BIBLE IN A YEAR
Bible in a Year – Day 90: The God Behind the Curtain
Mar 30th
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 15, 16 & 17
God’s hand is always at work. Very often, however, we are unable to see it in our own lives in the present moment. It is only upon reflection that we recognize God’s constant guiding presence in every situation. Likewise, though we know he is working his plan, we rarely get to actually see the pieces of the puzzle coming together and falling into place.
Today’s reading is one of those rare exceptions. In these three chapters of the book of 1 Samuel, we see, through a series of otherwise unrelated incidents, God orchestrating the end of one king’s reign and the beginning of another. In just three chapters, we see God reject Saul as king, anoint David as future king, then (this is where it gets interesting) cause David and Saul’s paths to cross and David to become one of Saul’s attendants and, ultimately, for David to step in and solve Saul’s biggest problem (pun intended) – a beast of a man named Goliath.
This is one of those “peeling back the curtain” moments where we can actually see God at work. We see God, through Samuel, choosing David, rather than his older brothers. We see that David’s time spent in Saul’s service was not merely a coincidence. We also see that Saul, who was prone to collect strong warriors, was allowed by God to witness David’s prowess first-hand. All of this, it seems was part of God’s plan to get David “on the inside”. And though Saul was somewhat jealous of David, we’ll see in future chapters that God’s plan worked amazingly well.
In fact, that’s how it works with God. He uses the everyday events of our lives for his purposes. Sometimes, those events are mundane things like the job we have or the friends we make. Other times, those events are the momentous ones in our life that we’ll never forget (you know, like killing a nine and a half foot tall warrior with a rock and a sling.)
The thing is, we don’t usually get any insight into which moments are “God-moments” and which ones aren’t. That’s why it’s important to seek God in our daily lives. I mean, what if David had never taken up music as a kid? Would he have had the opportunities he did? What if Saul had not been so desperate to defeat the Philistines? Would he have ever put his country’s fate in the hands of an untrained boy?
For David, everything in his life had been leading up to this moment and no part of his life – not being a shepherd or a musician or an outspoken teenager – carried any marks of being God-ordained. And yet, in the moment when all the pieces came together, David made a bold statement that charted the course for his future. Who knows what might happen to you today that will chart the course for yours!
Bible in a Year – Day 89: Those Awkward King Years
Mar 29th
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 13 & 14
Saul just couldn’t seem to catch a break. You get the sense that he was truly trying to do what is right, but somehow, he always managed to mess it up. First, he offered a sacrifice that he wasn’t supposed to offer. The reason? The guy who was supposed to offer it (Samuel) was late. It seems that God doesn’t value punctuality over obedience!
Then, toward the end of today’s reading, Saul tried to do the right thing again by vowing to kill his son Jonathan for breaking the oath made by the army. Again, Saul was misguided. In this case, not only was Jonathan not aware of the oath, but he was actually out destroying a bunch of Philistines when the oath was made. And so, the other men came to Jonathan’s rescue and convinced Saul not to kill him.
The moral of the story here seems to be that God’s timing, not our’s, is of critical importance (Saul wasn’t operating on God’s time, but Jonathan was) and that God’s instructions, not human’s, is of critical importance (Jonathan was following God’s orders, not Saul’s). You get the sense that God wanted to make it abundantly clear to Saul that he was not the “rightful” king. Saul never seems to feel comfortable in his own skin.
In fact, Saul is somewhat of a placeholder. God knows that he has a great man to be king over all of Israel and Saul is simply holding the spot while this boy David grows up. It kind of feels like Saul knew this even early in his stint as king. This was not the role he was made for and yet, he had been called and anointed by God to fill it.
Have you ever felt that way? I know I have. There have been times in my life and ministry where I knew I wasn’t in my “forever” place, but that I was equally as sure that I was exactly where God wanted me to be. It’s a weird feeling – kind of like Jr. High – when you aren’t really sure what the future holds, but you know (or at least hope) this isn’t it.
If you’re in that place right now, let me encourage you to hang in there. God doesn’t make mistakes, but sometimes he places you in a position for purposes way beyond your ability to understand. If that’s where he wants you, stay there until he says “go.”
Bible in a Year – Day 88: Reluctant Kingship, Reluctant King
Mar 28th
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 9, 10, 11 & 12
The anointing of Saul as king is a pretty strange series of events. First, the people of Israel ask for a king and, though God doesn’t want to, he gives them a king. The king he gives them is Saul, a guy who never went looking for power, authority or kingship. Actually, he just went looking for his donkeys. Then, after choosing and anointing Saul as king, God, through Samuel, reminds the people of Israel how evil it was for them to ask for a king in the first place. But, Samuel says, everything will still be OK if they follow and obey God.
There’s a pattern found throughout Scripture of the people doing wrong and then God redeeming it – not only redeeming the people, but the act itself. Here, for instance, the people want a king (something that God deems as evil), then God redeems that desire by choosing a king for them and anointing him with power and prophetic gifting and the rest.
For Saul’s part, his lack of eagerness to be king can clearly be seen as he hides out among the supplies so that he won’t be identified by Samuel. I know of countless leaders, myself included, who have tried the “hiding out” technique to avoid being identified, plucked from obscurity and called out as a leader. Unfortunately (or, I guess, fortunately), when God has chosen someone, no matter how much they try to hide out, they’re going to stick out in a crowd just like Saul – head and shoulders above everybody else.
Who knows why or how God chooses to weave his good and perfect will into the broken, messed up decisions that we make? Why would God choose a king for the people when he didn’t want them to have a king in the first place? Why would he choose a guy like Saul? Why would he choose to bless Saul and Israel even though the people had sinned in even asking for a king? These are questions that only God can fully answer, but as we dig into the rest of 1st and 2nd Samuel, I think some of these things will become a little more clear.
Bible in a Year – Day 87: Be Careful What You Wish For
Mar 27th
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8
As I said yesterday, Samuel was certainly a special child – one who grew into a special man. He would serve as prophet, priest and judge over Israel – the embodiment of God for those people. And the people of Israel weren’t stupid. They knew a good thing when they saw it. As long as Samuel was in charge, they had a good life and they weren’t grumbling about not having a king. But as soon as Samuel’s sons came to power and weren’t following the ways of their father, the Israelites started grumbling again. Presumably, they at least had some notion that the reason they were prospering was because of the faithfulness of Samuel.
And so begins this back and forth between God, Samuel and the people of Israel. The people really wanted a king – if for no other reason than just to be like all the other nations – and Samuel thought the idea was ludicrous. I think it’s interesting that 1 Samuel 8:6 says that it “displeased Samuel” that they asked for a king and “so he prayed to the Lord.” You’ll notice that it doesn’t say, “it displeased the Lord and so he spoke to Samuel.” No, this was initially Samuel’s beef with the people. He heard their request and thought, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” And so he consulted with God.
Now, there are a lot of directions to go here, but I think maybe the most fruitful is to understand that Samuel had grown up in relationship with God. He regularly heard from the Lord. He was a student of the law of Moses. He apprenticed under Eli the priest. He was, for lack of a better word, “soaked” in God his entire life. And so, it would stand to reason that something that was displeasing to God might also be displeasing to Samuel. Ultimately, Samuel sought God’s direction regarding a king, but even before praying to the Lord, Samuel knew that this wasn’t a good idea. He knew, because he knew the nature of God.
He knew that God was a compassionate monarch. He knew that God didn’t do things out of selfish ambition and always had the people’s best interest in mind. He knew that human kings could never hold a candle to God, the perfect king. He also knew that the people didn’t so much need a ruler as they needed to follow the rules they had already been given.
When Samuel prayed to God, his gut feeling was confirmed, but God inserted another layer of wisdom into the picture. God affirmed Samuel’s belief, but told him to go ahead and give them a king. This would be a lesson for the Israelites. God knew that no matter how good things were, they were never going to be satisfied until they tried out this whole “king thing.” And so, rather than arguing with them, he said, “Give them a king.” But, he told Samuel to let them know the cost of having a human king.
For me, this is akin to telling a child not to touch the hot plate in front of them. “It’s hot, no no, don’t touch!” “Don’t touch, no no.” It’s hot!” For some kids, though, they are going to have to touch the plate before they’re convinced. And so, God lets Israel “touch the hot plate” in order for them to discover that what he has been telling them is actually the truth. Of course, this is a lesson that the people of Israel would have to learn over and over again – and one that we’re still having to relearn today.
Bible in a Year – Day 86: The Ears of a Child
Mar 26th
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 1, 2 & 3
Samuel was a special boy. Like a few others throughout the Bible, Samuel was a miracle baby – prayed for and conceived by a previously barren woman. In her gratefulness, Hannah essentially gave away the baby that she had longed for in order that Samuel might serve with Eli the priest.
It’s hard to comprehend that kind of commitment. Who of us, after receiving an answer to prayer, would be willing to turn around and offer that answer back to God? But Hannah knew that God had a purpose for Samuel. I think Eli knew it, too. Eventually, God would let Samuel in on the plan.
It’s interesting, I think, that Samuel didn’t recognize the voice of God when he heard it – a fact that probably speaks less about Samuel’s spirituality than it does about God’s ability to speak in many different ways. To be sure, if God had wanted to be immediately identified, he could have made himself known in much more dramatic fashion. But, in this instance, even the way in which God revealed himself to Samuel was a part of the larger plan.
God spoke to Samuel just as Eli had probably done countless times. Perhaps he even used Eli’s voice (which would explain Samuel’s confusion). Of course, this caused Samuel to approach Eli, not once, but twice, which clued Eli into the fact that Samuel was actually hearing from the Lord. And so, because of the way that God spoke to Samuel, he gave Samuel instant credibility with Eli and, likely, with others in the town.
I mean, think about it, the Bible tells us that the word of the Lord was rare in those days, meaning that even Eli the priest wasn’t hearing from God very often. How strange would it have been, then, if, without warning, Samuel had just started telling people that God was talking to him? Would anyone have believed him? Perhaps not, but because of this brief interaction between Eli and Samuel, Eli knew that somebody was calling to the boy. That somebody, he recognized, was probably the Lord. And so, the next morning, when Samuel came to Eli, there was no doubt in the mind of the priest that the boy had heard from the Lord and Eli was eager to hear what God had to say (even if it didn’t turn out so well for him or his family).
I think this story serves to remind us of a few things. First, that God can and will speak to children. We need to listen when our children say that they think God told them something. Maybe it’s nothing, or maybe it’s the prophetic voice of the Lord of all creation choosing to speak through an innocent child. I would rather take the time to listen and meditate on those words than to dismiss them out of hand.
Second, I think the story of Samuel reminds us about all of the little details that God infuses into our lives as part of his plan. God is not only a “big picture” thinker. He is a master orchestrator – a precision artist – who thinks through every single detail and executes his plans to perfection. It is that kind of detailed thinking that could bring credibility to a little boy and prophetic words to a whole generation.
