Sun, 4 September, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Samuel 28:3-19

³ Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. ⁴ The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶ And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. ⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.”

⁸ So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” ⁹ The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?” ¹⁰ But Saul swore to her by the LORD, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” ¹¹ Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” ¹³ The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” ¹⁴ He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.

¹⁵ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” ¹⁶ And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy? ¹⁷ The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. ¹⁸ Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹ Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”

Things are really getting exciting in 1 Samuel. In order to get away from Saul, David has fled to the enemy. David is hiding in Philistia. In the first two verses of this chapter, he has committed to join the Philistine leader of the city of Gath (Goliath’s home town) in the attack on Israel. In great cliff-hanger fashion, the author of 1 Samuel cuts from David back to Saul leaving us to wonder what is going to happen next. Is David really going to attack Israel? We have to wait for the next chapter to find out. (Spoiler alert: David doesn’t go. You’ll have to read the rest for yourself.)

As we return to Saul we find him consulting a medium for guidance, since God has abandoned him. Earlier in his kingship, Saul was faithful in keeping the law against mediums (unless you want to argue that he just expelled them rather than executing them, and that after his enforcement they still are rather easy to find), but now he has descended so low that he violates that law which he was earlier committed (half-heartedly?) to enforce.

Apparently, this medium, just like most mediums today, did some conjuring trick for people to give them what they wanted. Perhaps she would do the common trick of playing off of information she could glean from her unsuspecting victim, and they would willingly pay her to tell them what they wanted to hear. But what happened this day was beyond her experience. God allowed Samuel to visit Saul, and the medium is shocked at this.

Samuel speaks to Saul. Samuel has already told Saul that a neighbor would take the kingdom. Now Samuel gives a little more information, information that Saul has already figured out for himself, but which Samuel now confirms. David is the neighbor to whom God will give the kingdom. Samuel’s final news is that Saul and his sons will be killed in battle on the next day.

What an emotional and tragic scene. Saul who had such promise as the man chosen by God to be king is now in rebellion against God and is consulting mediums. What he finds is his own judgment and condemnation.

What do we learn from this?

A good start isn’t enough in our Christian lives. We can begin with much enthusiasm and desire to be pleasing to God and to obey His commands. But if we have a real faith in God, it will be displayed in our perseverance to the end of our lives. Yes, we will have times of difficulties, and times where we might fall into sin. But a true Christian will not fall away to final destruction.

Saul, in continuing in his rebellion against God right up to his death in battle against the Philistines, displays that he is not really part of God’s people. Saul doesn’t have true saving faith. Saul never repents, and so, Saul was never saved.

Where is Christ in this passage?

In his rebellion, Saul has completely rejected God. Even at this point, Saul could have repented of his sins, turned to God, and asked for forgiveness. Saul could have turned to God’s provision of a substitute for his sins. But he does not, and so he dies in his sins. Saul, knowing the very day of his death, accepts it, and faces it without repenting of his sins. Unless there is some subsequent moment of repentance that scripture does not record, Saul is in hell.

You and I haven’t been given this knowledge of the day of our death. We haven’t been warned so that we could know exactly when to prepare. Therefore we must face each day in the knowledge that it could be our last. We need to come to God in repentance for our sins today, for we do not know if we will have a tomorrow. We need to come to Christ, trusting in Him only for our salvation.

May Saul be a reminder to us all that we need to trust in Christ and repent of our sin today and to the end of our days.

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.

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.

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.

Friday, 19 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Samuel 11

¹ Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” ² But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” ³ The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” ⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud.

⁵ Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. ⁶ And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. ⁷ He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. ⁸ When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹ And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance.’” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. ¹⁰ Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.” ¹¹ And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

¹² Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” ¹³ But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.” ¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

The book of Judges set the stage for 1 Samuel. Recall the very last words in Judges:

Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Saul was anointed king by Samuel in chapter 10. He is then publicly proclaimed to be king by the lot in chapter 10. Here we see Saul taking his first action as king in saving the people of Jabesh-gilead.

What do we learn from this?

God raises up leaders within His people to lead them in a time of crisis. He works through these people to act to protect and preserve those who are His own. Thus Saul acts to unite the people of Israel in opposition to the oppression of the Ammonites. Saul is appointed to that task by God, and in Saul’s action, God saves His people. As Saul himself declares in verse 13, “[T]oday the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.”

And so God has worked to raise up a Moses, a Paul, an Augustine, an Athanatius, a Luther, a Machen to lead His people in times of crisis.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Saul was a very flawed king. He started out well, but quickly we see Saul disobey God’s command and forfeit the kingdom. He then spends the rest of his years in a murderous campaign against the one God has anointed to replace Saul.

David becomes king after Saul. He too is a sinful man and fails in many ways. But God makes a great promise to David. The great King will come from the line of David, and will rule as the perfect king. The great king will work to preserve and protect His people. He will save them from a greater threat than the Ammonites. This great king will save them from their sins and will reconcile them to God.

This great king is Jesus Christ, and He is perfectly reigning over His people and He is bringing the nations into submission to His will. He is the king of Israel.

Monday, 15 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Samuel 6:6-16

⁶ Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? ⁷ Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. ⁸ And take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way ⁹ and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”

¹⁰ The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. ¹¹ And they put the ark of the LORD on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. ¹² And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. ¹³ Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. ¹⁴ The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. ¹⁵ And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the LORD. ¹⁶ And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

The Ark of the Covenant has been captured by the Philistines. The Philistines have been taking the Ark from city to city within their territory because wherever they take it, God is visiting judgment upon them, and the inhabitants of each city demand the Ark be sent away to someone else.

It is interesting that the Philistines know the history of Israel. They know that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt by the plagues, and so they begin to ask why they are still keeping the Ark in the face of God’s obvious judgment upon them. But there is still some doubt. The Philistines are wondering, is God in control of this situation, or is it all just coincidence? And so they devise a test of God’s providence.

They take two cows that are still nursing calves, and yoke them to a cart with the Ark of the Covenant. If the cows, contrary to their natural inclination to return to their calves, pull the cart to a specific Israelite city, Beth-shemesh, then the Philistines will accept that this is from God.

What do we learn from this?

This is not something for us to emulate in our own lives. We are forbidden to put God to the test. We are not to setup tests for God to meet in order that He will prove to us His sovereignty. But it is instructive for us to see this case in history where people did put God to the test and God graciously deigned to display His providence in the everyday affairs of life. God is sovereign over everything. He is even able to change the nature of cattle.

And if He can change the nature of cattle, He can change my nature also. This offers me great hope.

Where is Christ in this passage?

Jesus Christ is not explicitly in this passage. We can see Him as the mediator between God and man, the great High Priest, that is foreshadowed in the Ark of the Covenant. We can see Him in the sacrifice the Israelites offered to God upon the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant.

One interesting parallel to see is Satan’s temptation of Jesus Christ. The second temptation was for Jesus to throw Himself off of the temple to prove the scriptures true that angels would catch Him.

Jesus replies that we are not to setup tests of God’s providence as these Philistines did.

Saturday, 13 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Samuel 3:1-14

¹ Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

² At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.

⁴ Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” ⁵ and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸ And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the young man. ⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” ¹¹ Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

In 1 Samuel 2:12-17, the author of 1 Samuel tells us how the High Priest Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are abusing their position as priests. They are threatening the people who come to the temple and are extorting sacrificial gifts from them. Eli’s sons are to be mediating between God and the people, offering up the sacrifices of the people to God on their behalf. But instead, we see Eli’s sons taking the offerings from the people by threats. Rather than representing the people, they are acting in the crudest manner for their own benefit. They are despising God and the offerings brought by the people who are seeking to be right with God.

God does not overlook this great blasphemy, and warns of the judgment to come in 1 Samuel 2:27-36. But even knowing the coming judgment, Hophni and Phinehas do not repent, and Eli doesn’t do anything to stop them beyond giving them a mild rebuke.

That sets the stage for today’s passage, where God again tells of the judgment coming upon Eli’s sons. This time the declaration of God’s wrath comes through the young boy Samuel.

God’s statement to Samuel ends with this frightening sentence: Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.

God promises that He will not forgive the sins of the house of His High Priest. They have been given a very great privilege and responsibility to act for the people of God. They have been entrusted with the very Word of God, and it is their responsibility to know it and act in accordance with it. They stand before God, representing the people of God, offering the sacrifices commanded by God. They have been warned that their conduct was bringing severe punishment upon them, and they have rejected this warning and refused to repent. Therefore God declares that they have crossed a line and cannot return. There is no forgiveness for them.

What do we learn from this?

When God convicts us of sin, we must not ignore it. We must not shrug it off, thinking, “I can always repent tomorrow. God will always be there to forgive me, so there’s no need to act right now.” We have no promise that there will be a tomorrow. We have no promise that God will continue His work of convicting us of our sin.

Listen to God speaking to you in His Word to call you to repentance and forgiveness and act now. Repent.

Where is Christ in this passage?

The people were commanded to bring an animal before God, confess their sins over the animal, and kill the animal. The animal would then be burned on the altar as a sacrifice. These sacrifices that Hophni and Phinehas despised displayed to all the people that sin warrants the death penalty from God, and that for anyone to be forgiven for sin, blood must be shed. These animals didn’t in themselves pay the penalty for the sins of the people. They only pointed forward to the one who would be the Substitute for His people. They pointed to the one who would bear the sins of all who come to Him in faith. These animals pointed to Jesus Christ.

So, when Hophni and Phinehas were despising the sacrifices of the people, they were despising Jesus Christ. They were blaspheming God.

One final comment. What Hophni and Phinehas did was very bad. But was it impossible for them to be forgiven had they repented? On a more practical level, can I do something so bad that if I come to God asking for forgiveness, He will say, “No, you have crossed a line beyond which I refuse to forgive. I reject your repentance and condemn you for your excessively evil deed.”

The answer is that Hophni and Phinehas were not forgiven because they did not repent, and God was declaring that He would not work in their lives to convict them of sin and draw them to repentance. Therefore, there was no forgiveness for them because they would never ask for it.

You cannot commit a sin so bad that God will refuse to forgive if you repent and come to Him in faith. Think of David’s sins of adultery and murder in the affair with Bathsheba, or think of Saul (Paul) leading a campaign of torture and murder against the early Christians. They both found forgiveness when they repented of their sins, and so will you if you likewise return to God, repent of your sins, and trust in Jesus Christ, who is His provision for your salvation.