1Samuel He is celebrated by the people and anointed by the Spirit. And as he begins his reign, he will be tested early

Transcription

1 1Samuel The reign f Saul has begun He is celebrated by the peple and aninted by the Spirit And as he begins his reign, he will be tested early But the Lrd will shw Himself thrugh Saul t cnfirm Saul s authrity as king This is an imprtant early step fr Saul, since being king isn t merely abut persnal charisma r gd lks The peple need t knw that Saul isn t merely a pser Yet we knw that Saul has n frmal training fr this rle S it s entirely likely that Saul culd be in way ver his head But the Lrd s Spirit rests n Saul and that s all the preparatin he needs fr the jb The stry begins in chapter 11 1Sam. 11:1 Nw Nahash the Ammnite came up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men f Jabesh said t Nahash, Make a cvenant with us and we will serve yu. 1Sam. 11:2 But Nahash the Ammnite said t them, I will make it with yu n this cnditin, that I will guge ut the right eye f every ne f yu, thus I will make it a reprach n all Israel. 1Sam. 11:3 The elders f Jabesh said t him, Let us alne fr seven days, that we may send messengers thrughut the territry f Israel. Then, if there is n ne t deliver us, we will cme ut t yu. 1Sam. 11:4 Then the messengers came t Gibeah f Saul and spke these wrds in the hearing f the peple, and all the peple lifted up their vices and wept. 1Sam. 11:5 Nw behld, Saul was cming frm the field behind the xen, and he said, What is the matter with the peple that they weep? S they related t him the wrds f the men f Jabesh. The stry begins with an Ammnite named Nahash The Ammnites were the lngtime enemies f Israel living east f the Jrdan 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 1Samuel f 18 They are the descendants f Ammn, ne f sns frm Lt s incestuus relatinship with his daughters They have lng trmented the Israelites Earlier in the bk f Judges, the Ammnites had been defeated under the judge Japhthah Nw we hear f an Ammnite names Nahash wh seems t be intent n exacting revenge fr the earlier defeat He attacks at a place in the Jrdan river valley abut 25 miles suth f the Sea f Galilee The twn is called Jabesh-gilead and it apparently had n chance t defend itself against the Ammnites S the men f the twn ffer t surrender t the Ammnites In return they ask fr a cvenant f peace A cvenant wuld have cmmitted the Ammnites t preserve and defend the peple f the city They wuld have still been slaves f the Ammnites, but at least they wuldn t be killed In v.2 Nahash, whse name means serpent, replies that he will make a cvenant if every persn in the city agrees t have their right eye guged ut While this may sund especially cruel and certainly it is harsh treatment it was nt an unusual request Taking the right eye f an enemy vanquished in battle was a custm f the day The pint f maiming smene in this way was t eliminate their effectiveness in battle Withut a right eye, warrirs culdn t aim a bw and arrw And a sldier culdn t lk ut behind a shield that prtected the left eye Furthermre as Nahash says, the effect wuld be t make the peple a reprach in the land 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 1Samuel f 18 Their lack f tw eyes wuld frever mark them a defeated vassals f the Ammnites This is certainly a stiff penalty t keep yur earthly life In respnse the peple tell Nahash t give them seven days t see if they can find a better ffer They are lking fr defenders willing t lay their lives n the line t defend the city Nw why wuld Nahash agree t this cnditin? The nly explanatin is that Nahash had little reasn t think help wuld cme Remember, we re at the end f the time f judges when the natin did what was right in their wn eyes Which means they didn t perate as a single natin Each tribe and city lived semi-independently and ften with disregard fr sister tribes And Nahash assumes n ne else is ging t take up the invitatin t enter int a battle t the death fr this city S he s willing t wait a week t get what he wants withut a battle When the wrd reaches Saul s twn, the peple react with weeping ut f sympathy fr their brthers in Jabesh-gilead They weep assuming nthing culd be dne t stp this assault Israel desn t have a standing army And they have lst their warring strength fr the mst part S the peple naturally assume they have n way t save this twn Then Saul hears abut the threats Interestingly, we find him plwing his field He is the king f the land and yet he s simply returned t the wrk he did befre 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 1Samuel f 18 Why is Saul nt acting as king? The likely answer is that Saul didn t knw what else t d as king There was n palace t mve int There was n calendar f kingly events t attend t And he still needed t eat Als, this willingness t return t everyday activities cntinues t suggest he is a humble man at this pint He has n expectatins fr himself Perhaps Saul has begun t wnder if his new title means anything mre than a ceremnial rle We can nly speculate but all that is abut t change fr Saul 1Sam. 11:6 Then the Spirit f Gd came upn Saul mightily when he heard these wrds, and he became very angry. 1Sam. 11:7 He tk a yke f xen and cut them in pieces, and sent them thrughut the territry f Israel by the hand f messengers, saying, Whever des nt cme ut after Saul and after Samuel, s shall it be dne t his xen. Then the dread f the Lrd fell n the peple, and they came ut as ne man. 1Sam. 11:8 He numbered them in Bezek; and the sns f Israel were 300,000, and the men f Judah 30,000. 1Sam. 11:9 They said t the messengers wh had cme, Thus yu shall say t the men f Jabesh-gilead, Tmrrw, by the time the sun is ht, yu will have deliverance. S the messengers went and tld the men f Jabesh; and they were glad. Ntice at the utset that the Spirit f the Lrd cmes upn Saul in a mighty way The Spirit s pwer and directin is respnsible fr the sequence f events that fllws, which tells us that the Lrd is wrking t create the utcme But take nte first that the Spirit is said t cme upn Saul This suggests the Spirit was nt already with Saul Yet we saw earlier in this bk when the Spirit came upn Saul and changed his heart 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 1Samuel f 18 This is evidence that the wrk f the Spirit in this time desn t invlve a permanent indwelling The Spirit cmes at a time fr a purpse But then He may depart and that departure isn t necessarily an indicatin that the Spirit disapprves f r has abandned the individual It simply reflects the difference in the ministry f the Spirit in this day cmpared t the Church age The Spirit cmes as ges as needed t effect the utcme the Lrd desires The effect f the Spirit s arrival in this mment is t fill Saul with righteus anger, bld curage and wisdm Saul had a family cnnectin t this twn During the civil war at the end f Judges, the tribe f Benjamin was s devastated they the remaining men tk wives frm this twn S Saul is angered ver the prspect f his peple suffering S he immediately takes a yke f xen plwing his field and kills them n the spt in the field And he tk the pieces f xen and called messengers t carry them thrughut the land f Israel calling fr vlunteers fr the fight He says that Saul and Samuel call fr men t jin the fight t remind the peple that he was aninted by Samuel The pint f the xen pieces is bvius: refusing yur king s request meant lsing yur livelihd as farmers N xen meant n animals t wrk the field And Saul chse this sign because he anticipated that the peple might refuse his request by citing the need t remain in the fields and plw S Saul takes that excuse away, since withut xen they will have n need t remain in the fields 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 1Samuel f 18 Saul s chice t cut up the animal als harkens back t anther event that tk place in his hme twn That event is recrded in Judges 19 We ll cver it in ur Judges stry Ntice that the peple felt the dread f the Lrd That s a term we dn t hear ften The dread f the Lrd can als be translated the fear f the Lrd And that s a phrase we knw well It means that men and wmen realize they are being called t bey the Lrd And they are cncerned with the cnsequences f nt ding s This is a healthy state fr Gd s peple In ur mdern, enlightened culture we assume that fear is never a gd thing But that s nt the Bible s perspective Fear f the Lrd is a very gd thing Luke tells us that fear f the Lrd is external evidence that a church is healthy Acts 9:31 S the church thrughut all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjyed peace, being built up; and ging n in the fear f the Lrd and in the cmfrt f the Hly Spirit, it cntinued t increase. Fear f displeasing the Lrd and fearing the cnsequences f sin is abslutely the best place a Christian can be in a fallen wrld And it s the absence f this perspective that leads men and wmen t feel cmfrtable with sin And cmfrt with sin is never preferable t fear f the Lrd In this case, the fear f the Lrd led the natin t respnd in the right way by cming t fight in Saul s army 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 1Samuel f 18 A ttal f 330,000 men assemble in respnse t Saul s call This is by far the greatest military frce assembled in Israel since the days f Jshua 300 years earlier They are assembled in Bezek, which is abut 16 miles frm Jabesh-gilead The number is ntably specific 300,000 and 30,000 pints t the Lrd s wrk in raising this army, the number 3 being the number f Gd S here s the Spirit driving the peple t respect the authrity f Gd s aninted Finally, Saul tells the messengers t send wrd t the city that they will be rescued befre the end f the afternn the fllwing day Remember Saul has nly seven days t bring this fight t the city This includes travel time S we knw these events are unflding rapidly And when the city hears the news, they are glad fr bvius reasns 1Sam. 11:10 Then the men f Jabesh said, Tmrrw we will cme ut t yu, and yu may d t us whatever seems gd t yu. 1Sam. 11:11 The next mrning Saul put the peple in three cmpanies; and they came int the midst f the camp at the mrning watch and struck dwn the Ammnites until the heat f the day. Thse wh survived were scattered, s that n tw f them were left tgether. The next day was the seventh day, and s the city wed a respnse t Nahash T buy sme time, the men f the city cleverly say t Nahash they will cme ut f the city tmrrw, and he may d whatever seems gd In Hebrew, the wrds they spke were a little different They say yu can d what is right in yur eyes It s a way f suggesting they are ready t have their eyes put ut 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 1Samuel f 18 And yet they knw they are merely drawing the army ut in t the pen where they can be defeated by Saul The next mrning Saul appraches with three cmpanies f men, prbably abut 100,000 in each This is a huge frce and prbably dwarfed the Ammnites Since the Israelites hadn t mustered a frce f this size in three centuries, we can be sure the Ammnites were nt expecting such an ppnent Saul ruts the army f the Ammnites, scattering them s far apart that n man std with anther This is a huge victry fr Saul, ne the peple never expected We knw they didn t expect it because just a week earlier they were weeping at the news f the Ammnites threats N ne culd have anticipated that Israel culd act in unisn and with such pwer and success This was smething altgether new The time f Judges was a time when the peple did what each persn thught was right and best fr himself It was a selfish and hednistic culture Judges nly managed t hld the peple t Gd s law fr shrt perids f time But inevitably the peple turned back t their fleshly desires Their individualistic sin led t ruin time and time again, s the prspect f uniting in service t Gd and t great effect was virtually unknwn in the land But nw under a king the peple had a taste f what was pssible when led by Gd s aninted And they are excited fr what the future under a king means And they are determined t put t an end any dissensin against the Lrd s aninted 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 1Samuel f 18 1Sam. 11:12 Then the peple said t Samuel, Wh is he that said, Shall Saul reign ver us? Bring the men, that we may put them t death. 1Sam. 11:13 But Saul said, Nt a man shall be put t death this day, fr tday the Lrd has accmplished deliverance in Israel. 1Sam. 11:14 Then Samuel said t the peple, Cme and let us g t Gilgal and renew the kingdm there. 1Sam. 11:15 S all the peple went t Gilgal, and there they made Saul king befre the Lrd in Gilgal. There they als ffered sacrifices f peace fferings befre the Lrd; and there Saul and all the men f Israel rejiced greatly. We remember at the end f chapter 10 that sme men were dissenting at the crnatin f Saul as king At that time we re tld Saul said nthing in respnse t their bjectins Saul knew he was in n psitin t fight them anyway This was a wise decisin n his part Engaging in a fight befre yu have the high grund is suicide But nw Saul has the high grund s t speak He has wn a great military victry And the manner f the assembly and the utcme testify t the Lrd s wrking in Saul S the peple aren t just pleased with the victry, but they realize the Lrd is at wrk in this man S this the right mment fr Saul t cnslidate pwer knwing he has the supprt f all the peple Yet when they suggest the dissenters be put t death, Saul stps them Once again, Saul s heart seems t be in the right place He remarks that this is a victry wn by the Lrd fr His peple And therefre this is nt the right time fr vengeance We all celebrate this victry 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 1Samuel f 18 Saul s magnanimus gesture is a face-saving way fr his enemies t rethink their ppsitin Saul isn t unwilling t challenge his ppsitin He is simply giving them a chance t pledge their allegiance This is a far mre effective strategy t cnslidating pwer It s far better t cnslidate withut bldshed than by bldshed Therefre, Saul calls fr the peple t jin him in a secnd crnatin, ne absent dissenting vices This is the pprtunity fr thse wh previus ppsed Saul t change their minds publicly When the crnatin happens, these men will be amng thse bwing t the king And with that gesture, Saul puts an end t an ppsitin This als appears t have been a mment when the natin recmmitted itself t the cvenant f Mses They ffer peace sacrifices t the Lrd This seems t indicate that they are recnciling with the Lrd t the terms f that cvenant All f this is an artful and wise way fr Saul t shre up his psitin as king in the land And Samuel is recrding these details t reflect Saul s strng starting pint in his rle The Lrd aninted Saul and empwered him fr service And he s ding well, shwing patience, mercy and frtitude But this is nly a start This is the first f three times that Saul and Samuel will meet at Gilgal The secnd time will be a turning pint in Saul s reign as king when he turns frm gd t bad 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 1Samuel f 18 And the third will bring Saul s reign t an end Fr the past three chapters, we ve been talking abut the rise f a king in Israel In chapter 8 the peple asked fr a king and Samuel respnded Specifically, he warned the peple that asking fr a king wuld result in bad things happening But then the stry mves frward t the selectin f Saul And eventually in chapter 11 we see his success n the battlefield And all the while he seems humble and reasnable What happened t the prblems? Well they are cming, but Samuel first wants t emphasize the gd start any man can prduce In fact, t reinfrce Saul s gd start, Samuels the same stry twice In the next three chapters we again hear a warning frm Samuel Fllwed by Saul s adventures and success in battle with a humble heart But then the pattern will begin t change Let s lk at the beginning f that secnd pattern, starting with Samuel issuing yet anther warning t the peple abut fllwing a king 1Sam. 12:1 Then Samuel said t all Israel, Behld, I have listened t yur vice in all that yu said t me and I have appinted a king ver yu. 1Sam. 12:2 Nw, here is the king walking befre yu, but I am ld and gray, and behld my sns are with yu. And I have walked befre yu frm my yuth even t this day. 1Sam. 12:3 Here I am; bear witness against me befre the Lrd and His aninted. Whse x have I taken, r whse dnkey have I taken, r whm have I defrauded? Whm have I ppressed, r frm whse hand have I taken a bribe t blind my eyes with it? I will restre it t yu. 1Sam. 12:4 They said, Yu have nt defrauded us r ppressed us r taken anything frm any man s hand. 1Sam. 12:5 He said t them, The Lrd is witness against yu, and His aninted is witness this day that yu have fund nthing in my hand. And they said, He is witness Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 1Samuel f 18 Samuel s secnd warning is beginning t sund a little persnal, as if Samuel has been persnally wunded by their rejectin But in reality he s simply making a pint abut the state f their hearts He reminds them that when he was in charge as judge, he had dne nthing wrng in his service t the peple And the peple cnfirm his assertin in v.4 And Samuel ges an extra step and asks fr anyne t testify t the cntrary befre Gd whether Samuel has defrauded anyne Nw we remember that Samuel s sns were a prblem in these ways, and it was Samuel himself that recrded his sn s explits in this bk But Samuel als wants the recrd t reflect that he was nt a bad judge And furthermre, the call fr a king was nt the result f his mismanagement f the peple Thugh they pinted t his sns as a cause, in reality it was simply their wn desires leading them there He als says I m ld and I ve served yu my whle life We als knw this is true as earlier chapters tld us Samuel was wrking in the tabernacle frm an early age But nevertheless, it was the peple wh came t him and demanded a king He didn t suggest it; rather, he listened t their vice S the rise f a king in Israel culd never have been said t be a result f Samuel s errrs He hadn t been unfaithful t his rle in service t the peple They brught it upn themselves S with that ut f the way, Samuel prceeds t testify that their rejectin f the Lrd was als whlly unjustified 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 1Samuel f 18 1Sam. 12:6 Then Samuel said t the peple, It is the Lrd wh appinted Mses and Aarn and wh brught yur fathers up frm the land f Egypt. 1Sam. 12:7 S nw, take yur stand, that I may plead with yu befre the Lrd cncerning all the righteus acts f the Lrd which He did fr yu and yur fathers. 1Sam. 12:8 When Jacb went int Egypt and yur fathers cried ut t the Lrd, then the Lrd sent Mses and Aarn wh brught yur fathers ut f Egypt and settled them in this place. 1Sam. 12:9 But they frgt the Lrd their Gd, s He sld them int the hand f Sisera, captain f the army f Hazr, and int the hand f the Philistines and int the hand f the king f Mab, and they fught against them. 1Sam. 12:10 They cried ut t the Lrd and said, We have sinned because we have frsaken the Lrd and have served the Baals and the Ashtarth; but nw deliver us frm the hands f ur enemies, and we will serve Yu. 1Sam. 12:11 Then the Lrd sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel, and delivered yu frm the hands f yur enemies all arund, s that yu lived in security. 1Sam. 12:12 When yu saw that Nahash the king f the sns f Ammn came against yu, yu said t me, N, but a king shall reign ver us, althugh the Lrd yur Gd was yur king. Samuel s testimny befre the peple is f the Lrd s faithfulness in the face f the peple s repeated unfaithfulness The Lrd prmised t bring Israel ut f Egypt, which He did The Lrd sent a deliverer t the peple And kept His wrd spken t Abraham centuries earlier In v.9 Samuel says that when the peple entered the land, they sinned against Him by entering int idlatry He s summarizing the entire bk f Judges in a few verses The cycle f sin and rebellin was repeated thrughut the years f the judges Yet each time the peple cried ut fr relief, the Lrd respnded with mercy fr the peple Repeatedly, the Lrd sent judges t rescue the peple, men like Giden, Jephthah and lastly Samuel 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 1Samuel f 18 And nw the peple fund Nahash cming against them and thugh befre they cried t Gd fr deliverance this time they cried fr a king t save them Here is the the turning pint Samuel wants t emphasize The peple have lng been unfaithful t the Lrd And He has rutinely respnded with discipline thrugh the ppressin f Israel s enemies And this pattern was exactly what the Lrd prmised t d when He set frth the terms f the Msaic Cvenant with the peple And He has als been faithful t secure the victry when the peple asked But this time they didn t ask the Lrd Nw we knw the Lrd wrked thrugh Saul just as He had the judges But Samuel s pint is hw the hearts f the peple are changing, nt hw the Lrd is changing The Lrd has and will remain faithful But the peple are mving steadily away frm a reliance n the Lrd And the central prblem with seeking a king is the way it puts further distance between the peple and their dependence n the Lrd This still happens fr us tday The mre we becme self-dependent r at least imagine urselves t be self-sufficient, the mre we frget hw utterly dependent we truly are n the Lrd This is the nature f sinful flesh...we imagine urselves t be little gds at all times, in cntrl f everything The peple f Israel were willing t turn t a human king ver an all-pwer Gd because ur flesh is always mre attracted t fleshly things Spiritual slutins generally take a backseat t smething f the wrld 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 1Samuel f 18 And nw that the peple have a king, they will turn t him befre seeking the Lrd Nw the irny is that the Lrd is still n the thrne and ruling, even thugh a king But ur awareness f Him has been diminished And ur flesh begins t verrule ur spirit That s Samuel s cncern and his warning fr the peple as he watches them seek after and celebrate Saul s victry Even thugh in the past the Lrd has been faithful t prvide these victries nce the peple s heart has turned back t Him Samuel makes this very pint next 1Sam. 12:13 Nw therefre, here is the king whm yu have chsen, whm yu have asked fr, and behld, the Lrd has set a king ver yu. 1Sam. 12:14 If yu will fear the Lrd and serve Him, and listen t His vice and nt rebel against the cmmand f the Lrd, then bth yu and als the king wh reigns ver yu will fllw the Lrd yur Gd. 1Sam. 12:15 If yu will nt listen t the vice f the Lrd, but rebel against the cmmand f the Lrd, then the hand f the Lrd will be against yu, as it was against yur fathers. Samuel says this gate swings bth ways Even thugh yu have selected a king ver yu, bth yu and yur king must cntinue t seek and serve the Lrd just as was expected in the time f Judges If yu d these things, then bth the peple and the king will prsper accrding t the terms f the cvenant If yu fail t bey the Lrd, then everyne will suffer In ther wrds, having a king desn t change the cvenant r the peple s requirement t knw, fllw and bey the Lrd And then Samuel gives the peple a sign frm the Lrd t cnfirm his wrds and the peple respnd 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 1Samuel f 18 1Sam. 12:16 Even nw, take yur stand and see this great thing which the Lrd will d befre yur eyes. 1Sam. 12:17 Is it nt the wheat harvest tday? I will call t the Lrd, that He may send thunder and rain. Then yu will knw and see that yur wickedness is great which yu have dne in the sight f the Lrd by asking fr yurselves a king. 1Sam. 12:18 S Samuel called t the Lrd, and the Lrd sent thunder and rain that day; and all the peple greatly feared the Lrd and Samuel. 1Sam. 12:19 Then all the peple said t Samuel, Pray fr yur servants t the Lrd yur Gd, s that we may nt die, fr we have added t all ur sins this evil by asking fr urselves a king. 1Sam. 12:20 Samuel said t the peple, D nt fear. Yu have cmmitted all this evil, yet d nt turn aside frm fllwing the Lrd, but serve the Lrd with all yur heart. 1Sam. 12:21 Yu must nt turn aside, fr then yu wuld g after futile things which can nt prfit r deliver, because they are futile. 1Sam. 12:22 Fr the Lrd will nt abandn His peple n accunt f His great name, because the Lrd has been pleased t make yu a peple fr Himself. 1Sam. 12:23 Mrever, as fr me, far be it frm me that I shuld sin against the Lrd by ceasing t pray fr yu; but I will instruct yu in the gd and right way. 1Sam. 12:24 Only fear the Lrd and serve Him in truth with all yur heart; fr cnsider what great things He has dne fr yu. 1Sam. 12:25 But if yu still d wickedly, bth yu and yur king will be swept away. Samuel prves that his wrds are spken under the inspiratin f the Spirit by use f a supernatural sign This sign was perfrmed in rder t validate the wrd f the prphet befre the peple And they certainly get the pint The fear f the Lrd returns fr the peple, leading them t cnfess their sin and pledge bedience These are nice wrds, but Samuel knws they are empty unless backed by actin S Samuel repeats that they cannt place their trust in fruitless things The Lrd is here t stay and His relatinship with His peple will nt cme t an end They cannt escape accuntability t the cvenant He established with them 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

17 1Samuel f 18 Furthermre, Samuel will cntinue in his rle t guide and pray fr the peple even as they have asked fr a king The ultimate curse fr this peple is t fear the Lrd, serve Him in truth and cnsider the great things the Lrd has dne fr His peple I recmmend yu circle v.24 in yur Bible Meditate n Samuel s cunsel If yu want t remain in the pleasure f the Lrd, repeat these three spiritual disciplines and watch hw it impacts yur bedience First, Samuel says fear the Lrd We ve already spken n the spiritual value f maintaining a healthy fear f the Lrd s judgment and the cnsequences f nt pleasing Him Never let g f that perspective and yu will be in a gd psitin t chse right ver wrng Yur flesh will be disciplined by yur fear And yu will see yurself becming mre Christ-like as the Spirit uses that fear t mtivate yur gd behavir Secndly, serve the Lrd in truth Samuel jins tw principles int ne Serving the Lrd means devting yur life s purpse t the purpses f Gd and His glry and His kingdm Make yur life abut that utcme and d s infrmed by the truth f Scripture Studying and understanding Gd s wrd is essential t uncvering Gd s purpses in yur life and in yur ministry S study the wrd t knw Gd s will and then seek t serve that will in yur gals and pririties f life Finally, Samuel cnsider the great things the Lrd has dne fr yu, beginning with yur salvatin 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

18 1Samuel f 18 Make regular bservance f all His prvisin, mercy, kindness and lve fr yu Talk t yur family and friends abut all the Lrd has dne and is ding t care fr yu and grw yu in Christ Keep these things n the frnt f yur mind, and yu will be less tempted t stray after wrldly ffers fr the same Just as Israel shuld have remembered the Lrd s faithfulness t them, instead f thinking abut what earthly kings culd give them This is a great antidte t ur flesh s desire fr the next big thing instead f resting in the Lrd With these reminders, Samuel ends with a final warning If they d wicked things, expect the Lrd t bring a judgment upn the peple And n earthly king will be able t save them r stp the judgment The Lrd remains n His thrne 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.