Today we begin 1 Samuel Chapter 12.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.
For the King James version, click HERE.
Pastors, Bible teachers, and preachers make one big mistake when it comes to understanding Chapter 12 of 1st Samuel.
They assume that Samuel is giving a farewell address here.
But that’s not true.
Samuel isn’t dying or disappearing.
Nor is he retiring.
His role is changing.
That’s all.
Since Saul is now king, Samuel has to officially settle things with those he’s led and served over the past several decades now that his role as Israel’s political leader is coming to an end.
The people asked for an earthly ruler, and Samuel obeyed the Lord by giving them what they wanted.
But now Israel is beginning to understand the depth of what they’ve done by rejecting God’s lordship and installing a human king in His place.
Let’s not forget how this all started.
The desire for an earthly ruler originated from Israel’s desire to be like the Goyim or the Gentiles.
They wanted to be like all the other nations and in the process they forgot their chosenness and the special relationship they had with the One who had chosen them.
The foolishness of their decision was now beginning to dawn on them like a dark cloud emerging from the horizon.
But it was too late to go back.
They chose an earthly king over God…
And now, they had to live with that decision.
However, there was still a glimmer of hope left in Samuel.
Although, he would be operating behind the scenes…
He would still remain to intercede for Israel, pray for them, and teach them God’s ways.
There’s a lot of lessons to extract from this.
But for me, the biggest one is the dangerous desire to seek to forsake my identity in God in order to be like the world.
It’s a temptation every believer struggles with every day.
The desire for power, wealth, and sex.
It’s the desire for these things that causes men to lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, go into debt, and in extreme cases, even kill.
This was Israel’s struggle back then.
This is my struggle today.
And I hazard to guess, it’s your struggle as well.
Am I right?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For everything in the world
—the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life
—comes not from the Father
but from the world.”
-John 2:16
Yes, that is my struggle, too.
There are times I don’t get what I want – right when I want it – and I become *ruthless* and *relentless* in renewed pursuit of it. Scary.
James 4
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within your members? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
. . .Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Yup. Totally agree Eric. That’s why reminding ourselves that the world and everything inside it is passing away is so important.
That is true.
Really a daily battle. The desire for power, wealth, and sex summarizes it.all.
They are all also real and necessary.
The problem has to do with how it is practiced, who is involved and sometimes why?
This is a THESIS most of us have re-sit and are not yet perfected.
What we cannot do without is the constant Fellowship and reminder and frequent study of the Word of God
2 Tim 3: 16-17
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work
May God help us
Thanks