Wed, 31 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Samuel 24:1-7

¹ When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” ² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. ³ And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. ⁴ And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁵ And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’s anointed.” ⁷ So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

In his jealousy, Saul is on a wild campaign to kill David. Although Saul has been unable to find David, by God’s providence, as he attempting to track David down, Saul enters the very cave where David and his men are hiding.

Thinking that this is a God given opportunity to take the kingship, David’s men urge him to kill Saul. But instead of killing him, David cuts a corner off of Saul’s robe so that he can prove to Saul he intends no harm to the king.

Interestingly, David then feels guilty for the harm he does to the corner of Saul’s garment, even though this is in fact a token of his good-will to the king. This is an indication of how sensitive David is to his duty to faithfully serve the king.

What do we learn from this?

David correctly saw Saul as God’s appointed leader of the people. Since God placed Saul as king, David must be in subjection to the king. If God wants Saul to no longer be king, then God will remove Saul from being king and not David. David refuses to act as God and choose the time of Saul’s removal from the kingship.

We, as God’s people, are called to be in subjection to the rulers over us. We are to obey them, as long as they do not command us to do that which God forbids, or forbid that which God commands.

David doesn’t fight back against Saul but lives in submission to him, the the extent that he can. This works greatly to David’s disadvantage, as he has to live in the wilderness, hiding from Saul’s murderous search. But David is unwilling to raise his hand against God’s anointed.

This has obvious implications to our lives. We need to honor and respect the leaders God has put over us in the family, workplace, government and church. We need to obey them as far as they don’t compel us to disobey God. If it is a choice of obeying God or man, we must obey God every time. But when the commands of our leaders don’t contradict God, our action is clear: we must obey our leaders.

This doesn’t preclude our being involved in politics and trying to get leaders with whom we disagree voted out of office, but it does mean that we must speak respectfully of our leaders and submit to their rule.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Here we see David acting as a type of Christ. David has been anointed as king, and he knows God’s promise to him that he will be king. He sees the opportunity to seize the kingdom by force, but he refuses and insists on waiting for God’s approved time for when he will be seated on the throne. David patiently remained in his time of humbling, waiting for God’s appointed time for his exultation.

Recall

Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness at the beginning of his public ministry. I believe the main temptation was for Jesus to cut short the process He was about to go through that would culminate in His crucifixion. The temptation was for Him to take up the kingdom right then and there and skip the numerous difficulties that were to come. But instead, Jesus refused to take the matter into His own hands, and waited for the Father’s timing, accepting the suffering and difficulties that were to come. At the right time, at the ascension, He was elevated to the right hand of God, and was seated in power. After He had purchased the salvation of all His people, when the time of humbling was over, He took up the throne and now rules as all is brought in submission to Him.

Tue, 30 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

Psalm 38:1-8

¹ O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
² For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has come down on me.

³ There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
⁴ For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

⁵ My wounds stink and fester
because of my foolishness,
⁶ I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
all the day I go about mourning.
⁷ For my sides are filled with burning,
and there is no soundness in my flesh.
⁸ I am feeble and crushed;
I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

In today’s Psalm, we again don’t know the exact circumstances David was facing. He describes it in physical terms: no soundness in my flesh, no health in my bones (v3), my wounds stink and fester (v5), I am feeble and crushed (v8), etc.

David also describes his situation in terms of an enemy attempting to snare and harm him (v12).

But David is clear about one thing: regardless of whether the terrible experience was physical or emotional, the cause is his sin. David is clear that his problem is that God’s hand is against him because of sin in his life.

What do we learn from this?

David sees this particular difficulty in his life as the direct result of his own personal sin. Notice that he doesn’t question God as to why this is happening to him. Instead, David considers his own guilt before God, confesses his sin, and throws himself upon God’s mercy.

There is a lesson for us here. Not everything bad that happens to us is due directly to sin in our lives for which we need to repent. Nevertheless, whenever anything bad happens to us, it should be a time for us to consider our own lives. Is there anything in our lives for which we should repent? Is there anything we should confess to God? Our times of difficulty are good times for us to again throw ourselves upon God’s mercy.

Where is Christ in this passage?

It is interesting that David refers to the result of his sin as wounds that he bears. But ultimately, David did not bear the full wounding due upon his sin, and neither does anyone who is trusting upon God’s grace found in Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 53:4-6

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Mon, 29 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

Ezekiel 1:26-28

²⁶ And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. ²⁷ And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. ²⁸ Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

The book of Ezekiel begins with a vision in which he describes these four strange and mighty creatures, and then Ezekiel describes his vision of heaven that he sees above the four creatures.

The chapter ends rather abruptly, like a cliff hanger. Everything builds to the point where we are about to hear what Ezekiel is about to be told. But we will have to wait until tomorrow to find out with the voice says.

It is all so strange and wonderful and highly symbolic. It is hard to know exactly what to make of it all, and some people have spent an enormous amount of time and effort to decipher the meaning behind every little detail of the vision. There might be some value to doing that, but I’m not so sure that kind of speculation is wise. At least for our purposes here, I’ll stick to what is clear: the point of the vision is to bring home the awesome majesty of God.

What do we learn from this?

Ezekiel at his commissioning, like Isaiah before him, has a vision of the glory of God. And like Isaiah, Ezekiel is thrown prostrate before the awesome majesty of God. He realizes that he is a creature before the Creator. He realizes he is finite before the Infinite. And although we don’t see him explicitly stating this as Isaiah does at his commissioning, he realizes that he is sinful before the Holy.

When we get but a glimpse of who God really is, it strikes us to the ground. There is no posturing before God. There is no sense of our own worth. God doesn’t owe us anything except His wrath at our sin.

Where is Christ in this passage?

As we enter the next chapter, we will see God speak to Ezekiel and command him to stand. The Spirit of God then enters him to enable Ezekiel to stand before God.

Make no mistake about this. Ezekiel is just like you and me. Ezekiel has sinned. He has violated God’s law many times and in many ways. How is wicked and sinful Ezekiel enabled to stand before a holy God who has promised that “the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous“?

The only way Ezekiel can stand before God and not be under God’s wrath is if his sin has been punished and he has been given the perfect righteousness that he lacks in and of himself. The only way Ezekiel can stand before God is because he is trusting in the substitute that God will provide for his salvation. The only way Ezekiel can stand before God is because of Jesus Christ.

For Ezekiel, he looked forward to the day when this substitute would come to save him from his sin. And so he offered the sacrifices (at least until he was carried into captivity and the temple was destroyed) that were commanded as foreshadows of the real Sacrifice that was to come. We look back on what God has done in sending the Second Person of the Trinity to live the perfect life and to die on a cross to save us from our sins.

It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we are enabled to stand before God and to enter into His presence, as Ezekiel did in his vision in chapter 1.

Sun, 28 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

¹ And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. ² For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, ⁴ and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵ that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Paul was aware of what would impress the Corinthians. He knew they loved to hear people who spoke eloquently and who presented brilliant arguments. They loved to listen to wonderful speakers. And Paul, with all the formal education that he had, was able to give them what they wanted, if he so desired.

Yet, Paul purposefully did not attempt to impress them with his formidable rhetorical skills. Instead he attempted to speak as simply as possible, avoiding any attempts to sway people by his speaking ability. Why? Because Paul wanted the message of Jesus Christ to be what the people focuses upon, not his own presentation. Paul didn’t want people walking away from his preaching saying, “What a great speaker Paul is.” Rather, Paul wanted them to walk away saying, “What a great God Paul preaches of.”

What do we learn from this?

It is possible for us to use the talents that God has given us in a way that calls attention to the talents themselves rather than pointing others to Christ. We need to beware of our own tendency to magnify ourselves, even as we are presenting the gospel to others.

But of course the main danger here is for the preacher. There is an inborn desire within us to be liked by others, and to impress others. A pastor can fall into this trap in his sermon, and find that he is preaching to impress the people rather than to bring them the full counsel of God’s word.

But as lay people, we too can fall into this trap as well. For example, our public prayers can often be formed so as to impress the people around us rather than to reach God. If we are thinking about how the people around us are going to react to our prayer, we are focusing upon the wrong thing, and we are falling into this trap that Paul warns us about.

We need to purposefully attempt to always serve God, rather than building up ourselves in the eyes of others.

Where is Christ in this passage?

For Paul, the focus of all preaching is Jesus Christ. All preaching should point people to Christ and the crucifixion. This should be no surprise, since the preaching should be based upon scripture, and the scriptures themselves are focused upon Jesus Christ.

Saturday, 27 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Samuel 19:1-10

¹ And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. ² And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. ³ And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” ⁴ And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. ⁵ For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” ⁶ And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.” ⁷ And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

⁸ And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. ⁹ Then a harmful spirit from the LORD came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. ¹⁰ And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

God has already revealed to Saul that He will rip the kingdom away from Saul’s family and will give it to one of Saul’s servants. Now God is prospering everything that David does. Saul is watching for signs of who this “usurper” of his kingdom might be, and he is becoming insanely jealous of David, realizing that David might be the next king.

It is interesting that Jonathan, who has as much to lose as his father Saul, has a completely different attitude toward David. Jonathan loves David and protects David from Saul’s murderous rage.

God placed Saul in leadership over His people to guide and protect Israel. But because of his disobedience, God is removing Saul from being king. Rather than repenting and submitting to God, Saul fights against it, and ends up fighting against God’s anointed rather than against the enemies of Israel.

We see also that in his rebellion against God, Saul receives his own punishment as God give him up to a harmful spirit from the LORD. God abandons Saul, and Saul ends up tormented by spiritual forces that hate God and desire to destroy God’s anointed. Saul starts out as God’s anointed but ends up serving the enemies of God attempting to destroy God’s anointed.

What do we learn from this?

Those who fight against God, He will surrender to their own desires as a just punishment for their rebellion. The sin that they commit is its own punishment as God lets them continue to sin freely.

Saul’s rage against David became a torment to himself and your own indulged and unrepented sin also can become a punishment to you.

Rather than give yourself up to your sin, repent of it. Come to God for forgiveness and seek His mercy rather than indulging it. For as you continue to sin, you are receiving your own punishment. Be sure your sin will find you out.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Throughout the scriptures we see Satan’s attempt to destroy the line of promise, the line that will bring Jesus Christ into the world. From Cain murdering Abel, down to Herod murdering the children at Bethlehem, the seed of the serpent was attempting to destroy the seed of the woman. Here we see Satan allowed to use Saul in another futile attempt to destroy the seed of the woman. Saul tries to kill David, who will be king, and through whom God brings Jesus Christ into the world.

Friday, 26 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

Psalm 34:15-22

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
²⁰ He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
²¹ Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²² The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

David wrote this Psalm when he went to the Philistine city of Gath to hide from Saul. When the people of Gath recognized him, David pretended to be insane in order to keep the Philistines from revenging themselves upon him. (Remember, Goliath was from Gath, so the people of Gath had no love for David.)

David writes this Psalm as a song of praise to God for his deliverance from the Philistines. David sings of God’s protection for the righteous and His vengeance upon the wicked.

What do we learn from this?

David is not claiming that he is righteous before God based upon his faultless obedience to the law. David is only righteous before God based upon God’s provision of an atonement for his sin. But as David is trusting God and relying upon the substitute God has provided for his sin, David understands that he is under God’s protection.

David is expressing his trust in the Lord that God will deliver him out of his difficulties. David expects to face many afflictions. But he knows that ultimately, God will preserve him through the afflictions and he will not be condemned.

This is not to say that we won’t face many severe hardships, pains, and even ultimately death. God does not give His children a free pass from all difficulties. But He will preserve His children through the difficulties, and most importantly, He will not condemn His people when they stand before Him on judgment day.

Is this because they were righteous enough to earn God’s protection and favor? No. It is because Jesus Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to them by grace through faith, and thus they are reconciled to God and adopted into His family. Thus, none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Where is Christ in this passage?

John tells us that this passage ultimately points to Jesus Christ:

John 19:32-37

³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. ³⁵ He who saw it has borne witness–his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth–that you also may believe. ³⁶ For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

Thursday, 25 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

Lamentations 2:13-14

¹³ What can I say for you, to what compare you,
O daughter of Jerusalem?
What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you,
O virgin daughter of Zion?
For your ruin is vast as the sea;
who can heal you?

¹⁴ Your prophets have seen for you
false and deceptive visions;
they have not exposed your iniquity
to restore your fortunes,
but have seen for you oracles
that are false and misleading.

Lamentations is a beautiful and sad book as Jeremiah describes in poetic language the tragic destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Jeremiah shares his great mourning for Israel’s continuing rebellion against God, even as judgment was falling all around them.

What do we learn from this?

In the two verses above, Jeremiah summarizes cause and effect for the situation of Israel of his day. But he lists them in reverse order.

Effect (v 13): There is ruin all around all around. In this chapter, Jeremiah tells us about how babies starved to death (v12) and women ate their own children (v20) due to the famine during the Babylonian siege. The priests and prophets were slaughtered in the temple (v20) and the walls and palaces of the city have been destroyed (v7-8). Jerusalem has been destroyed. But why had God abandoned His people like this?

Cause (v 14): The people had sinned against God, and the religious leaders of the day did not call them to repent. Instead the leaders told them that everything was fine. They did not bring the hard message of exposing sin and the coming judgment while calling for repentance. Instead, the leaders brought a soft message of excusing, condoning and ignoring sin. Their leaders told the people what they wanted to hear rather than confronting them in their sin.

The same is true today. If the leaders of God’s people do not challenge the church to live in accordance with the scriptural standard, God will bring judgment upon the church. The leaders must preach the law in all the terror of its condemnation and call the people to repent. Then they also preach must preach the good news of what God has done for us to save us by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

The people do not want to be made uncomfortable. They don’t like to hear about the law and judgment. People prefer to have leaders who will wink at and ignore their sin. But although their lives will be easier for a time because they are not confronted in their sin, it will be much harder in the long run. Because if they have never realized the depths of their sins, they will not realize their need for a Savior. And if they don’t know their need for a Savior, they will not repent of their sin and come to God in faith seeking salvation from the guilt of their sin.

The leaders of God’s people must confront the people in their sins, point them to the Savior, and lead them back to repentance.

Where is Christ in this passage?

God’s prophets are to bring the message of sin and the coming consequences of judgment upon that sin. They are to call the people to repent and turn in faith to God for forgiveness of their sins. And they are to comfort those who have turned from their sins and who are trusting in God, assuring them of God’s forgiveness and restoration.

Jeremiah lamented the false prophets who did not point the people to God and the forgiveness that God promises to those who come to Him in faith. They did not point to the substitute God has provided. These prophets failed because they did not point the people to Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, 24 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

Romans 14:1-12

¹ As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ² One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³ Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ⁴ Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

⁵ One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸ If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

¹⁰ Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; ¹¹ for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”

¹² So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

There were great problems within the early church with people thinking that certain behavior was required of Christians even though there wasn’t a clear Biblical statement requiring this behavior. There were fights about what you could eat and whether you should observe Jewish festival days. There was much confusion as some people insisted you had to do things one way and others argued for the exact opposite. What should people do?

Paul had to deal with this problem in the Roman church. Obviously, from the way Paul talks about these issues, they were not crucial issues where people’s salvation was on the line as it was in Galatia. Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a scathing denunciation of people who were adding requirements to the gospel, and he had very harsh things to say against those who were wrong about issues essential for salvation. Paul doesn’t talk that way here to the Romans, and therefore issues before him here were peripheral to salvation.

Also, Paul doesn’t appeal to the extant scriptures to settle these disputes. Therefore I conclude that there wasn’t a clear scriptural command in these areas. People could legitimately come to differing conclusions based upon their understanding of the scriptures. They couldn’t all be right in their conflicting conclusions, but there wasn’t a clear “Thou shalt do X” statement that would settle the dispute.

What do we learn from this?

There are going to be peripheral issues that we as Christians will disagree about. They are not issues that are central to the gospel, and there is no clear command in scripture that we can fall back upon to settle the matter. In these cases, we need to study the scriptures for guidance and then act in accordance with what we believe is the right thing to do.

But we also need to not condemn others who come to differing conclusions in these areas. Accept that they too have studied the scriptures, and have come to a different conclusion. We can discuss our differences. We can explain how the scriptures point us to the conclusions we have made, and we can listen to and critique their scriptural reasons for their conclusions. But we must not despise or condemn others because they have come to different conclusions on peripheral issues.

The trick is knowing what are the peripheral issues and what are the issues that are essential to salvation. We must not compromise in the essentials.

The essentials are the things that define orthodox Christianity. They would deal with things like these: The definition of the Trinity. The dual nature of Jesus Christ as both fully God and fully man. The fall of man and Original Sin. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ and the virgin birth. The atonement. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. The scriptures as originally written are God’s infallible word to us. Jesus Christ will return again to judge the living and the dead. There is an eternal hell for those who do not come to God in faith, trusting in Jesus Christ as their own provision for their salvation.

I’ll just give one example of something that I struggle with as what I believe to be a peripheral issue: Sabbath observance. What is the right way to keep the fourth commandment?

I’ve come to the conclusion that Sabbath observance means that I should attend worship, avoid doing business on Sundays, and make it a day of resting. I avoid shopping and doing work around the house. But I do the dishes. I play games with the kids. I listen to the radio.

I know some people think that I am too legalistic in my Sabbath observance, and others think that I am far to lax.

When I come to an issue like Sabbath observance, I find this passage in Romans to be a great help as I struggle with knowing how to please God with my conduct when there are so many differing opinions on what is right to do in these areas that are not essential to salvation.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Paul points out that as Christians, we are all united in our service to our Lord even though we might be divided in our understanding of how to obey Him in some of these side issues. But our purpose is to live for Him.

Paul tells us that Jesus Christ died to unite all those who will come to Him in faith as children of God. As such, we are going to give an account to Him of our actions, and He will deal with these issues. We should not try to force our own view of these peripheral issues onto other people. Let God take care of them and enjoy the unity that was purchased for us by the life and death of Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, 23 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Samuel 15:1-23

¹ And Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD. ² Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. ³ Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

⁴ So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. ⁵ And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. ⁶ Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. ⁷ And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. ⁸ And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. ⁹ But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

¹⁰ The word of the LORD came to Samuel: ¹¹ “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night. ¹² And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” ¹³ And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” ¹⁴ And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” ¹⁵ Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” ¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the LORD said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

¹⁷ And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. ¹⁸ And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ ¹⁹ Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” ²⁰ And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. ²¹ But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.” ²² And Samuel said,

“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
²³ For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
he has also rejected you from being king.”

God has anointed Saul as king over Israel, and therefore Saul is to lead the people of Israel in their battles. Saul is God’s appointed representative to lead the people, and therefore it is vitally important that Saul be in submission to God. If Saul disobeys, he is leading all the people to disobey God.

We see that Saul partially obeys. He was commanded to destroy all the people and the animals. Instead, he kills all but the king, and spares the best of the animals.

Saul first attempts to claim that his partial obedience was a more pious version of full obedience: the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God. Notice how Saul doesn’t accept responsibility for the actions of the people he leads, but instead he blames them for the disobedience.

As the chapter continues beyond our quote, we see that Saul admits it is disobedience, but that it was the people’s fault. They wanted to keep the animals, and Saul was afraid to confront them about this disobedience.

In essence, Saul is saying, “Don’t blame me. I tried to obey. Blame the people who are under me, for they did it against my will.”

What do we learn from this?

Leaders are responsible for the actions of the people under them. When the people do what is wrong, the leader cannot claim it is the fault of the people. Instead, they must confront the people in their sins and lead them back to doing what is right for God will hold the leaders accountable.

Perhaps this might cause the people to rebel and depose the leader who tries to correct them. If so, that is the cost of obedience and you must be willing to pay that cost to do what is right rather than to allow the people to do what is wrong on your watch. A leader must lead the people in doing what is right, no matter the cost.

Saul valued his own position of leadership more than he valued doing what is right. He wanted to be king more than he wanted to please God. But in attempting to protect his position rather than confront the people, he ended up losing his kingship and incurring great guilt before God.

Always lead the people in doing right, no matter the cost.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Saul was a failed king. Instead of doing what was right, he glorified and served himself. He failed to confront his people in their sins, and he didn’t lead them back to the paths of obedience. He disobeyed God, and so he failed as God’s representative.

Saul’s disobedience led to his rejection as king. David would replace Saul, and he would do a much better job as king, being a man after God’s own heart. But David also failed in many ways. In fact, all the kings of Judah and Israel failed. Their failures point us to the perfect King who has come to rule over Israel, the true church. Jesus Christ did not fail in His obedience to the Father’s commands. He perfectly obeyed. He has confronted His people in their sins. He has led them in the paths of obedience.

And beyond that, He offers His perfect righteousness to those who come to Him in faith. He gives us the righteousness we need to be right with God. He gives us the righteousness we lack.

And our perfect King also takes the punishment for our sins. He has borne our guilt upon the cross, and fully paid for all our sins.

Therefore, we are right with God, as we come before Him by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, our great and perfect King.

Monday, 22 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

Psalm 30

¹ I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
² O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
³ O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

⁴ Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
⁵ For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

⁶ As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
⁷ By your favor, O LORD,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.

⁸ To you, O LORD, I cry,
and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
⁹ “What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
O LORD, be my helper!”

¹¹ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
¹² that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

In this Psalm, David is recalling what God has done for him. Whatever David is thinking of, the specifics of the incident are not clear. Something had happened, something so dramatically awful that he compares it to dying, and he called out to God. God saved him from this situation, and as a result, David calls for people to praise God and thank Him for what He has done.

So we see this progression: David is in some distress, he calls out to God, God acts to preserve him, and as a result, David praises God.

What do we learn from this?

David is not unusual. God has acted the same way in our lives as well. We’ve been in some distress, and we called out to God. God acted to bring us through our difficulty. But, do we then do our part? Do we follow through as we should? Do we praise God for what He has done?

If you’re like me, you probably have often forgotten to thank God for what He has done. It is so easy to forget about our problems after they are resolved. When we look back, they don’t seem as disturbing as they seemed at the time, and knowing how it worked out, we don’t think about how we pleaded with God for a resolution. We’ve usually moved on to the next problem and have neglected to properly thank God for what He has done in our lives.

But David reminds us in this Psalm to remember what God has done in our lives and to praise and thank God for how He has answered our prayers in the past. David tells us why God acts in our lives to preserve and protect us: that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

And so we should, like David, give thanks to you forever!

Where is Christ in this passage?

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness….

For all those who have repented of their sins and come to God in faith for salvation, they have gone through conviction for their sins. They have realized the depths of their sin, and the punishment that is due to them because of their very great sin. They have mourned for their sin, and come to God truly sorrowing that they have grieved Him and violated His law.

It is in this mourning that there is comfort. It is in repentance that there is salvation. As we come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven, and our mourning is turned to dancing. Our sackcloth is turned to gladness.