365 Reflections

There is a space between actual leadership and perceived leadership. Saul demonstrates that a leader’s position can be empty when his heart is not full of God-ordained purpose. And I believe this applies to leaders in the church, the marketplace and government. God uses leadership (even secular leaders) for His purpose. Saul is a case study of bad leadership. He leads with fear and intimidation. And people will follow fear and intimidation to an extent. But without substance and conviction, it’s just white-washing. Take for instance what happens in 1 Samuel 14. As Israel pursues the Philistines, Saul institutes a rash and even dangerous vow. 1 Samuel 14:24 (ESV)  And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. Saul uses the national conflict to pursue personal vendettas. Instead of carrying for the ar...

It is one of cinema’s great quotes. From William Wallace played by Mel Gibson to the rightful albeit hesitant king Robert the Bruce of Scotland. While contemplating his next move for strategic political maneuvers, Robert is challenged by William with the following words, “Men do not follow titles, they follow courage.” The quote proves to be a game changer for Robert the Bruce and Scotland after the death of William Wallace according to the fictional recounting of the movie Braveheart. It is nonetheless true in the scriptures and true today. We are meant to be courageous but everything within and without us seeks to stop it. In 1 Samuel 14, while Saul is watching his army dwindle down to next to nothing, Jonathan poses a question to his armor bearer that brings about a sea-change for the nation of Israel. Instead of hiding and whimpering in the caves with the rest of the nation, Jonathan does what we all need to learn how to do. He challenges the status quo, he steps out from the s...

1 Samuel 13:15 (ESV) And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. Saul's army has completely shrunk. If you remember at the beginning of his reign he gathered them to his side through intimidation and fear (1 Samuel 11:7). Now through his own fear of losing their respect and rashly offering the sacrifice, the army has dwindled from 300,000 to 600. On top of that, the Philistines have confiscated all weapon making and forging abilities keeping Israel bereft of any real hope of superior armament. 1 Samuel 13:19 (ESV)  Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” On top of THAT, the Philistines are charging exorbitant prices for the Israelites to sharpen their agricultural tools: 1 Samuel 13:20–21 (ESV) But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sick...

1 Samuel 13:1–4 (ESV) Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal. Saul's character slowly unfolds in the narrative of 1 Samuel. We are not told upfront that Saul is really not the king of the Lord's choosing. We are to discover this over the course of the narrative, seeing Saul's faults and taking no...

We don't pay attention to warnings very well. Caution signs, road signs alerting us to danger, even the "floor slippery" sign is often ignored. Why is it? What is it about the human condition that we trend toward self-destruction? Israel shows us ourselves repeatedly in this manner. 1 Samuel 12:21  (ESV)  And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. Samuel tells Israel something interesting in this passage. Notice his words of caution: "Do not turn aside to empty things." Why would they turn aside to these things? He hints at in the rest of the sentence, "that cannot profit or deliver."  The two things we seek: profit and deliverance. We want to gain and we want relief from our pain. We want to see our lives both abundant and free from hindrance. Why do we want this so badly? Because we were made to live in abundance and freedom. That was the garden. The garden was abundantly fruitful where mankind w...

Samuel is stepping out of the picture in Israel. They have a king and he's about to retire. In his farewell speech he minces no words: 1 Samuel 12:12–13 (ESV)   And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you.  I'm thankful for the Israelite journey with the Lord through the Old Testament narrative. They show us our own faults and declare to us the greater mercy of the Lord in every stage of our growth. Here in 1 Samuel 12, it is made abundantly clear by Samuel that Israel's request of a king was the wrong move. Yet they now have a king and it is done.  Sometimes we too will make a poor choice in disobedience to God's Word. Sometimes, like Israel, we will look at the world/culture around us and adopt their values and strategies al...

Saul's anger doesn't take long to expose itself on the pages of scripture. He's made king in 1 Samuel 10 and the text notes that worthless fellows derided him but he kept silent. Evidently, Saul was waiting to channel that anger in the right direction. So when Nahash comes against Israel and embarrasses them with humiliating terms of peace Saul finds his outlet: 1 Samuel 11:6–7 (ESV) And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. There are a few things to note about this action in comparison to the king who will follow Saul. It would appear that Saul relies on fear to motivate the nation. He cuts up oxen and sends th...

1 Samuel 10:25–27 (ESV)   Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord . Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace. The problems with Saul's kingship begin early. Here we have what looks like a noble moment. The nation is provided a copy of the rights and duties of the kingship by Samuel. But the moment fails to live up to the Lord's Word concerning the kings of Israel. We have to go back to Deuteronomy to see how God stipulated the king's relationship to the book of the Lord. Deuteronomy 17:18–20 (ESV) “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical...

It must be noted that Saul is the answer to the people's request for a "king like all the other nations" around them. The reason this must be noted is that Saul is not a King like the Lord God. That will be revealed later in an unexpected character to come. So far in the narrative, we see the elements in Saul that the Israelites would have seen in the kings of other nations. First Saul is from a prestigious family. 1 Samuel 9:1 (ESV) There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. Second Saul is tall and handsome. 1 Samuel 9:2 (ESV) Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. It would be wise to remember Israel's history for being short and visually insignificant to the nations around them. Saul is the first Israelite noted for his stature. ...

Life will present us with enduring challenges, different enemies, and diverse obstacles. The fight of our lives is constant and can be exhausting. It is long and seems to never stop. The Israelites are weary from the fight. They want someone to do it for them. They see the other nations getting along well with a king and it seems to be the way to go. When Samuel warns them of what having a king will demand of them, they are unhindered: 1 Samuel 8:19–22 (ESV) But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord . 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” After this, the choosing of Saul as King of Israel is a...

1 Samuel 8:3–5 (ESV)   Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” The passage above describes the sons of Samuel. How often men and women of God in one generation struggle to produce God-fearing children. It's in the scriptures here to show us that even a man as noble as Samuel can fail to raise up children who disregard righteousness.  But there's another aspect of this passage I want to investigate. You should notice the error of the young men was seeking after "gain." Was this because the righteous life of Samuel was one that shunned material possessions for the call of God? Where his sons sick of being "poor" for the Lord's sake? It may be speculation but I would...

The Ark came back to Israel but all was not well. Twenty years pass and Israel has no way out of their predicament with the Philistines. Eventually, Samuel calls the people back to God commanding them to put away their foreign Gods and direct their heart to the Lord. The people listen to him. 1 Samuel 7:5–6 (ESV) Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord .” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. Now in verse 5, they are gathered together seeking the Lord. They fast, and Samuel takes the lead of God's people. "Mizpah" means "watchtower" which would have been some sort of military station. The Philistines hear they are gathering at a military location and decide to intimidate them with a military advance against of their own. The people turn to Samuel...

There are many kinds of religious adherence that have nothing to do with true conversion to Christ. In 1 Samuel 6, the Philistines are determined to return the Ark of the Covenant to Israel for fear it will utterly destroy them. The Ark has humiliated their god Dagon and caused their cities to suffer. Now their hope is that sending the Ark away will bring them the peace they lost. So notice how this goes down: 1 Samuel 6:3–4 (ESV) They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed , and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.” 4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 1 Samuel 6:7–8 (ESV)  Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on whi...

It's one of the hardest theological constructs to come to terms within the modern west. But the reality on the page of scripture is men do not seek God. God seeks them. For proof, you can check the third chapter of Genesis. You can also check the Psalms. Psalm 14:2–3 (ESV)  The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. You can ask Paul: Romans 3:11 (ESV)   no one understands; no one seeks for God. We are in 1 Samuel. So far in 1 Samuel, God has brought great judgment upon His own people. The nation of Israel has descended through the time of the judges to Samuel's birth into a morass of immorality. On top of that, their leaders are dead and the symbol of God's presence has been captured in war. It's a tragedy. When the Philistines get the Ark they place it in the temple to D...

1 Samuel 4:18 (ESV)   As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years. 1 Samuel 5:4 (ESV) But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. Two broken necks from two different national icons.  The first neck is that of Eli, the old, overweight and out of touch priest of Israel. He failed to restrain his sons or himself (consider his weight). He grew blind and impotent. He sat when he should have been standing and doing his duty for the Lord's people in the Temple. The prophecy given to Samuel concerning his sons comes true, they are dead. The nation he leads has lost its worst battle. The Philistines are victorious. ...

There is a challenging moment in 1 Samuel 4 that could cause alarm if we are not already aware of what God is doing beneath the surface of Israel's history. The nation goes out to war against the Philistines. They take to battle and suffer defeat rather quickly. As they assess what's wrong they realize they did not bring that ancient Ark into battle as their forefathers did before them. So they get the ark, march back into battle whooping and cheering as they go. 1 Samuel 4:5–9 (ESV) As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! W...

Two posts ago I discussed how God has a ready plan to raise up a faithful generation in the midst of an unfaithful one. But the question is, by what means does God do this? The 3rd chapter of 1 Samuel answers that question: 1 Samuel 3:1–5 (ESV) Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord , where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. Eli's house is in disarray, the Temple is a place of fornication and greed, the nation is flooded with immorality and civil war (see the end of Judges). The situ...

There's always someone vying for your honor and attention outside of the Lord. It could be a friend, a spouse, a significant other or a relative. It could be your parent, guardian, children or grandkids. It could be the "you" YOU dream of being. And the normal sequence of life calls us at some point (and probably many) to sacrifice our commitment to God's purposes for the sake of them. We see this clearly in the life of Eli. A prophet comes to this man to rebuke him for the lack of honor he showed to God in preference for his sons. While Hophni and Phineas were abusing their positions and fornicating at the altar, Eli was avoiding the conflict and allowing it to happen. God's firm warning comes: 1 Samuel 2:30–33 (ESV)   Therefore the Lord , the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor , and those...

1 Samuel 2:17–18 (ESV) Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord , for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. 18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord , a boy clothed with a linen ephod. The first two chapters of Samuel provide a theme for the rest of the narrative. In the midst of corrupt political power, God is raising up His servants to faithfully obey Him and establish His kingdom on the Earth. I can't think of a more important truth for Christian service in any age. Consider Hannah's fervent prayer in chapter one amidst the ignorance, arrogance, and indifference to her struggle from all those around her (her rival wife, arrogant Eli and indifferent Elkanah). Now her son will be placed in a situation much like her own. Samuel will grow up in the Temple. But this Temple is far removed from Aaron's priesthood. The priesthood is corrupt and Eli's family was fragmented. His sons are wicked and will not listen to hi...

Hannah has a son. She has lent him to the Lord for the rest of his days. God has answered her prayers and given her Samuel, the man who will faithfully transition the struggling and fractured Israelites into the united established kingdom with David on the throne. But she could not have known all that God would do through her son had she not done what comes next in 1 Samuel 2. She takes time to worship God for the blessings in her life. And in her worship, she is transported from personal answers to prayer to God's universal sovereignty over the nations. Worship has a transcendent trajectory. Once you begin to worship, your perspective is transported from your personal issues to God's powerful reign. This is an experience you should regularly have. Notice the personal nature at the beginning of her worship. 1 Samuel 2:1 (ESV) And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies , because I rejoice in your ...