols in the book.  And there are an awful lot of different interpretations of Revelation.  One of the most common today is based on dispensationalism.  Made popular by the left behind series.  It is one that I was taught as a teenager.  It has been the popular viewpoint only over the last 100 years though of church history.  Most of church history people did not have a pre tribulation rapture view of end times.  We can agree though that ultimately the story of Revelation is one where God triumphs over evil and judges the world.  He restores creation and creates a new heaven and new earth and begin the reign in New Jerusalem.  There will no longer be a curse and we will see his face and the throne of God will be among mankind Revelation 22:3-4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispensationalism

Four Views of the end times

https://www.olivetree.com/store/product.php?productid=21131

picture above from 

https://www.equip.org/article/woman-revelation-12-mary/

Invitation to a Journey

   I have been reading the book "Invitation to a Journey" by the late M. Robert Mulholland Jr.  I found out about Dr. Mulholland through a training site called biblicaltraining.com.  He teaches a class on Revelations there that was taped before his death in 2015.  I was so impressed by this man's knowledge that I looked him up and found out he was the author of several books.  A few days late, I happen to find one of those books on sale at the library for 10 cents. 

   There are a lot of good points in this book about spiritual formation.  I think those of us who are Baptist and many others in the church should consider spiritual formation and where we are in our walk with Christ.  So many people say that they are saved, but have little evidence of that in their lifestyle.  Dr. Mulholland talks about the stages of the classical christian pilgrimage as being first awakening, then purgation, illumination and then union which includes an abandonment to grace.  I noticed that while this last stage is the goal "union" also includes the dark night of the senses and the dark night of the spirit.

    One of the things that the book also emphasizes is that the christian life is not something you do, but something that you are.  You are incapable in fact of doing enough good works to please God even for a moment.  Our role as it says in John 15:1-5 is to abide in Christ and allow God to do his work in us.  The fruit of the Spirit is mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 which the Spirit grows within us.  We don't do this by our own efforts.  Dr. Mulholland says about this "These come not by our effort or attempts to inculcate them in our actions, but are gifts that emerge as we release control of our lives and come to entrust ourselves to God." (Mulholland, page 111).

     We get into trouble when we act as though we are doing something for God and not with God.  Like children learning to walk we want to show off what we can do while it is God's hands that are holding us up the whole way.  The apple tree doesn't brag about bearing apples.  It is just something the tree does as a result of what it is.  If we are "in Christ" as Paul described in detail in places like the letter to Ephesus then we will bear fruit based on whose we are.  It isn't though that there is no will or work on our part however because we have to do the tough thing of surrender control over to Him.

    This may be the real area where the battle in the christian life occurs.  Because our sinful nature always wants to be in control.  Our flesh wants self reliance and independence and it hurts our pride to think we actually must be dependent and humble and trusting in another.  But, true victory comes not in self reliance, but complete and utter surrender understanding that I am helpless to save myself.  

    One of the other good points that Dr. Mulholland makes in this book is on page 50 when he says, "If you want a good litmus test of your spiritual growth, simply examine the nature and quality of your relationships with others.  Are you more loving, more compassionate, more patient, more understanding, more caring, more giving, more forgiving than you were a year ago?"  In other words, you cannot separate your relationship with God from your relationship with others.  Mulholland goes on to say, "Our relationships with others are not only the testing grounds of our spiritual life but also the places where our growth toward wholeness in Christ happens."  We may be tempted to think about spiritual growth as something that happens privately within us, but in reality, growth cannot occur apart from my relationships.  Something to think about.  I highly recommend the book "Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation" by M. Robert Mulholland Jr., 

For a look at the class on Revelations that Dr. Mulholland taught and is offered for free online go to:

https://www.biblicaltraining.org/revelation/robert-mulholland

Hiding from God Genesis 3;8-11 NASV

 

8 Now they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [a]cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”  Genesis 3:8-11, NASV

    Very early on in Genesis, we see the story in Genesis 3 of the fall of man.  Before this time, possibly for a long time, God would walk with Adam and Eve in the garden and have fellowship with them.  But, this evening Adam and Eve for the first time ever hide from God.  God asks them "Where are you?"  That's an important question and we have to realize that God is not asking this to get information because God knows everything.  He is even at this point giving them a chance to reveal to Him what they did and repent of it.  You notice that sin immediately brings about shame and separation from God.

    Even in the life of the believer, sin can cause separation from God and difficulties in the fellowship of a believer and God.  This is because God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).  Most of the world doesn't come to God even to this day because they love the darkness rather than the light for their deeds are evil.   Likewise, a believer can get caught up in sin and get out of fellowship with God and then have difficulty with hearing from God.

    It is easy, in this day and time to get your eyes off of Christ and on the world.  Idols come in all shapes and sizes including things like money, jobs, a hunger for power or control or selfishness or greed.  I feel like one of the biggest obstacles that mankind has to overcome is simple pride.  It requires humility to humble yourself before God and realize you can't make it to heaven on your own effort.  

    There are many places in the Bible that warn us that if we are walking out of fellowship with God that our prayers could be hindered.  Several times in places such as Ps 66:18; Proverbs 1:28, Isaiah 59:2, Zech 7:13, 1 Peter 3:12, Isaiah 1:15.  The key is what the Bible refers to as repentance.  Repentance means a turning away from self and selfish desires and turning to God.  It begins by confession of sin.  Every great revival in the history of the church began when people started to repent.

    A passage that people love to quote is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  Did you notice that this promise is conditional?  It says that "my people" are to humble themselves, seek God's face and turn from their wicked ways.  That is a good summary of the idea of repentance to humble themselves, seek Him, turn from wickedness.   This takes us from hiding from God to seeking Him out.  It takes us from shame to mercy, from alienation to reconciliation, from separation to fellowship.

A Debt of Ten Thousand Talents Matthew 18:21-35

  One day Jesus shared a parable with his disciples about forgiveness.  It is recorded in Matthew 18:21-35.  In it, the king wishes to settle accounts with his slaves.  So, he calls before him one who owes him ten thousand talents (a debt that would be over 10 million dollars today) and tells him to repay.  When he says that he cannot the king orders him to be sold along with all that he has and repayment to be made.  The man begs for his life and the life of his family and the king graciously forgives him and sets him free.

    But, unfortunately the slave learns nothing from this and goes out and find a man who owes him one hundred denari (about 3.5 months worth of wages) and starts to choke him saying "Pay back what you owe" Matt 18:28.  The other slave pleads for him to give him more time, but the slave has no compassion on him and throws him into prison.  HIs fellow slaves see what has happened and report it to the king.

    When the king hears this he is angered and says to the slave "You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me.  Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?"  As a result of this, the man is handed over to torturers until he can repay his debt in full.  The story ends with these words of Jesus "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you.  If each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

   I was thinking about this story about the king and the slaves today.  Of course the debt that the first slave had represents the debt that we owe to God and the compassion the king shows is what the king does for us.  He forgives us not because we paid the debt or would ever be able to, but based on grace and mercy.  But, then God expects for us to not hold a debt against others in return.  Yet, much of the time we are like the thief who goes out and chokes his fellow slave and demands repayment for a lesser sin.  

   If we could truly see our debt that God has forgiven us we would be astonished at it size.  Would we even be able to see the bottom or the sides of it if we could actually see it.  The magnitude of it and the stench of our sins that God has literally wiped away is beyond your and mine imagination.   All of this because Jesus paid for it and took it away.  Not because your such a great person and deserve it.  So, who am I to hold bitterness and anger against others when they wrong me?  My debt, which was bigger than any man can imagine, was forgiven and washed clean because of God's grace and mercy.  I can't go around with anger in my heart and hate others or be bitter because of their faults.  

   There is another warning in scripture that is a part of the Lord's prayer that says much the same thing as the passage I mentioned earlier.  "For if you forgive men for their transgressions your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."  Matthew 6:14-15.  What that tells me is that if your walking around with unforgiveness in your heart you are walking on dangerous ground.   There is no question about the nature of this command.  There really is no other way to interpret it.

   Paul said it this way in Ephesians 4:31-32  "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."