SOAP 06/06/2015; 1 Samuel 16:23

Today's reading: 1 Samuel 16

S ) "²³ So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him."

1 Samuel 16:23 (NASB)

O) The Bible is clear, that God does not tempt anyone (see James 1:13). God does, however, discipline and test us. As much as we could be fearful about the implications that the Holy Spirit was removed from Saul, and God afflicted him with an evil spirit (see v.14), the verse above concludes that the LORD provided a balance. God made a way for Saul to find relief. Saul, if he would humble himself to get help from a man of God (i.e. David, playing his harp), then he would find relief from his affliction. The entire Bible is the story of reconciliation, the gospel of God providing a way to bring His creation back into fellowship with Him. This verse is another example that, even in His judgment, God still desires restoration.

A) There are promises made to me, as a follower of Christ. For example, the Bible makes it clear that God will never leave me or forsake me. It also promises that nothing can separate me from God's love. As long as I am following Christ, living a life of repentance submitted to God (that is, when I am in covenant with Him), then I am promised very many, sure, eternal promises. There was a time, though, when I was not submitted to Him. I had abandoned God with my actions, if not with my words or beliefs. I was not living a life of faith in Him. Even still, He was faithful to send a man of God my way. Through the prayers of many faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, I repented and came back to my Father as a prodigal son. I am forever thankful that He still sought me out for reconciliation.

P) Father, the faithfulness You displayed in my life is amazing grace. You never stopped pursuing me, even when I had forgotten You. I thought I didn't need You anymore, and I tried to walk away, but You were faithful in sending Your servants to minister to me, even when I didn't recognize or appreciate it. Thank You for that grace. Lord, let me also be obedient. Help me to be the tool in Your hand, the instrument that can play a love song, that might bring troubled people back to You. Father God, only a right relationship with You, can heal broken hearts and restore souls. Open blind eyes, and open deaf ears, and let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/05/2015; 1 Samuel 13:11-12

Today's reading: 1 Samuel 13

S ) "¹¹ But Samuel said, 'What have you done?' And Saul said, 'Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, ¹² therefore I said, "Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD." So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.'"

1 Samuel 13:11-12 (NASB)

O) Saul made a destructive, but common mistake. This is a perfect example of blame-shifting. In many ways, this highlights the difference between Saul and David. Both of these kings made grave mistakes, even regarding the priestly order (where Saul sacrificed offerings himself (v.9), and David ate the showbread (see Matthew 12:3-4)). The big difference, though, is the reaction these men had. David repented whenever he was confronted with his sins, but Saul tried to make excuses.

A) This is not original to Saul, and it certainly did not end with him. We can see Adam blame-shifting in the story of the Fall of Man. Thousands of years later, I have found myself tempted to shift blame when I have sinned. It's not usually a sense of trying to justify my sins, so much as it seems to be that I naturally try to mitigate my guilt. Remembering stories where blame-shifting, not only didn't work, but costs the men even more than their initial sin - these cautionary tales should help me remember humility. David was described as a "man after God's heart" (even in this same chapter, v.14). That quality, as David is described as having, is clearly the heart of confession of sins, and repentance.

P) Father, You are omnipotent. There is no fooling You. You are completely just, and there is no arguing my case, or pleading for a lesser punishment. You are completely sovereign, and in my sins, I am completely guilty. Change my heart, Lord, that I would lose the impulse to shift blame. Let me confess my sins plainly to You, and to anyone against whom I have sinned. Please forgive my sins, not because of my own cleverness, not because of anything I can say or do. Please forgive my sins because of the work of Jesus Christ, and to Your glory. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/04/2015; 1 Samuel 12:24-25

Today's reading: 1 Samuel 12

S ) "²⁴ Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. ²⁵ But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away."

1 Samuel 12:24-25 (NASB)

O) Earlier in this chapter, Samuel had just established that Saul was, indeed, anointed as king over Israel. Then, he laid out the reasons why it was, that the people asking for such a king was a sin against the LORD. Confronted with this truth, the people cried to Samuel, asking him to intercede on their behalf. In the above passage, we see Samuel giving a final caution. He assured the people that all was not lost. If they would repent, and put their whole allegiance with the LORD as King (as opposed to earthly kings and kingdoms), then they may still be saved. He instructed them in three things, and contrasted it with their wicked history. He said they must fear the LORD alone, and they must serve Him completely and authentically. He also said they must reflect on the miracles of the LORD. Fearing God, serving God, remembering God.

A) While the application of this warning has a different form to me, it still very much applies today. In the United States, we very much elect our leaders (in the form of presidency). Every four years, there is an urgency in our country, to try and discern (through prayer, media, or otherwise), who is best equipped to lead our country. I think in a lot of ways, we Christians place too much emphasis on our presidential election. Clearly, as we read the story of Saul's ascension to the throne of Israel, we read that God is not impressed by the majority system. In my cross-section of culture (that is, the Christian-American), there tends to be a lot of pride and value placed on the democratic process and republic government. First and only, I must fear the LORD, serving Him completely. I don't think there is any problem in patriotism, per se. I don't think it is wrong to be involved in politics, or to be the beneficiary of government programs. I pay taxes (and receive tax credits), I am glad to pay for public education (although we homeschool our kids). I am thankful to have law enforcement and fire departments. I vote prayerfully. But, all of that must be secondary (at best), to my fear of the LORD, my servitude toward Him, my worship and praise of His ways. The Bible makes it very clear, that governments rise and fall, circumstances change dramatically even within a single generation. The only thing that will preserve me in hope, through every tribulation, will be my complete devotion to Jesus Christ. In that, I will never be swept away.

P) Father, You are my only source of security. My life is in Your hands, because You alone are completely sovereign. I know that if You bar the way, none can cross, and if You will for something to happen, You can intervene to make it happen. I know that I must continually seek Your will alone, and concern myself with obedience to You, devotion to You, and worship to You. Help me to lay aside the worldly concerns that the media tries to put on my shoulders. Help me to set aside my own fleshly desire to orchestrate circumstances to, what I think, is my best advantage. I am woefully shortsighted. I have imperfect perception. Let me seek You and Your kingdom, first and only. Open my eyes to see, and my ears to hear, and let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/03/2015; 1 Samuel 11:12-13

Today's reading: 1 Samuel 11

S ) "¹² Then the people said to Samuel, 'Who is he 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 accomplished deliverance in Israel.'"

1 Samuel 11:12-13 (NASB)

O) In the previous chapter, Samuel had anointed Saul as king, and the majority of the Israelites supported him as their king. But, at the end of chapter 10, we read that there were some who did not support him. The Bible refers to them as "worthless men." Well, in this chapter, there was a siege at Jabesh-gilead, and Saul rallied the entire nation of Israel to come to their aid. After the city was delivered from the Ammonites, Saul had essentially proven himself as worthy of kingship, and so his followers were full of zeal for him. To this point in Saul's story, he had done nothing to jeopardize his reign, and in his response in the above verse, we see him still giving glory to the LORD, and desiring to reflect God's grace back onto His people. God had just delivered them from death at the hands of a foreign threat, so Saul had mercy on his domestic opponents, because that preserved the lives of his countrymen from threat, without and within.

A) There is a careful balance between grace and mercy. The LORD is totally just, as a completely righteous judge. But, He also desires mercy for all (see 2 Peter 3:9). However, when I am wronged, there is sometimes still a tendency for me to want justice, punishment, and not much mercy for the offender (hear me now, this is not regular, but it happens). The reality, though, is that I need to approach every conflict with the same grace that the LORD has afforded me, in the mercy I received through Jesus Christ. But by the grace of God go I. Just as Saul saw the present grace in the lives of those whom the LORD had just delivered, I need to recognize the grace present in my own life (ever-present grace, that it is), and it should be my desire that the same grace would be shown to those in conflict against me. I cannot impart God's grace to them (that is, I cannot force the hand of God to save them by grace), but I can show them the form of grace I have received, by reflecting grace to them. In that way, I might glorify Him who saved me by His grace.

P) Father, Your grace overwhelmed me. Everyday, I can see how I still need Your grace, I still need Your mercy. Open my eyes to see the need of carrying that grace to others. Open my ears, to hear their needs. Whether a person sins against me, or I simply learn of the offense, give me the patient perspective to see how You would approach the person. Give me the wisdom and direction, to react in obedience that will glorify You. Clear my mind of misconceptions, clear my heart of misgivings. Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/02/2015; 1 Samuel 9:20

Today's reading: 1 Samuel 9

S) "²⁰ As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?"

1 Samuel 9:20 (NASB)

O) Saul was the son of a wealthy Benjamite, named Kish. In the beginning of this chapter, we learned that Kish was missing some donkeys, so he sent Saul with a servant to find the lost animals. After their journey was winding down (they had no food left, and had searched a considerable amount of land), they were about to give up and return home. Saul's servant suggested they seek the LORD on the matter, as Samuel's home town was near them (see vv.1-14). Having been prepared by God, Samuel was ready for Saul to come along, and he was told on sight that this would be the first king of Israel, to deliver them from the Philistines and establish God's kingdom (see v.15-17). This is the context, these are the events that led up to Saul being anointed as Israel's first king. There were lost donkeys. Obviously, as the story unfolds, there are much more important issues at hand for Saul to consider, but I love what we read about who God is, in the above verse. God didn't simply tell Saul that there were weightier things than donkeys. God didn't ask him to ignore his first responsibility, because of some greater good to be done. In His sovereign planning, God relieved Saul of the duty by handling the issue separately. This settled the matter in Saul's mind, so he was fully available to God, through the ministry of Samuel, to set to work immediately for God's other purposes. This is not always how God works (see Matthew 8:21-22), but when He does, the grace is amazing.

A) When this brief story of Saul (because, certainly not all of his life was this good), is put in context with other parts of the Bible (especially Matthew 6:25-34), we can see that this is consistent with God's character. He doesn't always address my peripheral concerns the way I might expect, but trusting His promises while I pursue Him first, and put His kingdom first, will help me better appreciate the amazing grace He reveals, when I look back upon my life. It is hard to relinquish control at times, but time after time I gain testimonies about His grace and provision, when I let go of my concerns, in order to seek Him fully.

P) Father, Your goodness is not debatable. You have proven Yourself good to me, over and over and over. Yet, I confess, I still have a hard time relinquishing my concerns, my desires, my fears, to the grace I know that You have in store for me. Help me to trust that You will provide and care for all of my needs, and the things You do not handle (at least, not as I expect), are because You know a better way. You are nothing but good, so I need to trust that everything I let go of... it is always worth it in the end, so I can pursue You more fully. Help me find my satisfaction, security, and peace, in pursuing You alone. Be glorified in my life. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 06/01/2015; 1 Samuel 7:8-9

Today's reading: 1 Samuel 7

S) "⁸ Then the sons of Israel said to Samuel, 'Do not cease to cry to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.' ⁹ Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel and the Lord answered him."

1 Samuel 7:8-9 (NASB)

O) The Philistines had relinquished the ark of God, but they were still warring with Israel. The people had just recommitted themselves to the Lord (see vv.1-4), and were now seeking the help of Samuel, that he would pray to the LORD on their behalf, for victory and deliverance. The reason this passage stands out, is their use of the phrase, "Do not cease," while qualifying it with their salvation. Then immediately, Samuel took to action. Not only did he pray until he received an answer, but he sacrificed on their behalf - that is, he went further than their request, in order to meet their needs.

A) The detailed application of this would look different today. There are no temple sacrifices, first of all. Also, because of the reconciliation we have through Christ Jesus, nobody requires prayer by some officer of God. There is no high priest except Jesus, and we can all have a right relationship directly with God, because of His Son. Taking that further, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, given by Jesus, we now share direct communion with God. Having said all of that, there are still times when we request that others join us in prayer for our needs. Just as I might ask someone to pray, and hope they do not delay, neither should I delay in taking action on behalf of my brothers and sisters, when they ask me for help. Also, just as Samuel went beyond the spoken need of those to whom he was ministering, because he knew what needed to be done, I should also be willing to go beyond what people ask of me, in order to meet their needs.

P) Father, the relationships I have because of Your redemption, are even more powerful than blood relationships. My spiritual brothers and sisters are even more important to me, than the brothers and sisters that grew up with me. Give me the discipline to respond to them with conviction, grace, and love, when they need help. Give me wisdom, strength, and resources, to help those in need, even if they do not speak everything that I can or should do. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 05/31/2015; 1 Samuel 5:2-3

Today's reading: 1 Samuel 5

S) "² Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. ³ When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again."

1 Samuel 5:2-3 (NASB)

O) The ramifications upon the Philistines came very quickly, for taking the ark of God. I sometimes wonder how things might have gone for them, had they not immediately defiled the LORD, but taking the ark into the house of Dagon, but they did. So, there is now the mental image of their immense idol, in the middle of their ornate temple, with all of the pomp that they could muster for their false deity, and when they brought in the ark of God. The ark was not an idol, although the Israelites had mistakenly idolized it. The ark was, however, very quickly revealed to be holy, as the LORD took action to show His power because of the presence of this holy of holy artifacts in the presence of such an unholy and false god. The LORD moved to make the idol, Dagon, fall on his face before the LORD, so that the image changed from one of the presence of this statue towering over this little box, to one of submission as this statue was bowed in worship toward the presence of the LORD, with the ark of God. In the next several verses, we see how God took a step further to show the impotence of their false god, and then the LORD began to fight against the Philistines themselves, killing them, causing illnesses, and confusion among them. They immediately recognized the evident power of the LORD, as they tried multiple times to move the ark from one location to another, to avoid the wrath of the living God.

A) This chapter delivers a very clear message: the LORD God does not need people to defend Him. I can actually see an echo of this when Jesus is being arrested, and Peter cut the ear of one of the guards. Then, throughout the imprisonment of Jesus, never once were the disciples reprimanded for not rescuing Him (which would have caused problems anyway, since He was fulfilling redemptive prophecies). But, back to our verses above, we see that God will triumph over every false-god and counterfeit religion. While I am called to share the gospel (as I believe every Christian should), I do not need to defend God. This is actually an area where Christians can (and should) differentiate ourselves from so many other religious people. Countless followers of other religions have some kind of obligation to defend their gods, prophets, or teachings. Perhaps most notoriously, countless people have been killed for depicting Mohammed, the highest prophet of Islam. Our beliefs very clearly show us that we are never required to defend God against physical threats, with physical defenses. Furthermore, we are admonished to remember that we do not fight against flesh and blood, anyway, because the real foe is satan. The real fight is spiritual. Whether physical or spiritual, God does not need us to defend Him.

P) Father, You are supremely powerful. You are able, whenever it pleases You, to reveal Yourself in victorious power over all of Your enemies. Throughout time, You have fought physically, on behalf of Yourself or Your people. You are fully capable of avenging any wrongdoing, and every blasphemy. You are holy, sovereign, all-knowing, and all-powerful. Be glorified, and direct me to obedience in what You do require from me. Help me remain humble, to allow You to handle everything else. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

SOAP 05/30/2015; 1 Samuel 4:10-11

Today's reading: 1 Samuel 4

S) "¹⁰ So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. ¹¹ And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died."

1 Samuel 4:10-11 (NASB)

O) Earlier in this chapter, we see the Israelites lose a large battle against the Philistines. The reaction of Israel was to go nab the ark of the covenant, and take it into the fray of battle. Initially, it seemed to be working. In v.5, the Israelites were letting out an intimidating roar, and the next four verses show the effects on the Philistines they might have hoped to see. Then, when we get to the verses above, we see that the effect was all hype and no substance.

A) When I really break this down, I see the Israelites had idolized the ark of the covenant. They assumed they could harness the box like a weapon, controlling a vessel of God, to unleash upon foes they targeted. This hype, this idolatry, still exists today. There is a trap, that I can start seeking the effects of God, instead of seeking God, Himself. The Israelites would have done better, to seek the LORD, and His direction and plan, to determine their actions in obedience. It should always start with relationship to Him, which is where I must always start.

P) Father, you are worthy of my devotion to You, and not to what You do. In the face of battles, spiritual or physical, conflict or chaos, let me seek You for who You are, not what You do. I confess that Your will is better than mine, Your plan should prevail. I submit myself to Your sovereignty and wisdom. Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.