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Servants of G-d – Lesson 30 – April 30, 2012

Servants of G-d
Lesson 30
The Everlasting Covenant

In some ways it is hard to believe that we have come to the end of our study of the servants of G-d. Last year we studied one book and it took us 30 weeks. This year we have gone through 5 books in the same amount of time. In some ways last years study could have been called servants of G-d as well as we looked at the New Testament lives of the disciples, Paul and many others as they served G-d and began the work of spreading the Gospel. This year we have looked at lives much further back in our history. It always amazes me that though we are studying those “ancient words” they ring profoundly true for today. We have all learned a little more about our G-d and about being His servants. We have seen the people that He has used and to me, the most wonderful part is that He used men and women like you and me. Flawed, imperfect and sometimes wayward, but still He was able to use them to move forward His plan for mankind.

Tonight we studied the last words of David – the man who was a shepherd, a giant slayer, slayer of 10,000s, the singer of songs and the man after G-d’s own heart. He was the king who was anointed by G-d for his position, protected by G-d through his trials of varying kinds and forgiven by G-d when he sinned. And in everything he gives praise and glory to G-d.

King David’s key ingredient to his walk with G-d was faith. In all that David went through in his life, he found his G-d to be faithful and he was able to have faith in that faithfulness. Sometimes people say that you just have to “Believe”. I don’t think that is exactly true. We can believe many things but we can have true, abiding, unshakable faith in only a few.

I am grateful that David was so good at expressing his faith in concrete terms that I can understand. It wasn’t a feel good “I believe” like in the Miracle on 34th street – Santa is real because I believe. David wrote it out in detail, all the attributes of G-d and all the ways that David found Him faithful. I need that. When I walk through the deep waters, I need to know that G-d is there as my rock and my fortress. I need to know that He cannot be moved, that He is constant and true. I need to know that He plants my feet on solid ground and gives me the feet of the deer to climb the heights.
Because King David could give praise to G-d in all circumstances, he gives me the hope I need to praise G-d in all of mine.

David also has faith that when he turned back to G-d in repentance,
G-d would forgive his sin and cleanse him from all unrighteousness. We know that David’s promised heir came to free us from the bonds of guilt and sin through the sacrifice of His life for us. G-d Himself provided a way to make us holy before Him. But even before Jesus came to save us, G-d was in the forgiveness business for all those who turned to Him in confession and repentance.

In these last few minutes I want us to look at David and his ability to give G-d the glory, to serve his people and to gather mighty warriors who were dedicated to him, and to turn to G-d in repentance and gain forgiveness.

At the end of our lesson we saw that King David refused to give a sacrifice to G-d that cost him nothing. My heart is pierced by that statement. I have given to G-d over the years. But often the giving did not involve any sacrifice on my part. It was done in my own strength and for my own purposes. I want to be a woman after G-d’s own heart. I don’t want to give G-d a sacrifice that costs me nothing.

I heard about two wealthy Christians, a lawyer and a merchant, who joined a party that was traveling around the world. In Korea one day, they saw, in a field by the side of the road, a boy pulling a rude plow, while an old man held the plow handles and directed it. The lawyer was amused, and took a snapshot of the scene.
‘That’s a curious picture! I suppose they are very poor,’ he said to the missionary, who was interpreter and guide to the party.
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘That is the family of Chi Noui. When the church was being built they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money; so they sold their only ox and gave their money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves.’
The lawyer and the business man by his side were silent for some moments. Then the businessman said, ‘That must have been a real sacrifice.’
‘They did not call it that,’ said the missionary. ‘They thought that it was fortunate that they had an ox to sell.’”

They did not bring a sacrifice that cost them nothing. They gave that which cost them much.

How about us?

David’s sacrifice of Praise – 2 Samuel 23: 1 – 7

In the beginning of chapter 23 we see David doing a life review. It is entitled the last words of David. It could have been a very self serving and prideful boast of all that he had accomplished in his lifetime. But David knows the wisdom that Paul taught hundreds of years later – in 2 Corinthians 10: 17 But, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

David was a Psalmist, a ruler and the one to whom an eternal kingdom was promised. It would have been easy for him to loose perspective and think it was all about him. But he knew where his strength came from.
Psalm 28 reads
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
A story is told of the famous inventor Samuel Morse. Mr. Morse was once asked if he ever encountered situations where he didn’t know what to do. Morse responded, “More than once, and whenever I could not see my way clearly, I knelt down and prayed to God for light and understanding.”

Morse received many honors from his invention of the telegraph but felt undeserving: “I have made a valuable application of electricity not because I was superior to other men but solely because God, who meant it for mankind, must reveal it to someone and He was pleased to reveal it to me.”
G-d gave David a heart that praised his G-d in all circumstances and David shared that ability with us through his psalms. Although David didn’t write all the Psalms, he collected them together and added his own so that the people of G-d down through the ages could praise G-d in song.
As a man after G-d’s own heart, David saw his life in the perspective of G-d’s work and gives Him the glory.
As women after G-d’s own heart we need to praise G-d. We are told to bring a sacrifice of praise. If we are not going to bring a sacrifice to G-d that costs us nothing then we need to praise Him in the hard times, the dark times, the overwhelming times – not just when we feel good and are being blessed.

Sacrifice and Service– 2 Samuel 23: 8 – 39

David recognized all God had done for him, and he cited examples of God’s provision in giving him “Mighty Men” who risked their very lives for him. Those men gave everything to serve David and God’s kingdom. And at what cost? The last one on the list was Uriah the Hittite, whose loyalty cost him his very life.

Fred Craddock, who is a distinguished Professor of Preaching and New Testament, Emeritus, in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, in an address to ministers, caught the practical implications of serving G-d. “To give my life for G-d appears glorious,” he said. “To pour myself out for others. . . to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom — I’ll do it. I’m ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. “We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $l,000 bill and laying it on the table– ‘Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all.’ But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l,000 bill for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid’s troubles instead of saying, ‘Get lost.’ Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn’t glorious. It’s done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it’s harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul.”
Serving God might not cost us our lives as it did Uriah and countless others, but it might cost us our reputations, or money, time, or energy we’d not planned to spend or it might cost us our comfort and ease. Let’s face it, some people won’t even go out to church if it looks like it might rain!

Though G-d hasn’t added new books to the Bible so that your name could be listed, He has seen you and your 25 and 50 cents poured out in this class. Praying for someone who is struggling around your core table, making food for your group so you can fellowship as Christians should – over good food- coming in and setting up the chairs and sound system, tearing things down at the end of the evening to leave our space as good or better than we found it, bringing baby things for a sweet girl who is expecting a baby, remembering her daughter so she won’t feel left out, praying for G-d to open the womb of a woman who, like Hannah of old, longed to have a baby, taking food to the woman who is in a battle for her life, crying with the sweet sister who is grieving, sharing your story in an opening or just around your core table in order to help someone else who may find themselves in the same situation you have already walked through, or giving up your Sunday to help a family move.

All of these things cost you something and you were willing to shell out your 25 and 50 cents for the sake of those G-d has given you to care for. David had his mighty warriors, Our CBS class has its mighty women of faith.

The men on David’s list gave all that they had of themselves and their resources to serve David, even going to the well in occupied Bethlehem to get him some water. These men were called the mighty warriors and they made honorable mention G-d’s story. But before that, they were part of a rag tag group of down and outers, and David took them in and overtime made them into the mighty warriors listed here.

That’s what G-d has been doing here. He has taken your 25 and 50 cents and overtime made you into mighty women of G-d. You have not given a sacrifice that cost you nothing and we thank you!
You have followed Peter’s advise:
1 Peter 4
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

The Sacrifice for Sin – 2 Samuel 24

Before anyone decides to put a last question in the question box, I think that probably some of you had a hard time with ”was it G-d or Satan who incited David?” The answer for you is “Yes”. Nothing comes to us except what is filtered through G-d’s hands. So no, G-d didn’t incite David to sin but He did use the evil one to temp him. And David succumbed to the temptation.

Before you yell foul remember that G-d allowed Job to be sifted by the evil one. G-d set the limits but allowed Satan his way otherwise. Our Savior was tempted in the desert for 40 days by the evil one.

When we are tempted G-d always allows a way of escape. Paul assured us of that in 1 Corinthians:
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
David was tempted and he chose to follow the temptation rather than standing in the gap for Israel. I say that because most of the commentators state that G-d was angry with Israel, not David personally. Perhaps because they had chosen to follow Absalom and then Sheba and had not stayed faithful to G-d’s anointed king. But David could have pleaded with G-d for the nation. He was their King and in a position to do that. Kind of like Moses had done in the wilderness when G-d was ready to wipe out the whole group and start over with Moses and his family.

When David saw the enormity of his sin, he repented and “said, to the LORD,’ I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.’ ”

In many of the men chosen for special assignments through the pages of scripture, G-d shows us a glimpse of what the Messiah will be like. In David we have this picture of a shepherd crying out to take the punishment for his sheep. He was A good shepherd to Israel but he was not THE good Shepherd.
David was Israel’s shepherd king but not their Savior. G-d had to send another in David’s line; a perfect shepherd, one who would stand in the gap for Israel and the whole world. A shepherd who would take the punishment as David had asked so long ago, so that we would not have to bear the penalty of our sin.

The servants of G-d that we have studied have seemed sometimes to be extraordinary people and we have a tendency to put them on a higher plane than we are on. But really they were ordinary people. They were like us, flawed, imperfect humans, sinners saved, called and empowered by a loving G-d. They achieved extraordinary things because they were called by an extraordinary G-d and He used them to accomplish great things for His glory.

He can do extraordinary things through each of us – through women who are willing to be filled with his Spirit and available for His assignments.

All year we have looked at these words on the power points for each lesson and we have prayed together that G-d would
Teach us
That He would Mold us and
He would Use us as His servants.

Being teachable, moldable and usable takes a sacrifice on our part. As mighty women of faith let’s not choose to bring a sacrifice that costs us nothing. Let’s not settle for an ordinary, hohum, blaze relationship with the living G-d. He can do great and wonderful things through those who are willing.
G-d may not chose to build another temple because of our sacrifice but He says He has made you, “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Being teachable, moldable and usable involves sacrifice that costs us a lot. But for Him who has done so much for us, how could we choose to bring a sacrifice that costs us nothing?

Lesson 29 – Servants of G-d – April 23, 2012

Servants of G-d- Lesson 29
2 Samuel 19 – 22
David: Restoration and Praise

Over the course of the last 7 years that I have been doing wrap up talks for CBS I have had a number of people curious about how I do a wrap up. Where do you get the ideas? How do you know the background? Where do the quotes come from? Where do I find inspiration?

I have to say that the start of a wrap up talk is always the same but the middle and end are always different. Here’s what I mean.

The very beginning is always doing the lesson with the Holy Spirit as my instructor just as He is yours as you ponder the scripture and answer the questions. Once the lesson is done I read the commentary making notes as the Spirit leads. The only difference in the way I do this and most of you do it is that I do all that on the first day – not over 6 days. The next part is always, always, always the same – and I know it is for Lisa as well – I pray and pray and pray. Asking G-d to show me how He wants this lesson presented and what He wants to teach me and what He wants you to hear.

The rest is a little different every week. I read a lot in the commentaries – my favorites are Warren Weirsbe and Matthew Henry but I don’t use them exclusively. I ask G-d to direct my reading preferences for the week so that I can see what He wants me to see and hear what He wants me to hear from Him. That comes in all different kinds of ways. I could be inspired by something in the devotionals I read or maybe in a book that I am drawn to. Sometimes I use the resources that are available to me on the internet. CBS is helpful in pointing me to various resources, including wrap up talks given by other TDs on the same study. My favorite TD so far has been Skip Hedgepath who was the TD in Waveland, TX for many years. In fact he was George W. Bush’s TD when George – way before he was their Governor or our President – attended CBS there in Texas.

Next I meditate. All the way back in the beginning of our study this year we read Joshua 1:8, 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Psalm 119 says 15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

So I meditate on what I have read and heard. I watch through the week for G-d to bring to my mind the things that will go into an illustration or explanation. This may sound funny but I am always excited to see what G-d is going to do. I don’t have many preconceived ideas about what is the best path. So I wait for his leading.

In fact those weeks in which the wrap up is written entirely on Monday are the times I am particularly excited to see what G-d has in store because at that point I know I don’t have anything.

It is rarely that I put it off that long. It is just that my week can be kind of like some of your weeks – stuff happens – and the time and opportunity to sit down and write is not always available.

But G-d is faithful each and every time. He has never not shown up. He is always ready when I sit before Him and my computer.

For this week my inspiration came from Guideposts magazine. There was a quote in there by Father Leo Patalinghug, also know as the Cooking Priest.
“Every outcome of every challenge should reveal how G-d supplies the grace to make it through the seemingly impossible.”

I thought about that in terms of King David. He was challenged at every front all through his life. We might read, as we did this week, of the circumstances of his life and see what he chose to do with those circumstances. If that were all we knew of him then we might think – he was a good king, followed G-d most of the time, made some good decisions, one really, really bad one, , had high emotions and displayed his emotions freely, otherwise he exhibited self control most of the time and had excellent leadership qualities. He was admired and followed by the people of Israel. He loved his people and he kept his promises to them. Not a bad biography.

But we know so much more about him because of his ability to write and express his love and adoration for the Lord. David relied on the rock of his salvation for all that he needed for himself and for his people. We see behind the scenes, if you will, to the very heart of this warrior king. In his writings we see that David was able to praise his G-d in all things, to call out for help, and to trust in the unfailing equipping of his heavenly Father. He looked for how G-d was working in the circumstances of his life and gave voice to what he observed.

How about us? Are we willing to look at the circumstances of life and look for how G-d supplies the grace to make it through the seemingly impossible?

G-d’s Grace for Discouragement – 2 Samuel 19

As we started our lesson this week we saw that David had a great victory with his army – but all he could see was the end of his son’s life. He grieves for his ner do well Absalom, who lead a revolt of the nation against the king and tried to remove his father from the throne of Israel.

Absalom reminds me of the prodigal son. He wanted his own way and his inheritance before the death of his father. Unfortunately Absalom never came to the point of realizing how much he had to gain by going back to his father in repentance and humility. He remained forever estranged from the father who grieved mightily for him. What a picture of how our heavenly Father grieves over the lost sheep who never come back to the fold. The promise of an inheritance is theirs just like it was Absalom’s but they choose to have it their way – not G-d’s way. As Lisa put it last week there is
G-d’s High way and then there is our own way. Every one gets to choose.

David was discouraged and in mourning. His whole army was in distress because instead of being able to celebrate the victory, they felt that some how they had disappointed the king. It is hard for joy and sorrow to dwell together. One will overcome the other. Unfortunately it is usually the sadness that will overwhelm the joy.

As my sons grew I struggled with feelings of deep sadness when one or two could not be home for a particular dinner or celebration. I couldn’t really enjoy the one or two who were there. I had a picture in my mind of the family all together for these times and I couldn’t reconcile my feelings. Until a dear friend pointed out that I was blocking the joy of the day or event because I wanted it to be different. I was dissatisfied with reality and wanted something other than what G-d had for me that day. I am so grateful for the friend who confronted me and help me to get my thinking straight. I wasted a lot of time before I chose to enjoy those who were there and not dwell on the fact that someone else wasn’t. I have to say that at this time in my life I really prefer the times when I get to visit with each son individually. They are so different in so many ways and I can relate to them as individuals better when we are not all together. I get a chance to see more closely into their hearts as we visit quietly one on one.

David was so sad about Absalom that it was affecting his whole army. He needed a friend like mine to pop him out of his sadness and get him to refocus. Joab did a good job of that and the army was relieved to see their king with them and able to commend them for a job well done.
We see the heart of this king in chapter 22 as he says
4 “I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress I called to the LORD;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
David depended on G-d to save him from the things that were without and from things that were within and gave G-d the glory for His grace to meet the challenges of life.

How about us? Are we willing to look at the circumstances of life and look for how G-d supplies the grace to make it through the seemingly impossible?

G-d’s Grace for Tough Assignments– 2 Samuel 20

How we accept an assignment from G-d says a lot about how willing we are to look for G-d’s grace in the middle of the seeming impossible. Do we fight it because the job description seems overwhelming or do we step up boldly and eagerly look for what G-d is going to do through us? There is an old saying that G-d does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called. I have seen that played out in my life over and over.

Sometimes we are not sure why in the world we are asked to do something. It makes no sense to our human minds. This past week I had the pleasure of a young lady’s company for a few days. She is 12 years old and was on spring break. Her siblings were all getting to go to their grandparents to visit but she was not included because she had just had some surgery on her leg and they were afraid she might have a problem getting around. So G-d laid it on my heart to have her come spend time with me. I don’t know why – I may never know why. But He said to do it so I did. It was an easy job of short duration – and she was indeed a pleasure.
That made me think of an old Persian proverb I heard. It is about two men who were hired to do a job. They were to pour water out of a cistern and into a basket and let the water fall on the ground. It was a huge cistern and the job took a great deal of time.

One of the men stopped part way through the assignment and decided that it had no purpose, was stupid and he didn’t need to waste his time in this manner. The other persevered. As the water was poured over and over through the basket it did seem like a senseless assignment. The remaining man poured the water, scoop by scoop, into the basket and watched as it ran out through the bottom. However, in the due course of time, as he watched the water run through, there before him was a beautiful diamond ring. The basket was acting like a colander to be sure that the ring that had dropped into the cistern was not poured out unobserved. Sometimes we have to wait to know the reason for an assignment.

King David gave Amasa a job to do and a time limit for the assignment. Amasa didn’t get the job done in time and so was replaced with someone who would do as he was instructed and save the nation from the troublemaker Sheba. We don’t really understand Joab’s motives, and certainly not his methods but he did save the land from a terrible uprising.

And you had to love the common sense of the woman of Abel Beth Maakah. She had an assignment and she carried it out with valor and good judgment. Many lives were saved that day by her good work.

King David and his kingdom were saved from the enemy that day. Though he was not with his troops in the battle, still his G-d, in whom he trusted, was there to take care of the uprising.

King David says
17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.

David depended on G-d to save him from the things that were without and from things that were within and gave G-d the glory for His grace to meet the challenges of life.

How about us? Are we willing to look at the circumstances of life and look for how G-d supplies the grace to make it through the seemingly impossible?

G-d’s Grace for the Things We Don’t understand–
2 Samuel 21

For three years the crops in Israel failed. People were hungry and when they are hungry they expect their king to do something. And David did. He inquired of G-d.

Don’t you hate it when you are suffering for something that someone else has done? That just goes against my sense of fairness. I have enough trouble suffering for the things that I do wrong without having to bear the burden for someone else’s sins. But here we see that the nation was suffering for the sins of a past king. I think you could probably make the case that the Gibeonites had tricked Joshua into the treaty that saved their people. So maybe all is fair in love and war?

But not to G-d. He says that He is justice and Romans 12 repeats what Deuteronomy 32 says: 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[a] says the Lord.

And in due time that is exactly what happens on behalf of the Gibeonites. G-d defends them and causes the sins of Saul to be repaid to this people by 7 of Saul’s children. I am hoping that David chose the 7 who were involved with the massacre in the first place but we sure don’t know.

But the fact is that David was charged with making restitution for the sins of Saul. He was G-d’s anointed and he chose to do what G-d told him to do. And again a woman intervenes and protects the bodies of these fallen sons so not the animals nor the weather would carry off the bones. Then they, along with the bones of Saul and Jonathan, were given a proper burial together.

I don’t know if David understood his assignment in this case or not. But he was obedient. It must have grieved his heart to turn over the sons of Saul to be put to death. No matter what Saul did to him David still honored and loved the man who was king before him. And he loved Saul’s son Jonathan.

But David was always looking for G-d to give him the grace to handle what seemed impossible. David says
31 “As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
33 It is God who arms me with strength[h]
and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield;
your help has made[i] me great.
37 You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.

When things go wrong in your life do you inquire of G-d as to why these things are happening? Sometimes it is to get your attention, to redirect you or to give you a new assignment. By the same token, as David found out, it is not always about you personally. G-d uses the circumstances of our lives to grow and develop us and He also uses our times of trial and adversity so that we can be a witness to G-d’s greatness to those around us.

I have said it before and I will say it again, people don’t want to know where your G-d is when everything is going great in your life. They want to know if He is real when you walk through the hard places of life.

David found G-d to be faithful in all the circumstances of life and able to give him the grace to make it through the seemingly impossible.
He declares:
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield[a] and the horn[b] of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—

31 “As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.

David depended on G-d to save him from the things that were without and from things that were within and gave G-d the glory for His grace to meet the challenges of life.

How about us? Are we willing to look at the circumstances of life and look for how G-d supplies the grace to make it through the seemingly impossible?

Lesson 23 – Servants of G-d – March 5, 2012

Lesson 23
1 Samuel 22 – 24
David: Hope and Courage

Where do you go when life doesn’t make sense? How do you find G-d in the midst of overwhelming and discouraging circumstances?

To me, the most powerful words in this section of scripture were found in the second verse of 1 Samuel 23, “he (David) inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”

David had already done what I have done many times in the past. He took things into his own hands and did what seemed best in his own eyes. He was crying out to the Lord but He was not inquiring of the Lord.

Back a good number of years ago our second son, Jonathan, had just turned 18 and was trying to determine where he was going to go to college. He asked to go to Georgia Southern to visit some friends and see the campus. We gave him one of our cars to use and sent him on his way. He was to be back on Sunday night. Around about 9 pm that night we got a call from the police in Dublin, GA. They had our son and they had our car. They would release both if we would come and provide bail and pay impound costs. Frankly it was a good thing that Jonathan was in Dublin because he wasn’t close enough to kill -immediately.

Dave and I went to the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s department and got a bond to carry to Dublin that would allow us to post bail. And we set off down the road. It’s a long drive and it seems longer in the middle of the night, which it was by now. As we drove we vented our anger and frustration about the situation. I remember we asked G-d to keep us safe as we traveled but we didn’t ask Him what we were supposed to do. We just did what seemed right at the time. We rushed on down the road. We arrived in Dublin around 3am. Our son looked terrible. Frankly I was glad. Children in trouble should look forlorn not cocky. We had him released. Then we had to wait at the impound lot for it to open so we could retrieve the car. Finally around 8am we were back on the road and headed home. I thought the worst was over.

We arrived home safe and sound. But our world was never to be the same. You see something far worse had been revealed that night than a young adult speeding and having pot paraphernalia in his car. On the trip home, as he road with his dad, Jonathan poured out his decision to lead a homosexual life.

My world reeled when Dave told me about their conversation. This is not what I planned for my son. Surely G-d would make this go away. I went into reaction overdrive. Crying, yelling, spewing anger and hurt. I prayed. But I never asked G-d what He wanted me to do with this situation. I asked Him to remove it. Nothing else seemed like a viable answer from my heavenly Father.

I did a lot of damage because I didn’t “inquire of the Lord”. I demanded that He fix it. Maybe that is why I love the story of David. He did what was right in his own eyes for awhile, saw what that netted and then learned to “inquire of the Lord”.

We left David last week acting crazy in front of the King of Gath. Someone put in the question box, “Why did David go to Gath?” Good question. It seems pretty stupid to us. A reasonable answer might be that there weren’t any newspapers, TV stations or internet connections in those days so David didn’t think anyone would recognize him if he hid himself in another country. He was just a boy at the time he killed Goliath and surely no one would recognize him now. After all, it is many years later.
But the real answer to me is that he was human like you and me and sometimes in our panic and fear we choose to go places and do things that are really not good choices and carry their own set of consequences.

This week we see David continuing to grow into the king he is going to be. He is still in G-d’s classroom and this time the classroom is in a cave.

So…how do we find G-d in the midst of overwhelming and discouraging circumstances? The example that David set is to cry out to Him and let Him supply what we need.

G-d sees you in the cave – 1 Samuel 22
In Psalm 142 we read “I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.
I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.
When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way.
In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me.
Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.
I cry to you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’ Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.”

David wrote this heart cry while he was in the cave in Adullum. We can hear his desolation and loneliness there in the cave. And G-d heard it too. G-d sent his family, a band of men and a prophet so that David could inquire of the Lord. G-d hears us when we cry out to Him in our despair. The answers He sends may not be the ones we were thinking about when we prayed but we can rest assured that they are the very best answers for the time and place.
David’s family came. I can imagine his mom being worried about him. They knew he was anointed king. They came perhaps to encourage him and he ended up taking care of them. He took them to Moab and asked for their safe stay in that land. It was the land of his great grandmother. It was Ruth’s people to whom he went for protection for his family.

Next G-d sent him his troops. And what a gang that was. 400 distressed, discouraged and in debt men who came to hang out with David in a cave. If I was hiding out in a cave I would want the brave men, the trained men, the courageous men to come to fight with me. But that is not how G-d answered David’s plea. G-d sent men who were stressed out, and much of their stress probably came from a king who was oppressing them as Samuel had prophesized years earlier.

But how did G-d see them. He saw them as men that He could develop into what would become David’s mighty men of valor. David rallied this group of disgruntled, desperate people and taught them disciple and character and gave them direction. David taught them the truths of God, like this one that he wrote in Psalm 34:15-19,
“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;”

David was learning how to lead as he trained these men. He was also learning first hand the frustration and anguish of the oppressed. It will make him a better king and allow him to rule with compassion.
He was also building a bond with these men that engendered great loyalty and dedication to this almost king.

I have great admiration for David as he walked through these difficult days. He allowed G-d to train and develop him into the man G-d wanted him to be. It is in the hard places that we come to know the power and the compassion of our G-d. G-d takes us to and through places that we never would have chosen for ourselves so that He can develop the character and the qualities that He wants us to possess.

I wish I could tell you that I stood up under G-d’s teaching as well as king David did. Unfortunately that is not my story. I railed and complained and stomped my feet in frustration at the path G-d had me on. Surely he could change the direction. Surely there was a less painful way to develop character and compassion. But G-d didn’t change my son to suit my desires. But He did change me. I didn’t become a mighty woman of valor as these men did in David’s company. But I did slowly start to learn. I cried out “change him”.
G-d set about changing me.

One of the things that I learned is that the changing of a person’s heart and direction is a G-d thing not a mom thing. Much as I fought against it, G-d convinced me that I was not the Holy Spirit and did not need to function in that capacity. I was and am a mom and G-d’s job for me was to love and pray for this son. G-d even changed the tone of my prayers over time from change him, make this go away into draw him to yourself Lord.

If we walk with the Lord, we all go through this development of our character. And godly character is not developed in ease and leisure. It is developed in the hard places of life, sometimes in the caves of our lives. I found two great quotes on character:
“Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones. and
Character is not made in crisis–it is only exhibited. “
How do we find G-d in the midst of overwhelming and discouraging circumstances? We cry out to Him and let Him supply what we need.

G-d sees you on the far side of the mountain- 1 Samuel 23
G-d may take us through some really difficult times in order to develop us into the women He wants us to be, but he is also our protection in those places.

In chapter 23 we see David on one side of the mountain and Saul on the other. But before that happened, scripture says that “..Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.”

When we are in the hard places of life we need messengers of G-d to tell us that we can find our strength in G-d Himself and to encourage us to faithfulness. This life is not meant to lived in a vacuum or permanently in a cave.

As I walked through the early days of our Jonathan’s decision, I didn’t tell many people about our situation. First of all, he was still at home finishing high school and he was still in the church. We didn’t want to have people’s perception of him changed or harmful gossip to rise by our loose words. So we chose a few “safe” people to tell and that was it. Were we right in our approach? I don’t know. I just know that sometimes you can do more damage by saying too much than by saying little. I also found that sometimes “safe” people aren’t and their response can be hurtful and lead you to bury your hurt a little deeper.

But G-d knew what I needed. It was during this time that some sweet friend pointed me to the writings of Barbara Johnson. She is sometimes known as the “geranium lady”. She has written a ton of books and with her unfailing humor, helping many to choose to find
the joy of the Lord in the face of calamity. She wrote such classics as Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy, Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life, Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death, and Leaking Laffs Between Pampers and Depends.

Barbara Johnson knows first hand how to deal with the traumas of life. Two of her sons died in their early adult years and then another, for a time, was lost to her because of his homosexual life choice. When I read that, I knew that she knew. What she will never know is how encouraging her words were to me. She writes that when her son made his life choice known, she went to bed for a year. Well I had said and done some dumb things but at least I hadn’t taken to my bed and refused to go on with life. So if she could find her way through this, then I could too. She spoke hope and reliance on G-d into my situation. She was G-d’s provision to me and her words encouraged me and showed me how to cope, in His strength. She also helped me to retain my sense of humor – if she could laugh through pain then I could too.

When I read in our lesson that David was on one side of the mountain and Saul was on the other, the picture that comes to my mind is of our great G-d standing between us and whatever is coming our way. Not to take us out of the situation but to be the strong mountain that sustains us until we have successfully completed walking through our training ground. And He sends what we need in those moments. A friend like David had in Jonathan – or I had in Barbara Johnson. Or perhaps what He sends is word that the Philistines are tearing up the place and successfully sends the threat off to fight a different battle.
How do we find G-d in the midst of overwhelming and discouraging circumstances? We cry out to Him and let Him supply what we need.

G-d sees you fighting temptation – 1 Samuel 24
David continued to have faith in the plan of G-d. He knew that the Lord had promised him the throne of Israel. But he was willing to wait until G-d was ready to fulfill His promise. In the desert of Israel G-d had provided David with a priest, a prophet, the fighting men who would become his mighty men of valor, and safety from Saul’s advances on his life. He wasn’t necessarily comfortable but he was protected. Now he faces a test of his patience and faith. Saul is in the cave with David and his men and Saul doesn’t even realize the closeness of danger to himself and to his throne.

But David shows great restraint and honor in these circumstances. The kingdom is his but he doesn’t try to take it by force or coercion. He shows honor to the man G-d has placed on the throne of Israel. Saul is Israel’s king for better or worse until G-d Himself removes him.

On the first Saturday morning of the month the leaders here in CBS get together for coffee. It is our time together without schedules or guidelines. It’s just a time to talk and share. This past Saturday as we gathered the conversation turned to this lesson. Why did David treat Saul with such respect when G-d had already promised the kingship to David and anointed him for that purpose? One response was that there is a difference between being right and having to prove we are right. That is hard but often what G-d requires. Letting Him be the one who vindicates and takes revenge.

The other question was how David could wait so patiently and with such respect for something that was already his. It occurred to me that he was setting an example for all of us who would follow and read of his time in the desert, his time of testing and his time of development.

We too wait for what has been promised, for what is already ours. We are children of the most high G-d and our citizenship is not of this world. Ours is a citizenship of heaven. But we wait to lay hold of that promised kingdom and stay here in the training camp. David showed us how. Letting G-d develop us and use this time to make us into the strong women of faith that He wants us to be. David left us his songs of praise and cries for help so that when our burden seems too heavy we have his words that show us how to cry out to G-d, how to be open and honest about our circumstances and then waiting in faith for G-d to do what He is going to do with us. David looked for what G-d was going to do in his circumstances. We need to do that too.

Some people, when they face the hard places of life, decide to give up on G-d. They either decide to fix it themselves or to hide far away from the pain. What we have to realize is that there is a purpose to all that G-d is doing in our lives and that He is not so much interested in our happiness as He is in our holiness. And holiness is a hard character attribute to grow.

Scripture tells us how to respond to the training of G-d.
Romans 15
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
1 Corinthians 13 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
I wish that I could say to you today that I held on to G-d and He delivered my Jonathan from his own decisions, that he is now walking with the Lord in faithfulness, that my prayers have been answered just the way I wanted. But I can’t. His decision is still his decision. He still walks far from G-d.

But I can tell you that G-d has been faithful to me and has taught me many lessons in this particular cave. If He hadn’t, I couldn’t stand up here week after week and proclaim the goodness and faithfulness of G-d in my life and in yours.

Stormie O’Matian says, “G-d wants you to be so convinced of His presence in your life that even when you can’t feel it, sense it or see it, you know He is there.”

All I can say is to “trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.”

How do we find G-d in the midst of overwhelming and discouraging circumstances? We cry out to Him and let Him supply what we need.

Lesson 22 Servants of G-d February 28, 2012

David and Jonathan: Danger and Benevolence

 This week, for our little family, has been extraordinary and blessed beyond measure. Some of you have seen the pictures, some have read the postings on facebook. Our grandson Steven Michael Buggwas born this past Thursday, February 23^rd, weighing in at 8lb 7oz. He is beautiful and perfect in every way.

 I have waited a long time to be a Grandmom from scratch and I know from observing my friends and their grandchildren that I am allowed to brag and boast adnauseum, I am allowed to show you pictures and tell you that I have the MOST beautiful grandchild in the world. I expect that I will get better at this as time goes on and as Stevie shows his impressiveness in many different ways.

 In the meantime let me share a few pictures with you.

 If you are wondering how I got these great shots – I was privileged to be there when Steven was born – a total blessing of G-d and His wonderful gift to me. Some things we don’t even know we want until He gives it.

 All the Buggs thank you for your support and prayers as we have awaited this birth. Your love and care has been so very evident and we are all blessed to count you as friends.

Now to say that it was a stretch to have to get back to thinking about David and Saul and Jonathan and what G-d wanted me to say tonight is an understatement.

And honestly I would have preferred to talk about the lesson from last week. David going up against the giant Goliath, saying at the top of his lungs “…I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied……..⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the Lords’, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Lisa did an awesome job of letting us know that G-d is Giant-er than anything we may face. But for tonight, I get the David who is on the run and in the end chooses to act crazy to get himself out of trouble. You have to love the words of the king ofGath, “I don’t have enough crazies around me, you had to import one?”

 Yes, we have moved on and the David we see tonight is not the same brave man that we saw last week – but he is still the man who trusts G-d to be his salvation and deliverer no matter the situation. Does he take things into his own hands sometimes – yes. Does he make mistakes? Definitely. Does he cause trouble for others? Yes.

 So do I. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t love G-d and want what He wants for me. It just means that I am human, frail, and weak at times and I get it wrong. But David gives me an example of a child of G-d who takes his despair and trouble and anguish to G-d; who has learned to cry out to G-d and to be honest and straight with G-d. He has learned to confess quickly and to ask for protection and guidance. We don’t see that from the text of 1 Samuel.. But we have the benefit of David’s journals – his psalms – that show us his heart.

 I also see a young man who is allowing G-d to teach him and grow him into the king he is going to be. Yes, David is anointed as king, but he isn’t ready to be king. He is in G-d’s classroom and still learning the lessons needed to develop him into a king after G-d’s own heart.

 I have spent a lot of time running from G-d. That’s not what David is doing. He is running from Saul’s grasp. But David seems to waver sometimes. Have you ever gone through a time of trial and thought that you needed to do something, that it was up to you, that you needed to take things into your own hands? Sometimes when we are going through trials, we waver. It is not that we stop believing. It is that we loose our focus and try to do things in our own strength.

 David fell into lying to save his skin. Sometimes G-d let’s us use our own devises so that we see what comes out of relying on ourselves.

And then He calls us back to His ways.

 It was hard to come up with the overriding theme for tonight. Part of it is that my brain is really scattered this week. But part of it was because the scripture had so many themes; lying, friendship, giving into habitual sin, taking aim and missing the mark (Saul sure missed a lot) or G-d’s goodness and protection. We could talk about writing down our thoughts and prayers, our praises and adoration, or how  G-d leads us through trials. See what I mean? So many. But I was looking for what G-d wants us to focus on right now. So I decided that for tonight, it is a lesson on having and being a friend.

 A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. Among the thousands of answers received were the following:
“One who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is unwavering.”
“One who understands our silence.”
“A volume of sympathy bound in cloth.”
“A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down.”
The winning definition read: “A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.”

C.S. Lewis says that, “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You, too? I thought I was the only one.’ “

So for these last few moments I want us to look at some of the ways we can be a friend and to remember how blessed we are to have friends. And then to answer the question – Are we willing to treasure and cultivate the friendships that G-d has given us whether they are for a season, a reason or a lifetime?

Friends to the end and beyond -1 Samuel 19 – 20

Jonathan and David were friends. The scripture describes in beautiful language their heart connection and their reliance on each other.

David trusts Jonathan to speak on his behalf and to give him information that will keep him safe. Jonathan trusts David to keep their covenant commitment to him personally and to his family on into the future.

I have found in this life of mine that long term friends are not necessarily the norm. Many friends are there for a season, some for a reason, and some, very few, for a life time.

I have been cross stitching a blanket for Steven and while I am stitching I put things on tv that I can pretty much listen to and not have to watch to know what is happening. I have watched a lot of Waltons and Gaither homecomings. Another one I “watched” is a movie called Four Seasons. In it one of the characters recognizes that she and her husband have lost friends along the way because keeping up the friendship became too much trouble.

That thought stuck with me. How many friendships have I lost because I moved or they moved, or we started going to different churches and staying in touch got to be too much trouble?  Or their life got out of control and it was easier not to become part of their drama or maybe too hard to speak into the situation? Or my feelings got hurt and I didn’t confront the situation but let them drift away? Or because I was wrong in something I said or did and it was easier to not see them again than to apologize.

In chapter 19 we see a picture of a healthy, enduring friendship. Jonathan could have said it was too much trouble to be friends with David because it stirred up trouble with his dad. But he didn’t. David could have said that friendship with Jonathan was too much trouble because it was his dad who was trying to kill him and it made it really hard for them to get together. But he didn’t. 

They were good friends because:

          They were truthful with each other – even if not always to those around them.

          They worked through their differing opinions. David knew that Saul was out to get him and Jonathan had to be convinced.

          They spoke well of one another – Jonathan confronted his father with truth on David’s behalf.

          They warned one another – Jonathan let David know that his father was indeed coming after him.

          They mourned their separation and pledged their allegiance forever. And we will see later how David honored his covenant with Jonathan and his family. Their friendship, in a human sense, was for a season but David honored their covenant for the rest of his life.

Last night some friends came over for awhile. We hadn’t seen them for at least 5 years. But as we greeted, it was as if the years fell away and we were picking up where we left off. In the beginning of our relationship, when we had lived close to one another, G-d had forged a bond that hasn’t been broken by time or distance. We are still able to share our hearts, our joys and our sorrows. We first met this couple in 1984 when we moved toAtlanta. We were in church together and our boys were the same age – 6 and 8 at the time. Last night we were sharing pictures of our grown sons and our grandchildren.

What is our bond? It could be our children but it’s not that alone. It could be our shared past history, but that is not all it is. It is our shared love of the Lord and our desire to see Him in our lives.  That bond has allowed us to share a friendship over much of our lives.

I thought of David and Jonathan. After chapter 20 they will only see each other one more time. But their lives are forever bound together because they loved the Lord and allowed Him to forge a deep and abiding friendship during very difficult circumstances. Deep abiding life long friendships are rare and precious. The example of David and Jonathan should encourage us to treasure our friendships and to nurture them as well.

They are a gift from G-d Himself

Are we willing to treasure and cultivate the friendships that G-d has given us whether they are for a season, a reason or a lifetime?

Guidance of a friend – 1 Samuel 19:18 – 24

 After David leaves his friend Jonathan, he runs from Saul’s clutches  and turns to his friend Samuel. In the company of his friend Samuel and the prophets, David knows that he will be able to worship, and pray and seek G-d’s guidance and wisdom.

 When we are going through hard times we need friends who will point us to G-d. David knows that he can trust Samuel to do that.

 I am amazed at the miracle of protection G-d provides while David is with Samuel! Three different groups of Saul’s troops came to get David and G-d turned them into prophets. I don’t think that this was a permanent change in their lives. But it shows that G-d uses many ways to protect his children who call out to him in faith. G-d sent His Spirit to turn warriors into worshippers.

 Then Saul himself comes and he too is turned into a prophet – for a time. Saul had so many chances to turn and look to G-d for his salvation and he turned away from all of them to go after his own desires.

 I see Samuel as a true friend to both of these kings. He didn’t change his words to gain favor from either Saul or David. Samuel was a man who constantly showed people the living G-d and directed them to faith in His ways. He was always a man of integrity and character.

 How can we be such friends to those around us? We can let the light of G-d shine through all that we do and say. It is not easy. Even David, a man after G-d’s own heart, faltered and wavered sometimes. But I can imagine Samuel encouraging David to press on, just like the Apostle Paul, who shows us his humanity but calls us to keep on toward the high calling of G-d.  He says in Phillipians 3:

 ¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

That is a friend. One who joins our struggle and encourages us onward. One who knows our failures and our sorrows but encourages us to keep going.

Ecclesiastes 4 says

Two are better than one,
   because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
   one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
   and has no one to help them up.

 Sometimes we need help to face our circumstances; we need friends to give us their emotional strength when we do not have enough of our own. Sometimes it’s cold out there in the world. Sometimes we are facing a battle of “How am I going to make it through this right now!” That is the time we need a friend to encourage us. The writer of Proverbs (17:17) says, “A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.”

A good friend is one who picks us up when we fall down and puts us on solid ground – the solid ground of G-d’s word and wisdom, and encourages us to keep pressing on.

 Are we willing to be a friend who speaks G-d’s word and wisdom into the lives of our friends and encourage them?

Are we willing to treasure and cultivate the friendships that G-d has given us whether they are for a season, a reason or a lifetime?

Provision of a friend – 1 Samuel 21

Now I don’t know if Ahimelek is a long time friend of David’s but in this case he acts as a friend in the moment. He gives David what he needs, something to eat and something for his protection.

 Mercy is greater than sacrifice. Ahimelek was merciful toward David and his men. For that matter I think that Achish, king of Gad also acted as a merciful friend. He allowed David’s madman act to be perceived by his people as truth and thereby saved David from his own decision to flee there.

Sometimes people are there as a friend just for a small period of time. Back last summer when I had surgery, the nurse who took care of me the day after the surgery certainly acted as a friend. She gave me instructions that helped a lot and than she even hugged me good bye. It could have been that she was glad to see me go, but I think she was there for a purpose on that day – to extend love and care when I needed it, as well as understanding of what I had been through. Her hug said to me it will be ok. I needed that.

We sometimes find ourselves in the position of needing to be a friend in the moment, for a reason, to someone. We show our faith in the living G-d not only by our words but by our actions toward others. You never know when the young mom in the grocery store with 3 kids needs someone to smile at her and to admire her children. Or the older neighbor who is alone so much – perhaps she needs a smiling face and a plate of brownies. I think about the nurses who helped Sara last week. I will never see them again but hopefully our combined appreciation of the job they did brought them joy in the moment.

Are we willing to allow G-d to use us in the moments of peoples lives? In order to do that we have to be willing to open ourselves up in the moment and care for someone else. I can’t let my busyness and self absorption get in the way of being a friend to those around me.

Friendship is so very important. We need to have friends and we need to be a friend. And how do we learn to be a friend? By recognizing that the greatest friend we could ever have is found in the G-d who loves us. Who loved us so much that He put his visible presence into human form and came to earth so that we could know Him, so we could call the G-d of heaven and earth friend.

George Eliott says this about a friend  “Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words, but to pour them all out just as they are, chaff and grain together knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.”

That for me describes my Lord and Savior, my friend, Jesus.

Are we willing to treasure and cultivate the friendships that G-d has given us whether they are for a season, a reason or a lifetime?

 

Lesson 20 – Servants of G-d – February 6, 2012

Lesson 20
1 Samuel 15 and 16
Samuel, Saul and David
Knowing and Doing G-d’s Will

In 1884 a young man died, and after the funeral his grieving parents decided to establish a memorial to him. With that in mind they met with Charles Eliot, president of Harvard University. Eliot received the unpretentious couple into his office and asked what he could do. After they expressed their desire to fund a memorial, Eliot impatiently said, “Perhaps you have in mind a scholarship.” The woman replied, “We were thinking of something more substantial than that… perhaps a building,”. In a patronizing tone, Eliot brushed aside the idea as being too expensive and the couple departed. The next year, Eliot learned that this plain pair had gone elsewhere and established a $26 million memorial named Leland Stanford Junior University, better known today as Stanford!

Appearances can be deceiving. We saw that in our lesson tonight. Saul appeared to be the man for Israel, David appeared to be just a shepherd and Saul’s servants appeared to be helping him.

How often do we look at the outward appearance and determine the content of a man’s heart? How many times do we look at a situation and see with our worldly eyes, not seeing what G-d is going to do in and with that situation?

Long ago my parents taught me that you can’t tell a book by its cover. One of my sons took that lesson to the next level. He would put the cover of the book he was supposed to be reading over the book he was actually reading. He looked good but looks can be deceiving.

Sometimes we are so concerned with how we look, that we forget that who we actually are on the inside is so much more important. We tend to draw conclusions about others based on their appearance and behavior as well. Sometimes this is harmless and useful—for instance, we can identify a policeman by his uniform. But when we make moral and spiritual assumptions about people based on their appearance or behavior, we tread on much shakier ground.

The same problem existed in Jesus’ time. Remember how He spoke about the religious leaders in Matthew 23 He said 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. (I think that He said this because what they taught was the Word of G-d as read from the Torah and prophets, the people were to follow those) “But “, He continues, “do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”
Jesus would not have had to warn the people if they, the people, were not falling for the outward appearance, which can be deceptive.

Jesus gave another lesson in not looking at outward appearances when he talked with the Samaritan woman, the woman at the well as we often refer to her. This is a dramatic example of Jesus defying human labeling and judgment. Despite her sinful behavior, Jesus engaged her, and then transformed her, into a messenger of his Gospel. What people saw on the outside was a sinful women of many husbands. But Jesus saw her heart, open and ready to receive His truth..
Our memory verse for this lesson is 1 Samuel 16:7b and it tells G-d’s view very clearly:
“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

We should then be more concerned about our heart, as well. We have to ask ourselves, “What is more important to me – my outward appearance or my heart?”
It is my hope that we will chose to be women after G-d’s own heart – that we will stop worrying about appearances and care more about having a heart that is ready and willing to be obedient to the living G-d.

Saul
Saul found out that partial obedience is really disobedience. He partially obeyed what Samuel told him G-d was directing him to do. Go destroy all the Amakelites. Nothing is to be saved. Saul killed everything he determined was to be destroyed but then he saved the choice livestock for himself and his troops, as well as bringing king Agag back with him.

G-d had determined the end of Amalek long ago. Amalek was the grandson of Esau. His people had attacked the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

Remember when Joshua went to battle against them back in Exodus, and Moses was on top of the mountain raising his hands. Whenever Moses’ hands were up the Israelites were winning but when they fell down the Amalekites would start to be victorious. So Aaron and Hur, who were with Mose,s held his hands up during the battle and Joshua was victorious over the Amalekites.
After that story we read, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

So here we are and Saul is given the orders to completely destroy the enemy. He was the first king of Israel – the one they wanted who would lead them in battle against their enemies. But the record shows this:
9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
When Saul is confronted by Samuel, he claims he is going to sacrifice the “”Best” to the Lord. But what he was actually doing was keeping the best as a show of his conquest and giving him the appearance of good leadership. He was denying what G-d had told him to do in the battle – and his obedience was the sacrifice G-d required. To obey is better than sacrifice. G-d told him to destroy everything – that was what was to be given to G-d in obedience. But what Saul actually gave was described as “everything that was despised and weak”
G-d had told him what He required and then Saul had made up his own mind about what he would give to the Lord.
Saul cared more about looking good to the men of Israel than he did about doing what G-d commanded. When Samuel confronted Saul, his first defense – Make up a cover story. Next defense -blame it on the others. Third – pretend to be sorry, repent and then ask Samuel to bolster his reputation and make him look good to the people.

Saul had it all. He was tall, good looking, chosen, anointed; The Spirit of G-d was on him. But he had free will and he chose to go against G-d rather than obey. I’m sure that you, like me, had a lot of questions about why G-d would choose someone like Saul to lead Israel. I think that in order to know all the answers to our questions, we would have to be able to read the white part of scripture rather than just the black part.
But G-d chose Saul and He chooses us. He gives us opportunity to obey and follow His instructions. He places His Spirit inside of us. We have the opportunity to do great things for G-d or to chose to follow our human desires and go the way of the world.
Looking good on the outside doesn’t keep us in G-d’s will. Partial obedience is not really obedience. Will we chose to be women after G-d’s own heart? In order to do that we have to stop worrying about appearances and care more about having a heart that is willing and ready to be obedient to the living G-d.

David
Now for a contrast in appearances, we have the story of David being chosen to be the next king of Israel. He is but a boy, a humble shepherd in his father’s household. But G-d looks at the heart and in David he sees a heart that will allow David to become a man after G-d’s own heart. Even Samuel was fooled by the outward appearances of the older brothers. But he was willing to be obedient to G-d’s direction in choosing a king.

There are so many examples in scripture of G-d’s selection of what appears to be the least likely to succeed. G-d sees into the heart perfectly. He doesn’t go by outward appearances.

Think about Esau – the father of these Amalekites Saul was supposed to destroy. By appearances Esau should have been the one to succeed his father, Isaac, in the line of the patriarchs. By human standards he was the first born, the strong son of Isaac. With our human eyes, we would think that scripture should list the patriarchs as Abraham, Isaac and Esau. But G-d knew Esau’s heart. Instead of embracing G-d, Esau became G-d’s enemy. And here in 1 Samuel, after hundreds of years, Esau’s heirs are still the enemies of G-d’s people.

G-d chose the younger brother for the inheritance. G-d knew that Jacob’s heart would grow and embrace the G-d of his father and he would lead the children of Israel toward their G-d.

When we look at appearances being deceptive, one of the best illustrations in scripture, to me, is Lazarus. He was dead for goodness sake – well beyond the healing touch of his friend Jesus. But that didn’t stop Jesus from raising him from the dead – calling him forth from the tomb.

What circumstances in your life look like they are well beyond the touch of the Savior? Sometimes we look at the outward appearance of our circumstances and think there is no hope. There is always hope in G-d. Sometimes the circumstances of our lives are there so that we learn to look beyond what we can see with our human eyes and see what G-d wants to do in those circumstances.

G-d has a lot to say all through His word about our heart. This shepherd boy who was chosen to be king grew into a man who knew a lot about having a heart for G-d and about protecting his heart under trying circumstances. Through his life he looked for G-d to act on his behalf. Even when he was burdened and disheartened, he continued to look to his heavenly Father to provide what he needed for every circumstance of his life. He knew the importance of keeping his heart focused on G-d. He wrote down his thoughts and prayers for us to use.
In Psalm 27 he says: 14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
David cried out in Psalm 51:
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

Years later G-d sent Jesus to help us understand His words to us.
In Matthew 5:8, Jesus tells us: Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
In Matthew 22:37: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.”
In Mark 12 Jesus instructs us; 33 To love him (G-d) with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Sounds much like some words from our scripture in 1 Samuel 15: To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
Jesus also said in John 14 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
And in John 16 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Appearances can be deceiving. Don’t be fooled. The heart is what
G-d requires. A heart set steadfastly on Him and on His guidance for our lives.
Will you chose to be a woman after G-d’s own heart? In order to do that we have to stop worrying about appearances and care more about having a heart that is willing and ready to be obedient to the living G-d.

Saul’s Servants
Saul’s servants appeared to be doing a service for the distraught king. G-d had removed His spirit from Saul and this left room for an evil spirit to take up residence. It was the spirit of G-d that enabled Saul to be victorious in battle and to lead the Israelites. Now he is reduced to being tormented and harassed. I think that his true heart showed when he called G-d, Samuel’s G-d, not his own. He chose to look good before the people rather than being obedient to the word of G-d spoken to him. He became a tragic figure. Disobedience does have its consequences.

Saul’s servants have the courage to tell Saul what is bothering him but they advise a calming music rather than advising him to repent and send for Samuel to intercede for him.

So often when we see our Christian friends distressed by circumstances, either within or without, we want to calm them and bring them peace. But there is no lasting peace we can offer when someone is disobedient to G-d and when they will not repent of what He is showing to be wrong in their life.

When David played for Saul, the king was greatly improved. Probably David played some of his psalms for Saul – and the evil spirit could not stand the praise of G-d in his presence and would remove himself for a time. It was not a continuous remedy. Why? Because it was not Saul seeking G-d but someone else in his presence bringing in the spirit of G-d.

What do we do when others around us are in distress? Do we try to pacify them or do we give them G-dly council and point them to the One who knows their heart and their needs.

Saul may have had the appearance of one who needed to be soothed but his heart was not in need of soothing but in need of a reality check and a immediate turn from selfish endeavor to G-dly pursuit.

His servants had the appearance of those who wanted to help – but I think they also wanted to keep their heads and so tried to pacify rather than confront. They were Saul’s servants not his friends. He needed a friend.
An old Jewish proverb says that “A friend is one who warns you.”
Another wise person said that, “In our dealings with those caught in sin, mercy is incomplete unless we do as Jesus did; call it sin. We have winked, giggled, made alibis, or ignored sin all too long. A friend in deed is one who says quietly, but firmly, “What you’re doing friend is sin. It is harmful to you and to others. It is destructive to God’s dream for you.”
We may look at appearances but G-d is not fooled. At the end of our days it will not matter how good we looked to those around us, it will not matter what we did for show. What will matter is all that was done in obedience to G-d. What will matter is whether we had a heart for G-d as we walked through life.
The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
J. Stowell in Fan the Flame says that “Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as “the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,” “the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,” and “the center of a person. The place to which God turns.”
Will we chose to have a heart for G-d? Will we stop worrying about appearances and care more that we have a heart that is willing and ready to be obedient to the living G-d?

Lesson 19 – 1 Samuel 12 – 14 – January 30, 2012

Lesson 19
Samuel, Saul and Jonathan
Problems and Solutions
1 Samuel 12 – 14
Our study tonight made me think about stress and how we handle it. I did a little research on the computer and found some interesting information about stress.

First of all I checked out information on what stress is. The best definition was –“Feelings of stress are caused by the body’s instinct to defend itself. This instinct is good in emergencies, such as getting out of the way of a speeding car. But stress can cause unhealthy physical symptoms if it goes on for too long, such as in response to life’s daily challenges and changes.
When this happens, it’s as though your body gets ready to jump out of the way of the car, but you’re sitting still. Your body is working overtime, with no place to put all the extra energy. This can make you feel anxious, afraid, worried and uptight.”

Next I looked up what changes may be stressful. And it said
“Any sort of change can make you feel stressed, even good change. It’s not just the change or event itself, but also how you react to it that matters. What’s stressful is different for each person. For example, one person may feel stressed by retiring from work, while someone else may not.
Other things that may be stressful include being laid off from your job, your child leaving or returning home, the death of your spouse, divorce or marriage, an illness, an injury, a job promotion, money problems, moving, or having a baby.”

It seems to me that if you have gone through any of these major life events recently you could just phone in your results for any stress test that your doctor might order. Just call and say – “Yes, I have stress, no need to test for it.”

Doctors have different ways of prescribing for stress. One story I heard involved a husband and wife in the doctor’s office. The man had a serious condition that was aggravated by stress and the doctor was explaining this to the couple. The husband was hard of hearing and said, ‘What did he say?’ His wife responded – ‘He says you are sick’.
The doctored continued, ‘But there is hope”. To the wife he said,”You just need to reduce his stress. Each morning, give him a full breakfast. Always be pleasant and nice and kind. For lunch and dinner make him his favorite meals. Never argue with him and always keep yourself looking as perfect as possible. Basically, cater to his every whim or he won’t make it’.
The hard of hearing husband again said, ‘What did he say?’
HE SAYS YOU ARE GONNA DIE.

How do we handle stress? You know in all the sites that came up when I googled stress, all of them offering advice about handling stress, not one that I found said that we should cry out to the Lord and He will give us peace.

In our study tonight we saw Israel crying out for human answers and we saw Saul trying to handle the stress of leadership in different ways. But the eyes of the nation and the eyes of their king were not on the one who gives relief from stress. As a matter of fact, they were not just stressed, they were distressed. The difference is that if you are stressed you see the flood waters rising. If you are distressed, the flood waters are up to your last nostril. While stress can keep life from getting boring and often motivates us to action, it can also put us at risk of using problematic behavior to solve the problem.

How does the word of G-d say we are to handle stress? It tells us to cry out to the Lord and He will give us peace.

Samuel Points Israel to their G-d – 1 Samuel 12
In the opening verses we see Samuel addressing the Israelites. He is reminding the people of their desire to have a king and how G-d has heard and given them what they wanted. But he also asks them to affirm that he, Samuel, has done nothing against them in all his time of judging Israel. It is a good speech – other than his reference to being old and gray. I wonder why he had to indicate that the two go together? I think he could have used other words like seasoned, matured, ready to be revered. But I digress.

Why is he saying all these things? Samuel knows that character counts. He wants to be sure that Israel knows what constitutes good leadership and he wants to be sure they know of his honesty, loyalty, faithfulness and general goodness to them. For one thing, it is good to be able to get to the end of your life and be able to review your life and ministry and not be afraid or ashamed. I am also sure that Samuel wants to preserve his reputation. You know how it is when people leave or resign- there is a cloud of speculation that may follow them. Samuel doesn’t want that to be the case for him.
He also wants to show them how they have injured him. He has done nothing wrong and yet they want different leadership. But he points out so clearly that they have not just abandoned him as their leader, they have turned against their real King in preference to a king they can see.

Samuel is also setting the standard for the new king. He is showing Saul by example how to reign over the people. He is showing Saul the character of a man dedicated to the G-d of Israel. And he is charging all of them – king and subjects alike – that if they continue to seek G-d in all things, then they will succeed.

Sometimes in the middle of a very stressful situation or season, we forget how powerful our G-d is. Israel was surrounded by the Ammonites and they were stressed thinking of all the things that the enemy could do to them. They forgot to think about all that their G-d had already done for them and could and would do again if they would cry out to Him in their distress. But they, like us, wanted a solution they could see rather than a G-d they could not see.
Samuel knew that the Israelites were stressed. They were seeing the enemy surrounding them. They were also seeing their sin and when we are confronted with our sin, it causes stress. We want to flee, we want to distance ourselves from it, and we want to be saved from the consequences of it. So Samuel reminds them of the greatness of their G-d and His ability to do the impossible, including loving them and forgiving them even though they have sinned against Him.

In the middle of our stress we need to look to the G-d of the impossible. In order to be able to cry out to G-d in the midst of stress, we have to be able to recount in our hearts and minds all the things that He has done in the past to save us. Samuel has done this for Israel. He points to their history and how G-d has intervened for them in the past.

We have the words of scripture that show us the greatness of G-d. We can rely on the truth of His word even if we don’t have a long track record with Him personally. We also have Christian brothers and sisters who can tell us what G-d has done for them in the past, how He has seen them through the flood waters of life, and how He has saved them in the midst of overwhelming stress.
We saw back in chapter 7 how after the battle Samuel set up a rock and named it Ebenezer, saying “This far the LORD has helped us.” We can say the same thing. Thus far the Lord has helped me. I will continue to trust Him.
Stress clouds our vision, it causes us to doubt and worry. We need to be ready to recount the times that G-d has seen us through what looked like the impossible.
How are we to handle stress? Remember how G-d has saved you in the past and cry out to the Lord. He will give you peace.

Saul takes matters into his own hands – 1 Samuel 13
Do any of you remember the scene in Gone with the Wind where Rhett Butler is addressing the Southern plantation owners at the Wilkes’ barbeque? They are all head up about the South being able to take on the North in a war. Their confidence is in their perceived superiority and contains a lot of bravado. Rhett points out that they don’t have the supplies, nor the ability to get the supplies they need, to win the war. No steel plants, no good transportation, etc. His realism is not very well received.

I thought of that as I read about Saul. He sent his son to stir up the Philistines at a garrison. The Philistines were not amused and they suited up for war. It says, “The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand[f] chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.”

Seems like Saul should have checked out the enemy’s ability before he stirred them up, or maybe called the men of Israel together and been ready for a fight. Maybe he should have known that the Israelites didn’t have any blacksmiths of their own and would be hard pressed to make fighting implements without them. That’s not even wondering why he didn’t ask G-d what he was supposed to do.

I’ve heard an expression about famous actors and actresses – “They have started to believe their own publicity”. Saul looks like he has begun to think more highly of himself than he did when we saw him last week hiding in the baggage. Too bad he didn’t keep some of that humility.

So he stirs all this up and then goes into panic mode when Samuel doesn’t show up at the beginning of the 7th day. Saul sees the enemy closing in and he goes into stress overdrive. That kind of stress can take away any patience we might have had and lead us to panic. For Saul, it was total distress. And in his impatience and panic, he makes a terrible decision. He is in over his head and forgets his clear directions from the One who delivers us through the storms of life.

Saul went about like a chicken with its head cut off trying to do something to fix it. “Samuel is not here, I need to do something to get G-d to help us and deliver us. I can’t wait for Samuel. I have to do something”. So he sets about making a mockery of the rules established by G-d, not only personally but nationally. Sometimes we do that too. We want to ignore G-d’s instruction book and plunge head first into a human solution. And when we choose a human solution and it goes badly, we want G-d to come to our rescue.

One of the hardest things G-d asks us to do is to “be still and know that he is G-d”. To take a deep breath and let G-d give us His peace.
Corrie Ten Boon says, ”So often we pray and fret anxiously, waiting for G-d to hurry up and do something. All the while G-d is waiting for us to calm down so that He can do something through us.”

Saul could have said to Israel, we are in a really bad spot. Things look really bleak. But we are going to wait on G-d, and follow His instructions and His rules of conduct.

In his commentary Warren Wiersbe says, ”It was foolish of Saul to think that he could disobey G-d and get away with it, and that his disobedience could bring G-d’s blessing on himself and his army. He was foolish to conclude that the sacrifice of a king at the wrong time was as good as the sacrifice of a priest at the right time. He was foolish to walk by sight and not by faith in G-d’s promises.”
Many years in the future 3 men were facing a fiery furnace – can’t imagine how stressed they were. They chose to follow G-d’s commands for them no matter what the cost. Their response in that situation was, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not afraid to wait for G-d to act on their behalf. They were not looking for short term relief that brings long term pain. They were looking at the long term result of faith and trust.

How many times do we take things into our own hands, create a mess and then panic? When your child runs away, your husband deserts you, when your job is being relocated or downsized, when your parents need additional care, when illness strikes, when your life savings disappear, when life is overwhelming, how do we handle that stress? G-d tells us to be still and know that He is G-d. G-d tells us to cry out to Him and He will give us peace.

Saul’s Panic and Jonathan’s Faith – 1 Samuel 14
Sometimes we suffer the consequences of our decisions on our own. But sometimes, the decisions and actions of one person can cause great stress and distress for a lot of people. That’s what happened when Saul in his distress decided to make an oath about what would not be eaten by his fighting men.

It seems that Saul is trying anything he can to appease the G-d of Israel except for doing what He says to do. But his careless words caused a lot of distress for his army. They are trying to win against overwhelming odds and then their commander says don’t eat until the job is done. Demanding a period of fasting under those circumstances was not good leadership.
Against this backdrop, we see Jonathan and his armor bearer showing great faith and trust in G-d and moving in courage to overcome the Philistines. Two men. I love Jonathan’s words – Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
I want to be able to remember that when I am in distress. What seems impossible by human standards of measurement is not impossible to G-d. G-d allowed these two men to kill 20 men and then He threw the enemy camp into total confusion. Saul’s army won the battle that day – not because of all his manipulation – but because of the faith of two lone men. They cried out to G-d and let Him give them peace and courage.
Then Saul is ready to kill his son because he had eaten the honey – even though Jonathan had not been around to hear his father’s edict.
When we act in times of stress outside of the will of G-d we can hurt many people, we can hinder G-d’s best for us, and we can loose our heart for G-d.

I feel so inadequate to be able to stay still before G-d, to wait for His good pleasure in my life and to trust Him when the stress of life overwhelms me. But I take comfort in the fact that I have a Savior who demonstrated this behavior perfectly.

I can’t even imagine the stress that allows the capillaries in your body to burst and bleed through your skin. I can’t imagine the intense stress of being scorned, beaten, whipped, and then having to walk step by step carrying my own means of execution. I can’t imagine having nails driven into my flesh and struggling for every breath. I can’t even try to conceive the distress when the visible presence of G-d was separated from the holy presence of the Father.

But my Savior did not sin when He faced the stress of His life. He showed me how to trust G-d in the midst of the most terrible day I can imagine.

Saul could have had the kingdom and the dynasty. He could have led Israel in honor and victory. But he forgot to cry out to G-d in his distress and let G-d give him peace.

When I am stressed, I want to remember the words of Psalm 145.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.

And the words of Psalm 55 -
16 As for me, I call to God,
and the LORD saves me.
17 Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.

And of 1 John 5:14
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

In our stress will we choose to cry out to G-d and let Him give us peace?

Lesson 18 – 1 Samuel 9 – 11 – January 23, 2012

Lesson 18

1 Samuel 9 – 11

Samuel and Saul: Availability and Charge

Some of you over the course of time have asked me how I got started in CBS. I first heard of CBS in 1999. In January of that year I had quit my full time job and gone back to being a stay at home mom. Our youngest son was starting middle school the following fall and we decided that I needed to be at home. Most of you know that finding after school care for young children is so much easier than figuring out what they will do after school when they reach the pre teen years. They are old enough to be at home by themselves but that is not always the best answer.

 Anyway, I was at home. But the support system that I had had when I was an at home mom before was gone and I needed to find a way to fill in this new phase of my life.

 One day, while I was out and about I ran into an old friend – some of you know her well – Carolyn Byars. She has been instrumental in getting a lot of women into CBS. Anyway as we chatted she told me about a new Bible study that was starting in the fall  and invited me to a get acquainted coffee. So I went. I met some great women there that day and was enthused about the study. So I signed up for CBS.

 The next week Carolyn called and asked if I would consider being a leader with CBS and being a children’s teacher. I struggled with this. First of all children are great but I had never taught them before – except my own. Second – would I be accepting just to fill the needs that I had for fellowship and not because G-d had called. So I went to prayer. The answer was that it was ok to enjoy the fellowship of these women while I was serving and that this is what G-d had for me to do.  I was a children’s teacher for 2 years.

 That’s how CBS works. Current leaders pray and ask G-d who He is calling for leadership. When G-d brings a person to mind they are prayed for and then, if G-d affirms His selection, they are asked to pray about becoming a leader.

 This is not a group of volunteers. We are called by G-d for this time, this place and this group. We want G-d’s selection – not just a person who is available and thinks she can work this into her schedule.

 Usually when we ask women to pray they are caught off guard. Most haven’t even thought about being a leader. Actually most don’t think they have what it takes to be a leader. I love when we hear that. It means that they are available to G-d and in need of His equipping.

 Tonight we took a look at Saul and his calling to be the king overIsrael. He wasn’t looking for a new job. He was just out looking for donkeys when G-d called him to be the king. I had to chuckle at that thought. How many times am I just out looking for donkeys when I should be out looking for what G-d is wanting to do in my life?

 It was interesting to me that thoughIsraelwanted a king no one came forward to volunteer for the job. No one was out campaigning to be appointed to the position.Israelwaited. They wanted a king – but they also wanted G-d’s selection for them.  

 We saw that Saul was chosen by G-d, anointed by G-d through Samuel and then equipped for the role he was to take inIsrael. I have been in CBS long enough to have seen that process played out in many leaders over the years. They are chosen by G-d, anointed by G-d and then equipped by G-d for the role they take.

 G-d isn’t looking for volunteers. He is looking for men and women who are willing for Him to use them in His service. And what we see in these chapters is a man called by G-d, anointed by G-d and equipped by G-d. Saul wasn’t looking for G-d but G-d was sure looking for him.

Are we just out looking for donkeys or are we looking for G-d and pondering what He wants to do in our lives?

 

Called – 1 Samuel 9

When I say that Saul wasn’t looking for a new job or position, I mean just that. He probably didn’t even know thatIsraelhad an opening for a king. We have seen Samuel interacting with the people who were requesting a king, telling them what G-d said about the situation. But Saul didn’t even know this Samuel. They lived 5 miles apart but evidently Saul wasn’t really interested in the things of G-d. He didn’t know G-d’s appointed spiritual leader, wasn’t following the ways of G-d nor was he interested in studying the words of G-d. He was just a farmer who evidently kept to his land and his family -until the donkeys ran away.

 I often marvel at the things that G-d uses to get our attention. Simple everyday things that otherwise have no great value except that G-d can use then to get us to the right place at the right time.

And we see that Saul certainly did get to the right place at the right time.

 G-d used Carolyn Byars the first time to get me into CBS. But He used other friends to get me to this class. You may recognize them. When I was a children’s teacher with the 2 year olds in the CBS women’s day class, I had a co – teacher, Barb Seal. We became good friends. But in time we went our separate ways and we lost track of each other. In 2004, G-d brought us back together. It turned out that she and Laura Lea Lampke, who I knew as another children’s teacher, were walking together around the track at Mt. Park First Baptist on Monday nights before their prayer group met. Their prayer group was made up of women praying about a CBS women’s evening group being formed. I was free on Monday nights – both to walk and pray – so I joined them. I wasn’t looking for anything other than Bible study and fellowship.

 We prayed and we prayed that year. A new class has to have the 3 major servants team positions filled before they can be trained and the class officially started. We had a teaching director already called by G-d, we had a coordinator as well. What we were missing was an associate teaching director – so we prayed for G-d to call His choice.

 Over the weeks that we prayed, I never thought about it being me. But G-d started impressing my spirit that He was choosing me. Yicks!! So I prayed – “Lord I think that You are calling me to be….

And then I would be impressed with “Yes”. So I started again, “Lord I’m not sure You knew what I was going to ask — so do You want me….” again “Yes”. “Lord really I need You to listen to the whole question so I can be sure”. Even then I prayed 6 different times on different days – so sure that I had heard wrong. But His answer was always “Yes.”

 So I called Steph Harden, the teaching director, and said, “I think that G-d is calling me to be the ATD. Please tell me you have 6 others women waiting to be chosen.” Her answer? “No I have been waiting for you.”

 G-d’s call. I was out looking for donkeys. I wasn’t expecting anything more. But G-d used ordinary things and circumstances to call me to His service for that particular time.

 Saul was out looking for donkeys. He even used his time with the prophet Samuel to inquire about the donkeys. I wonder why he didn’t ask the man of G-d about something more important, like what does G-d want to do in my life?  But he was focused on the urgent rather than the important.

  Are we so busy looking for the donkeys that we forget to look for what is most important – what G-d wants to do in our lives? Are we willing to answer His call?

 

Anointed – 1 Samuel 10:1 – 10:15

When Samuel anointed Saul, it was done in private. He confirmed to this new king that G-d had chosen him. He poured oil over his head. He didn’t just give him a dab on the forehead. He poured it. It ran down his head and onto his beard, it probably got onto his clothing and seeped into his skin. He was covered in the oil. A symbol that he was covered with the presence of the holy G-d.

 How do you change a lowly Benjamite into a mighty king? Through the power of the Spirit of G-d indwelling him. We see that played out in Saul. He was changed – not because he willed it – but because

G-d had called him and anointed him as king. G-d knows it is hard for us accept change. So He gave Saul 3 signs of the change in his status – to confirm what had been done.

 A man will come to you and tell you what I have already told you – the donkeys are fine and your father is worried about you. Then you will meet men going up to worship G-d and they will give you 2 loaves of bread – take them. And lastly you will meet up with the prophets and ⁶ “The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.”

 To me the greatest sign to Saul had to be the change that G-d made on the inside of him. Even before anyone could see, Saul knew he had been changed. In those days the Spirit of G-d didn’t live in all believers. He was separate and distinct and if He came in to you it was a big deal. G-d gave His spirit to those who were called to perform special tasks to enable them to do what G-d required.

 Saul joined with the prophets and was seen prophesying with them. We often think of prophets as people who tell us what will happen in the future. But that is not all prophets do. Their prime job is to speak the truth that G-d is showing them. G-d’s word is truth. These prophets were probably expounding on the words of G-d as they were put down by Moses, as well as praising G-d and leading in worship.

Saul who had never been interested in the things of G-d suddenly is among them, discerning G-d’s words and praising and worshipping this G-d who had just called and anointed him. He was changed from a secular person into a spiritual one. It wasn’t by his doing but by the spirit of G-d within him.

 Today the Spirit living in us has many tasks.

Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 Acts 1:8 tells us  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses inJerusalem, and in all Judea andSamaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Romans 5:5 ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

1Corinthians 2:10 ¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.    The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God

1 Corinthians 12: ⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.  ⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸

The Holy Spirit is a gift. He gives us power. He makes us witnesses. He pours love into us. He reveals the things of G-d, teaching us. He gives us His gifts for our work.

Over time Saul took this great gift of G-d for granted and turned his back on what G-d had called him to and for. We sometimes do that as well. We take the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all believers for granted not as the wonderful special gift that it is.

 I know that it is the Spirit that makes the difference in my service to G-d. I have seen the difference in me. When G-d called me to be the ATD for this class, I was pretty comfortable with the shepherding role. It is the role of the ATD to shepherd the Core Leaders in CBS. Stay in touch, love on them, encourage them, pray for them. I am a people person so that didn’t seem so bad. But the wrap up talks were not what I wanted to be doing. I was not a particularly good student and sitting and pouring over scripture with one hand on the Bible and the other on the commentaries and other information just didn’t float my boat -as they say. But I only had to do that 5 -6 times a year so that wasn’t so bad. I still remember my first wrap up talk.  I finished the last word, shook my head and let out a great big sigh of relief. I couldn’t even hold it in until I sat down. There was no question that I was nervous and very relieved when it was over. Some of you were there and I thank you again for your patience and your encouragement.

 It wasn’t that I had never had to speak in front of a group before. In most of my career life I have had to do a lot of public speaking. But this was different. This was speaking the things of G-d.

But over time G-d has changed me. He has given me a heart and a mind that loves to study His word. I’m still not a great student – but He has given me a desire and a joy in the process. He anointed me for that position and He changed me on the inside so that He could use me for the job He had called me to do.

 Are we so busy looking for donkeys that we forget the great power that lives within us? I encourage us to not be so busy looking for the donkeys that we don’t see what G-d has for us.

 Equipped and Leading – 1 Samuel 10:16 – 11

So Saul goes back home and does as he has been instructed, he puts his hands to whatever he finds. And he waits. He knows that he has been called to be king. He knows that he has been anointed and changed into a different person. But the only other person that knows this is Samuel. Saul didn’t know how the public announcement would go. When everyone was called to Mizpah I suppose he knew the time had come.

 But where was he when the lots came down to him? He was hiding in the baggage. I think that happens to a lot of us. We know that G-d has called us to do a certain task or fill a certain position or do any number of other scary things. And we try to hide in the baggage. Trust me, when G-d called me to be the TD of this class I wanted to hide in the baggage. It would have been so much easier – at least for a little while.

 But then I would have missed all that G-d wanted to work on and change in me. I would have missed seeing up close and personal how He has worked in the lives of our leaders. How He has called them, anointed them, and equipped them for all that He has for them to do. I would have missed the precious time I get to spend with G-d as I seek His words for you each week.

 Samuel introduced the king to his subjects. What they got was tall, dark and handsome – a king like the other nations. Someone to rule over them that they could see – and G-d chose someone that was hard not to see since he was head and shoulders above the rest of Israel. They chose this unknown, untried, untested king rather than  the invisible G-d who had delivered them and cared for them.

 G-d gave them what they wanted. He gave in to them – but He never gave up on them.

 Saul went back home with the valiant men G-d had chosen to surround him. Some of the Israelites weren’t so impressed with their new king. That is until he brought victory to the people. It seems that Saul took a lesson from the strategy of Joshua, divided his army, struck at day break and defeated the enemy soundly. The people had their king. He led in battle and they followed. AllIsraelacknowledged Saul as king and I am so glad to see that he gave glory to G-d for the victory.

 All this happened to him because he went looking for donkeys. But what he found was G-d and His purpose for Saul’s life.

 I encourage us to not be so busy looking for the donkeys that we miss what G-d has for us. I encourage us to not hide in the baggage when G-d is calling us. Sometimes that can look like humility but Warren Wiersbe says that, “true humility accepts G-d’s will while at the same time depending on G-d’s strength and wisdom.” The will of G-d will never take us where the grace and love of G-d cannot keep us and use us.

 

 

Servants of G-d – Lesson 16 – January 9, 2012

1 Samuel 3 – 6

Samuel and Eli: Submission and Responsibility

 I am so glad to see all of you back tonight – beginning the new year by studying G-d’s word and gathering to share and fellowship and help each other along the journey of life. Thank you for choosing to spend your time on Monday nights with the ladies of the evening here at CBS.

 Our Christmas break always seems both so long and so short. There is so much to do around the holidays and never enough time to accomplish all we thought we would do. Maybe you prayed, as I did, that G-d would give you the time and the energy to complete the things that He wanted you to do and also the peace and calm required to sit still and enjoy His presence and ignore the rest of the things on your list.

 The holidays are always seem to bring a mixed bag of emotions. Sometimes the togetherness is sweet and therapeutic. At other times it looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe your holidays included time with what might be known as sand paper people. You know the ones that always seem to rub you the wrong way – that list could include cranky children, over extended husbands or cantankerous family members. In fact – there may have been times over the holidays when we were the cranky and difficult ones ourselves!

 Christmas does happen in the midst of real life. Some of us dealt with grief, pain, depression or despair at a time when everybody else seems to be so happy. Some of us ran out of money before we got to the end of the gifts to buy list not to mention the grocery list.

 But what ever your experience for this holiday season, welcome back!! I want you to know that each of you is precious to us and we are blessed to enjoy your presence in this place. Our prayer is always that this will be a safe place for you to bring your joy and your sorrow, your ups and your downs- A place where you are assured that you are not alone on this journey, and a place to find friends who will help you carry your life situations to the foot of the cross. 

 In our lesson for tonight, we saw the key characters finding ways to handle their life situations. 

 It is pretty amazing to think that the things that we read about in chapters 3 – 6 of 1st Samuel happened about 3000 years ago. And yet there is really nothing new in the habits of man from then until our time.  We have said it over and over. We live in times when each man does what is right in his own eyes – as in the time of the judges, as in the time of Samuel.

 We live in times when G-d’s word is readily available to almost all the planet – and there are those working feverishly to finish that task. And yet I sometimes wonder if we take G-d’s instructions any more seriously than did the Israelites when they did not have a judge to lead them. And if anything, I think we are less likely to hear the soft voice of our G-d because of all the distractions around us.

We have seen through our study so far that in each generation there were still people who loved the Lord and were called by Him for His purposes. We saw how Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz loved and served the Lord in the midst of a perverse generation. We saw all through the book of Judges the men – and one woman – who were raised up to lead the people of Israel – Judges who looked to G-d and His ways and directed the times by their faithfulness.

 Now we have come to Samuel – the last of the judges beforeIsraeldemands a king. We see Samuel being raised up in the service of the Lord by a man who had failed with his own children and in a time when the word of the Lord was rare. A time when we see the people in this chapter choosing to go to resignation, manipulation and appeasement rather than choosing to follow G-d’s word and commands.

 They lived in irreverent times. People misused and desecrated the things of G-d. People didn’t listen for the voice of G-d. They sure weren’t interested in the instructions of G-d. But G-d did raise up His servant in the midst of that generation.  Samuel was a rare exception to the rule of the times.

 We live in irreverent times. How we treat the voice, the instructions and the things of G-d determines our usefulness to G-d in this generation. We can learn some valuable lessons from these chapters and from the lives described there. We can use those lessons to determine if we are a rare exception in our times.

 Falling into Resignation –  1 Samuel 3

Eli knew what G-d required. He didn’t err because of a lack of knowledge. He knew how the things of G-d were to be treated, he knew the duties of the priests and he knew when his sons were not doing what they should have done. He couldn’t even claim ignorance. Even if he hadn’t known for himself before, he had been told. In chapter 2 we saw that a man of G-d came and told him what they were doing and what would happen to his family and his lineage. One of the questions in the question box from the lesson 15 was “Did Eli have the authority to remove his sons from the priesthood?”

 Absolutely. It was his job as high priest to monitor and correct anything that was done incorrectly in service to the Lord in the temple. He had the authority and responsibility but he lacked the courage to come against his own sons. Perhaps fatherly love and compassion blinded him. But the end result was that He chose to offend G-d rather than offend his sons. He was not only their father; he was the high priest in charge of the temple. He was warned in chapter 2 and here again in Chapter 3 but he didn’t take heed. Instead he went to resignation. “Let the Lord do what is good in His eyes.”

 Sometimes in the midst of our life challenges, we go to resignation. Let G-d do what He wants – I’m out. I don’t have the energy, the determination, the drive to keep going to G-d or to make the changes I need to make.

 I struggled with Eli’s situation. And I think any mom here that has children who have chosen not to follow the Lord, probably had some of the same struggles. I have 2 sons who do not follow the things of G-d. They are grown men and I know that they are responsible for their own decisions.

 Ezekiel 18:20 says it clearly, ²⁰ The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.”

So you may wonder why Eli was held accountable for his children. He was held accountable because he was an accessory to the disrespect. Matthew Henry says that “Eli did not show his dislike of their wicked courses to the degree he ought to have done. He did not reprove them, he did not punish them and he did not deprive them of their power to do wrong which as father, high priest and judge, he might have done. Those that do not restrain the sins of others, when it is in the power of their hand to do it, make themselves partakers of the guilt and will be charged as accessories.”

Eli went to resignation, both as to the actions of his children and also to the rebuke of the Lord. We are told not to go to resignation but to look to G-d for our answers and insight into situations that confront us.

 Philippians 1: 9 tells us the words of Paul

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Eli might not have been able to change the actions and rebellion of his sons but he could have prevented their sin from infecting the whole nation. He could have kicked them out and made them alone responsible before G-d for their actions.

 With my wayward sons, I know that I have told them about the things of G-d, I have admonished them and I tried my best to direct them in their younger years. But the struggle I have now comes with each conversation with them. I wonder whether there was something I was supposed to say or share that would draw them to the things of G-d? Have I said enough – have I said too much?

You see if I say too much I might break the lines of communication and loose opportunity to speak in the future. If I don’t say enough then will I be responsible for negligence in the battle?

It is hard to know. I can tell you that it keeps this mom on her knees.

 But what I don’t struggle with is whether to keep praying for them and bringing them before my G-d. If I stop that would be resignation – Let G-d do what He wants – I’m out.

 But I know that G-d listens to my prayers – the answer may not come right away but He listens and in the praying I learn more about Him and more about myself and more about our relationship. I learn to take my problems to my heavenly Father and trust Him to do what is best. He loves these wayward children – more than I do. I have no doubt that He loved Eli’s sons too. But that doesn’t mean He doesn’t administer punishment and justice when necessary. And He expects us to do the same with our children.

 G-d doesn’t want us to go to resignation – but to become the rare exception, like Samuel, in this generation.

 Trying to Manipulate G-d – 1 Samuel 4

I’m sure that you have never tried to use manipulation to your advantage in any situation, but some people do. They try to manipulate people and things in any given situation to their own advantage. Sometimes people even have the nerve to try to manipulate G-d.

 That’s what I see the Israelites trying to do as they bring the ark with them into battle – manipulate G-d’s power and blessing. They knew the stories of Joshua and how the ark preceded them into battle and then the Israelite army won the victory. So instead of bowing before G-d, they decided to kidnap His holy place and force G-d to be in the battle for them. Instead of bowing to the G-d of the universe and asking His good pleasure for them, they made an idol out of His dwelling place on earth.

 Sometimes we can think that if we do something exactly right then G-d will hear us and come to our aid. Maybe we think that there are special words we have to say, maybe we think there is a special place we have to be or a particular way we need to stand or kneel that will get G-d’s attention – that if we get it just right we can somehow manipulate the holy G-d of heaven to do our bidding.

Manipulation is a power play with its core value being rebellion against the will & authority of God.

G-d looks at the heart. He sees us as we are and He loves us and waits for us to call upon Him in reverence and awe, in humility and need.

Eli is waiting for word of the battle. He knows that his sons have gone into the battle and taken theArkof G-d with them. The scripture never says that anyone tried to stop this action; no one stood up and said this is wrong. And the best way for evil to triumph is for good men or women to remain silent. The word of G-d had started coming to Samuel but G-d didn’t use him to stop this atrocity. G-d let the Israelites do what they wanted and then He took action.

 If we stand on the truth of G-d, then we cannot manipulate that truth to say what is convenient to us. We must determine to serve and obey our Lord because we love Him and trust that His way is best for us, better than any other way that we could make for ourselves.

 You can’t manipulate G-d. His instructions are clear. He wants our hearts and our obedience. He wants us to be a rare exception in our generation – listening to and heeding His word. He waits for us to say like Samuel, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

 Trying to Appease G-d – 1 Samuel 5 – 6

The Philistines captured the ark. Can’t you hear them boasting? They had boasted when they captured Samson because they had captured the champion ofIsrael. Now they boasted because they thought they had triumphed overIsrael’s G-d.

 ut we should never doubt that G-d can and will take care of what belongs to Him. The ark was out ofIsrael’s hands but not out of

G-d’s hands. No matter where the ark was you can rest assured that G-d was ion His throne and ruled over all. In these chapters G-d showed His power over

          Our senses – Our minds – Our bodies – Success or failure

          Life and death –         Circumstances -           His creation and His Holy place.

 The Philistines tried to appease this G-d ofIsraelbut were not successful in anything they tried to do.

 We cannot appease G-d. Not to mention how hard it is sometimes when we try to appease people.

 I heard about a congregation where the preacher and the song leader weren’t getting along. As time went by, this began to spill over into the worship service. So, one week, the preacher tried to soothe the friction and preached on commitment and how we all should dedicate ourselves to the service of G-d. The song leader led the song, “I Shall not be Moved.” The next week, in order to calm hard feelings the preacher preached on giving and how we all should gladly contribute to the work of the Lord. The song leader led the song, “Jesus Paid it All.” The third week, the preacher preached on gossiping and how we should all watch our tongues. The song leader led the song, “I Love to Tell the Story.” With all this going on, the preacher became very discouraged over the situation and the following Sunday told the congregation that he was considering resigning. The song leader led the song, “Oh Why Not Tonight?” In time, the preacher did indeed resign. The next week he informed the church that it was Jesus who led him there and it was Jesus that was taking him away. The song leader led the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” That song leader was not going to be appeased.

 The Philistines recognized that it was the G-d ofIsraelthat was causing all the problems in their cities. They knew that they had to get rid of the ark but were afraid that if they didn’t do it right they would bring more of His judgment on themselves. They knew enough to send back a tribute to G-d’s power over them. These so called heathens knew more than some of the Israelites about giving honor and tribute to G-d.

 When the ark arrived in Beth Shemesh, the people did honor G-d. But then they decided to be brazen and take a look at the holy things of G-d. When G-d struck down 70 inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, the people just wanted the ark to go someplace else. They wanted to appease this G-d of theirs by moving the ark to a different place but not by bowing to Him and repenting.

 The 2^nd chapter of Joel instructs us:

¹² “Even now,” declares the LORD,
   “return to me with all your heart,
   with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

 ¹³ Rend your heart
   and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
   for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
   and he relents from sending calamity.

 G-d does not want us to try to appease Him but to give Him all that we are and let Him us lead in the way that is best for us.

 In the midst of all the circumstances of these chapters, Samuel stood as a rare exception in his generation. He was listening for the voice of G-d and responding as he was instructed. I pray that we will be willing to be exceptions in this generation – that we will be examples to others in how to treat the voice of G-d, the things of G-d and the instruction of G-d.

Years ago the communist government inChinacommissioned an author to write a biography of Hudson Taylor with the purpose of distorting the facts and presenting him in a bad light. They wanted to discredit the name of this consecrated missionary of the gospel. As the author was doing his research, he was increasingly impressed byTaylor’s saintly character and godly life, and he found it extremely difficult to carry out his assigned task with a clear conscience. Eventually, at the risk of losing his life, he laid aside his pen, renounced his atheism, and received Jesus as his personal Savior. Whether we realize it or not, our example leaves an impression on others. Hudson Taylor was a rare exception in his time.

Rare exceptions don’t go to resignation, manipulation or appeasement. Rare exceptions listen carefully to the words of G-d and deliver the message no matter how difficult the words may be to say. We must continue to go to G-d for direction and guidance no matter how things look to our human eyes. As in the days of Samuel, G-d needs rare exceptions to be His servants and to lead the way to Him. Are you, am I, willing to be a rare exception for G-d?

 

Servants of G-d – Lesson 16 – January 9, 2012

1 Samuel 3 – 6

Samuel and Eli: Submission and Responsibility

 I am so glad to see all of you back tonight – beginning the new year by studying G-d’s word and gathering to share and fellowship and help each other along the journey of life. Thank you for choosing to spend your time on Monday nights with the ladies of the evening here at CBS.

 Our Christmas break always seems both so long and so short. There is so much to do around the holidays and never enough time to accomplish all we thought we would do. Maybe you prayed, as I did, that G-d would give you the time and the energy to complete the things that He wanted you to do and also the peace and calm required to sit still and enjoy His presence and ignore the rest of the things on your list.

 The holidays are always seem to bring a mixed bag of emotions. Sometimes the togetherness is sweet and therapeutic. At other times it looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe your holidays included time with what might be known as sand paper people. You know the ones that always seem to rub you the wrong way – that list could include cranky children, over extended husbands or cantankerous family members. In fact – there may have been times over the holidays when we were the cranky and difficult ones ourselves!

 Christmas does happen in the midst of real life. Some of us dealt with grief, pain, depression or despair at a time when everybody else seems to be so happy. Some of us ran out of money before we got to the end of the gifts to buy list not to mention the grocery list.

 But what ever your experience for this holiday season, welcome back!! I want you to know that each of you is precious to us and we are blessed to enjoy your presence in this place. Our prayer is always that this will be a safe place for you to bring your joy and your sorrow, your ups and your downs- A place where you are assured that you are not alone on this journey, and a place to find friends who will help you carry your life situations to the foot of the cross. 

 In our lesson for tonight, we saw the key characters finding ways to handle their life situations. 

 It is pretty amazing to think that the things that we read about in chapters 3 – 6 of 1st Samuel happened about 3000 years ago. And yet there is really nothing new in the habits of man from then until our time.  We have said it over and over. We live in times when each man does what is right in his own eyes – as in the time of the judges, as in the time of Samuel.

 We live in times when G-d’s word is readily available to almost all the planet – and there are those working feverishly to finish that task. And yet I sometimes wonder if we take G-d’s instructions any more seriously than did the Israelites when they did not have a judge to lead them. And if anything, I think we are less likely to hear the soft voice of our G-d because of all the distractions around us.

We have seen through our study so far that in each generation there were still people who loved the Lord and were called by Him for His purposes. We saw how Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz loved and served the Lord in the midst of a perverse generation. We saw all through the book of Judges the men – and one woman – who were raised up to lead the people of Israel – Judges who looked to G-d and His ways and directed the times by their faithfulness.

 Now we have come to Samuel – the last of the judges beforeIsraeldemands a king. We see Samuel being raised up in the service of the Lord by a man who had failed with his own children and in a time when the word of the Lord was rare. A time when we see the people in this chapter choosing to go to resignation, manipulation and appeasement rather than choosing to follow G-d’s word and commands.

 They lived in irreverent times. People misused and desecrated the things of G-d. People didn’t listen for the voice of G-d. They sure weren’t interested in the instructions of G-d. But G-d did raise up His servant in the midst of that generation.  Samuel was a rare exception to the rule of the times.

 We live in irreverent times. How we treat the voice, the instructions and the things of G-d determines our usefulness to G-d in this generation. We can learn some valuable lessons from these chapters and from the lives described there. We can use those lessons to determine if we are a rare exception in our times.

 Falling into Resignation –  1 Samuel 3

Eli knew what G-d required. He didn’t err because of a lack of knowledge. He knew how the things of G-d were to be treated, he knew the duties of the priests and he knew when his sons were not doing what they should have done. He couldn’t even claim ignorance. Even if he hadn’t known for himself before, he had been told. In chapter 2 we saw that a man of G-d came and told him what they were doing and what would happen to his family and his lineage. One of the questions in the question box from the lesson 15 was “Did Eli have the authority to remove his sons from the priesthood?”

 Absolutely. It was his job as high priest to monitor and correct anything that was done incorrectly in service to the Lord in the temple. He had the authority and responsibility but he lacked the courage to come against his own sons. Perhaps fatherly love and compassion blinded him. But the end result was that He chose to offend G-d rather than offend his sons. He was not only their father; he was the high priest in charge of the temple. He was warned in chapter 2 and here again in Chapter 3 but he didn’t take heed. Instead he went to resignation. “Let the Lord do what is good in His eyes.”

 Sometimes in the midst of our life challenges, we go to resignation. Let G-d do what He wants – I’m out. I don’t have the energy, the determination, the drive to keep going to G-d or to make the changes I need to make.

 I struggled with Eli’s situation. And I think any mom here that has children who have chosen not to follow the Lord, probably had some of the same struggles. I have 2 sons who do not follow the things of G-d. They are grown men and I know that they are responsible for their own decisions.

 Ezekiel 18:20 says it clearly, ²⁰ The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.”

So you may wonder why Eli was held accountable for his children. He was held accountable because he was an accessory to the disrespect. Matthew Henry says that “Eli did not show his dislike of their wicked courses to the degree he ought to have done. He did not reprove them, he did not punish them and he did not deprive them of their power to do wrong which as father, high priest and judge, he might have done. Those that do not restrain the sins of others, when it is in the power of their hand to do it, make themselves partakers of the guilt and will be charged as accessories.”

Eli went to resignation, both as to the actions of his children and also to the rebuke of the Lord. We are told not to go to resignation but to look to G-d for our answers and insight into situations that confront us.

 Philippians 1: 9 tells us the words of Paul

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Eli might not have been able to change the actions and rebellion of his sons but he could have prevented their sin from infecting the whole nation. He could have kicked them out and made them alone responsible before G-d for their actions.

 With my wayward sons, I know that I have told them about the things of G-d, I have admonished them and I tried my best to direct them in their younger years. But the struggle I have now comes with each conversation with them. I wonder whether there was something I was supposed to say or share that would draw them to the things of G-d? Have I said enough – have I said too much?

You see if I say too much I might break the lines of communication and loose opportunity to speak in the future. If I don’t say enough then will I be responsible for negligence in the battle?

It is hard to know. I can tell you that it keeps this mom on her knees.

 But what I don’t struggle with is whether to keep praying for them and bringing them before my G-d. If I stop that would be resignation – Let G-d do what He wants – I’m out.

 But I know that G-d listens to my prayers – the answer may not come right away but He listens and in the praying I learn more about Him and more about myself and more about our relationship. I learn to take my problems to my heavenly Father and trust Him to do what is best. He loves these wayward children – more than I do. I have no doubt that He loved Eli’s sons too. But that doesn’t mean He doesn’t administer punishment and justice when necessary. And He expects us to do the same with our children.

 G-d doesn’t want us to go to resignation – but to become the rare exception, like Samuel, in this generation.

 Trying to Manipulate G-d – 1 Samuel 4

I’m sure that you have never tried to use manipulation to your advantage in any situation, but some people do. They try to manipulate people and things in any given situation to their own advantage. Sometimes people even have the nerve to try to manipulate G-d.

 That’s what I see the Israelites trying to do as they bring the ark with them into battle – manipulate G-d’s power and blessing. They knew the stories of Joshua and how the ark preceded them into battle and then the Israelite army won the victory. So instead of bowing before G-d, they decided to kidnap His holy place and force G-d to be in the battle for them. Instead of bowing to the G-d of the universe and asking His good pleasure for them, they made an idol out of His dwelling place on earth.

 Sometimes we can think that if we do something exactly right then G-d will hear us and come to our aid. Maybe we think that there are special words we have to say, maybe we think there is a special place we have to be or a particular way we need to stand or kneel that will get G-d’s attention – that if we get it just right we can somehow manipulate the holy G-d of heaven to do our bidding.

Manipulation is a power play with its core value being rebellion against the will & authority of God.

G-d looks at the heart. He sees us as we are and He loves us and waits for us to call upon Him in reverence and awe, in humility and need.

Eli is waiting for word of the battle. He knows that his sons have gone into the battle and taken theArkof G-d with them. The scripture never says that anyone tried to stop this action; no one stood up and said this is wrong. And the best way for evil to triumph is for good men or women to remain silent. The word of G-d had started coming to Samuel but G-d didn’t use him to stop this atrocity. G-d let the Israelites do what they wanted and then He took action.

 If we stand on the truth of G-d, then we cannot manipulate that truth to say what is convenient to us. We must determine to serve and obey our Lord because we love Him and trust that His way is best for us, better than any other way that we could make for ourselves.

 You can’t manipulate G-d. His instructions are clear. He wants our hearts and our obedience. He wants us to be a rare exception in our generation – listening to and heeding His word. He waits for us to say like Samuel, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

 Trying to Appease G-d – 1 Samuel 5 – 6

The Philistines captured the ark. Can’t you hear them boasting? They had boasted when they captured Samson because they had captured the champion ofIsrael. Now they boasted because they thought they had triumphed overIsrael’s G-d.

 ut we should never doubt that G-d can and will take care of what belongs to Him. The ark was out ofIsrael’s hands but not out of

G-d’s hands. No matter where the ark was you can rest assured that G-d was ion His throne and ruled over all. In these chapters G-d showed His power over

          Our senses – Our minds – Our bodies – Success or failure

          Life and death –         Circumstances -           His creation and His Holy place.

 The Philistines tried to appease this G-d ofIsraelbut were not successful in anything they tried to do.

 We cannot appease G-d. Not to mention how hard it is sometimes when we try to appease people.

 I heard about a congregation where the preacher and the song leader weren’t getting along. As time went by, this began to spill over into the worship service. So, one week, the preacher tried to soothe the friction and preached on commitment and how we all should dedicate ourselves to the service of G-d. The song leader led the song, “I Shall not be Moved.” The next week, in order to calm hard feelings the preacher preached on giving and how we all should gladly contribute to the work of the Lord. The song leader led the song, “Jesus Paid it All.” The third week, the preacher preached on gossiping and how we should all watch our tongues. The song leader led the song, “I Love to Tell the Story.” With all this going on, the preacher became very discouraged over the situation and the following Sunday told the congregation that he was considering resigning. The song leader led the song, “Oh Why Not Tonight?” In time, the preacher did indeed resign. The next week he informed the church that it was Jesus who led him there and it was Jesus that was taking him away. The song leader led the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” That song leader was not going to be appeased.

 The Philistines recognized that it was the G-d ofIsraelthat was causing all the problems in their cities. They knew that they had to get rid of the ark but were afraid that if they didn’t do it right they would bring more of His judgment on themselves. They knew enough to send back a tribute to G-d’s power over them. These so called heathens knew more than some of the Israelites about giving honor and tribute to G-d.

 When the ark arrived in Beth Shemesh, the people did honor G-d. But then they decided to be brazen and take a look at the holy things of G-d. When G-d struck down 70 inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, the people just wanted the ark to go someplace else. They wanted to appease this G-d of theirs by moving the ark to a different place but not by bowing to Him and repenting.

 The 2^nd chapter of Joel instructs us:

¹² “Even now,” declares the LORD,
   “return to me with all your heart,
   with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

 ¹³ Rend your heart
   and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
   for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
   and he relents from sending calamity.

 G-d does not want us to try to appease Him but to give Him all that we are and let Him us lead in the way that is best for us.

 In the midst of all the circumstances of these chapters, Samuel stood as a rare exception in his generation. He was listening for the voice of G-d and responding as he was instructed. I pray that we will be willing to be exceptions in this generation – that we will be examples to others in how to treat the voice of G-d, the things of G-d and the instruction of G-d.

Years ago the communist government inChinacommissioned an author to write a biography of Hudson Taylor with the purpose of distorting the facts and presenting him in a bad light. They wanted to discredit the name of this consecrated missionary of the gospel. As the author was doing his research, he was increasingly impressed byTaylor’s saintly character and godly life, and he found it extremely difficult to carry out his assigned task with a clear conscience. Eventually, at the risk of losing his life, he laid aside his pen, renounced his atheism, and received Jesus as his personal Savior. Whether we realize it or not, our example leaves an impression on others. Hudson Taylor was a rare exception in his time.

Rare exceptions don’t go to resignation, manipulation or appeasement. Rare exceptions listen carefully to the words of G-d and deliver the message no matter how difficult the words may be to say. We must continue to go to G-d for direction and guidance no matter how things look to our human eyes. As in the days of Samuel, G-d needs rare exceptions to be His servants and to lead the way to Him. Are you, am I, willing to be a rare exception for G-d?