“Adonai said to Sh’mu’el, ‘How much longer are you going to go on grieving for Sha’ul, now that I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and set out; I will send you to Yishai the Beit-Lachmi, because I have chosen myself a king from among his sons.’ Sh’mu’el said, ‘How can I go? If Sha’ul hears of it, he will have me killed.’ Adonai said, ‘Take a female cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Adonai.’”-1 Samuel 16:1-2
When the Lord instructs Samuel to go to Bethlehem to meet the new King of Israel whom he has elected, Samuel becomes frightened.
Why?
There are two reasons.
First, he was afraid Saul was beginning to lose his marbles.
Think about it.
Any man who would stubbornly ignore God’s declaration that he was no longer king wasn’t a homie to be trifled with.
Such a person’s mental faculties were bordering on irrationality if not pure madness.
Second, Samuel, being a northerner, was uncomfortable dealing with southern Judah because he felt like they might not trust him.
Let’s not forget Samuel hailed from the tribe of Ephraim which was the top tribe among the northern tribes.
The influential family of Yishai might’ve viewed Samuel as a spy.
And to King Saul and his friends up north, it could’ve seemed like Samuel was being disloyal or committing treason.
So Samuel was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Not sure what to do, Samuel turned to God.
In response, God told Samuel to take a heifer with him and tell the leaders of Bethlehem he had come to make a sacrifice.
This was a wise move because such an action would be seen as an honest attempt to mend the uneasy relationship between the northern and southern tribes.
Alright, so there’s a great takeaway here we can directly apply to our lives whenever we find ourselves in a worrisome situation just as Samuel was.
What did Samuel do when things seemed hopeless whether he turned to the left or the right?
The Scripture tells us Samuel turned to the Lord and got an answer about what to do.
And more importantly, despite his worries and fears, we’re told that Samuel OBEYED God.
So whenever you find yourself in a troublesome situation, go and do likewise.
And that’s all I have to say.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For whoever does the
will of my Father in heaven
is my brother and sister and mother.”
-Matthew 12:50
I am not sure that I would go along with the statement that there was animosity or mistrust between the Northern and Southern tribes, since this was way before the split under Rehaboam, but I would not be surprised if there was.
In any case, I agree that it is always the best thing to do, when scared or in doubt, to look to God for answers, and to obey what he says to do. If we who worship God, in these modern, godless times, aren’t sure if we will hear God, then we can still know what he wants us to do by reading what he wants everyone to do, and that is found in the Torah.
As for Sh’mu’el, being afraid of Shaul despite the close relationship Sh’mu’el had with God, shows that even the most righteous, godly, and empowered (by God) people are still human, and another lesson in this is that we shouldn’t berate ourselves if we are concerned, worried, or afraid of doing what we know to be right because God will always stand with the right.
Even if we die being right, it is better to be right with God and in his presence forever, than to be right with the world and spend eternity in hell.
Hi Steve,
I see animosity and mistrust between the Northern and Southern tribes even at this stage in Israel’s history.
Remember, it was the faithless northern tribes who vouched for and ultimately installed Saul as King…
And it was the southern tribes who were bitter over this decision.
Be blessed!