1S14-25: Two Worldly Principles That God Is Against

“So Sha’ul took over the rulership of Isra’el. He fought against all his enemies on every side — against Mo’av, the people of ‘Amon, Edom, the kings of Tzovah and the P’lishtim. No matter which way he turned, he defeated them.”– 1 Samuel 14:47

After the victory at Mikhmas Pass, verse 47 details how Saul maintained his military strength in the region.

We’re told he was victorious over Moab, Edom, Ammon, and the Philistines.

Then, later on, he would launch an attack against Amalek.

We’ll get into the Amalek battle in the next chapter.

We’re also given the names of all of Saul’s sons.

In total, they’re listed five times in the Hebrew Bible but only Jonathan and Ishboshesh will play major roles in the stories connected to Saul and his descendants.

Keep in mind these genealogies of family history served as proof to show who they were talking about.

We’re also given the name of Saul’s top commander.

His name was Avner.

In Hebrew, his name literally means “my father is Ner”.

This fits in perfectly with the verse in this passage which says he was the son of Ner.

We’re told he was also Sha’ul’s uncle.

The important thing to note here is that as usual, it was the closest family members who were given the juiciest positions of power under the king.

This was obvious because family members could be counted on to be loyal and keep the generational wealth and power inside the clan.

Now, I’m sensing an interesting takeaway here.

When it comes to amassing power, it has always been the way of fleshly man to abide by two fleshly principles.

The first principle is to adhere to the worldly version of the Golden Rule which says “He who has all the gold rules”.

In other words, this is nothing less than the worship of and reliance on money for one’s peace of mind, security, and confidence in the world.

Pretty much every person on the planet is controlled by the fear of losing money, or the lust to get as much of it as he or she can.

It’s why men lie, cheat, and steal…

It’s also why women go into prostitution, marry rich men, and then quickly divorce them.

To me, there’s nothing sadder than a man whose self-esteem is connected to the size of his bank account.

Onward.

The second principle is the worship of blood ties and family members when it comes to dispensing power and wealth within an organization.

I’m talking about good ‘ole nepotism here baby.

In other words, the idea is that no matter what, let’s “keep it in the family baby” is the guiding rule.

We see this principle at play whenever someone is promoted or assigned positions of power not because of talent or capability, but simply because they’re relatives, friends, or associates.

Now, what I find interesting is that the God of the Bible seems to be staunchly against and constantly working to override these two fleshly principles mankind is handcuffed by.

Yes, he has chosen the descendants of Jacob to be His special chosen and cherished people.

But, at the same time, He has provided a way for anyone to be grafted into Israel through faith in His Son.

Yeshua also said…

“And do not think you can say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our father.’
I tell you that out of these stones
God can raise up children for Abraham.”
-Matthew 3:9

Rabbi Shaul (the Apostle Paul) also wrote…

“There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free,
there is neither male nor female;
for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua.
And if you are Messiah’s,
then you are Abraham’s offspring,
heirs according to promise.”
-Galatians 3:28-29

And when it comes to the worship of wealth, the Torah says…

“You shall remember the LORD your God,
for it is he who gives you power to get wealth,
that he may confirm his covenant
that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
-Deuteronomy 8:18

Did you catch that homie?

There are two important points articulated in that verse.

First, it is God who gives you the power to get wealth…

And not saying 20 billion New Agey affirmations a day while you try to manifest dollars out of the sky via the power of your thoughts.

Second, the purpose of wealth in the first place is to confirm God’s covenant…

Not to save up a bunch of cash so you can fly off to Bangkok, Thailand, and bang 20 whores in one night or something.

Ya, feel me here?

Dang, this is getting long.

So let me close with this.

For those who wake up every morning and go to bed every night with only the thought of money on their minds, I leave you these following verses from the Messiah.

 “No one can serve two masters.
Either you will hate the one
and love the other,
or you will be devoted to the one
and despise the other.
You cannot serve
both God and money.
Therefore I tell you,
do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink;
or about your body,
what you will wear.
Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothes?
 Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap
or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them.
Are you not much more
valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying
add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the flowers of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon
in all his splendor was dressed
like one of these.  If that is how God
clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow
is thrown into the fire, will he not
much more clothe you—you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying,
‘What shall we eat?’
or ‘What shall we drink?’
or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the gentiles run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows
that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom
and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
-Matthew 6:25-34

Oh, and this is a good one too!