Hello Sweet friends,
Today’s Reading … 1 Samuel 15-24 and Psalm 11, 59, 7, 27, 31, 34, 52
Today we move into a new theme, The Monarchs/Stop Running and Return to Me. We have leaned into our faithful God as He teaches us, “Trust Me.” We have relished the victories of the conquest and entry to the Promised Land as we learned to “Never Give Up.” Now, we will wrestle with the reality of the Israelites, and our own tendency to run from God and breathe in the grace of His ever open arms waiting for our return to Him.
God never intended Israel to have any king other than Himself. However, in their running from God, the Hebrew people cried out to Him for an earthly king like all of the surrounding nations. The first problem is obvious, this request goes against the Israelites call to be set apart for the glory of their God. They were to be different in every way. From their government to their diets, their lives were to point to the one true God. Once again, I can relate to the Israelites. We are called to be His people and live lives set apart for His glory. All too often, my life too closely resembles the lives of those who do not know the Lord. I am so thankful for this reminder to take inventory and pray for wisdom and courage to live a life that points to God.
God, in His enduring patience, granted the Israelites their desire for an earthly monarch. He pointed out to Samuel the future king of Israel, Saul who was, “an impressive young man. There was no more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else” (1 Samuel 9:2). The Israelites embraced Saul as their king and his ordination brought great hope to them. Additionally, God told the Hebrew nation that, although they had demanded their king in defiance to Him, if they and their King would fear and serve Jehovah, all would be well. What a gracious God we serve!!
As we read, we see that the neither the people or their king are able to keep up their part of the bargain. At the moment when Samuel is to present King Saul to his people, Saul is nowhere to be found. This first act of disobedience is only a foreshadowing of what is to come. Saul has a spirit of self-reliance that represents the overall heart of the people at this time. Running from God to chase after the false hope of the world. As always, self reliance leads to jealousy, insecurity and fear. Neither Saul, nor the Israelites were meant to face battles alone. Neither are we.
God calls to Saul, throughout his reign, “Stop running and return to me.” Sadly, Saul never makes that choice. Eventually, Saul’s rebellious heart leads to the loss of his kingdom, the removal of the Spirit of God on him and eventually his life.
In the prologue of this tragic life, we see hope in David. We will dive into his life tomorrow. For now, I challenge you to reflect on your own life. What are you running after? I pray that we are never so busy running after things in this fallen world that we fail to realize we are running from God. He is calling, “Stop running and return to Me.” Do that now. He is ready and waiting with open arms.
Love to you all,
Kinsee
“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return empty, but accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”(Isaiah 55:11).
