Key Verse: 1 Samuel 13:14, "But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command."
In one Episode of the television classic The Andy Griffith Show, Aunt Bea ran for city council. Her motto was that if the people of Mayberry wanted something, she'd do her best to accomplish it. Her opponent Howard Sprague pointed out that what people wanted wasn't necessarily what was best for them.
The period of the judges was coming to an end. Samuel, the last of the judges, was growing old. His sons were greedy and corrupt, not suitable successors. The people cried out for a king to lead them so they could be like other nations. Samuel told them a king would draft their sons for battle and make slaves of their daughters. He pointed out that a king would tax them and take their crops and cattle. Still the people cried for a king.
Saul became the first king of Israel at the age of 30, and he ruled for 42 years. A few victories in the early years of his reign convinced the Hebrews they'd made the right choice. Then things started going downhill. Saul showed impatience and a lack of respect fro the priesthood by offering his own sacrifice. Then, during a battle with the Amalekites, Saul disobeyed Samuel's instructions by not killing King Agag. The book of 1 Samuel records that God was sorry he'd made Saul king of Israel.
The overall failure of Saul's rule as king can be summed up in one word-disobedience. The Hebrew people were disobedient to God when they demanded a king, and Saul was disobedient in many of his actions while he was king. But God's purposes always prevail, and the best days in the history of Israel were about to begin.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Student Devotion Week 27: Samuel: Hearing God's Voice
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 3:21, "The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word."
It's always been tough to be a godly young person, even in Old Testament days. Consider the life of young Samuel. He was raised in the temple by the high priest Eli and had to live around Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were also priests. To say these two sons were bad news is an understatement. They'd keep the best part of meat sacrifices for themselves, they seduced young women at the temple, and they had no respect for God. But even though Samuel was surrounded by band influences, he continued to do things that were pleasing to God.
When Samuel was very young, he heard the voice of God one night. The Bible states that visions and messages from God were rare in those days. And as Samuel grew, so did his reputation as a godly man and a man of wisdom. God continued to speak to Samuel and used him to prepare Israel for the transition from the period of the judges to the period of the kings.
One of the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote in Ecclesiastes 12:1, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them." John Wesley said Solomon's negative reference to old age was due to his looking back with regret over his teenage years.
Can God do great things in the life of a teenager? He certainly did with Samuel.
Is it possible for a teenager to resist negative peer pressure and live a life that pleases God? Samuel did that very thing his entire life.
Are you living y0ur life in a way that honors God? Will you be able to one day look back over your teenage years with no regrets?
It's always been tough to be a godly young person, even in Old Testament days. Consider the life of young Samuel. He was raised in the temple by the high priest Eli and had to live around Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were also priests. To say these two sons were bad news is an understatement. They'd keep the best part of meat sacrifices for themselves, they seduced young women at the temple, and they had no respect for God. But even though Samuel was surrounded by band influences, he continued to do things that were pleasing to God.
When Samuel was very young, he heard the voice of God one night. The Bible states that visions and messages from God were rare in those days. And as Samuel grew, so did his reputation as a godly man and a man of wisdom. God continued to speak to Samuel and used him to prepare Israel for the transition from the period of the judges to the period of the kings.
One of the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote in Ecclesiastes 12:1, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them." John Wesley said Solomon's negative reference to old age was due to his looking back with regret over his teenage years.
Can God do great things in the life of a teenager? He certainly did with Samuel.
Is it possible for a teenager to resist negative peer pressure and live a life that pleases God? Samuel did that very thing his entire life.
Are you living y0ur life in a way that honors God? Will you be able to one day look back over your teenage years with no regrets?
Monday, March 15, 2010
Student Devotional Week 26: Hannah: Plea & Praise
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 1:27-28, "'I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.' And he worshiped the Lord there."
Many churches hold baby dedication services once or twice a year. Parents stand with their babies at the front of the church and make a promise to both God and the congregation that their child will learn Christian beliefs and values. How would you react if, at the end of the service, a mother gave her son to the pastor and said that since she'd prayed for a child and her prayer was answered, she wanted to give him up to serve God? That's similar to what a woman in the Old Testament did with her son.
Elkanah had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. Childless Hebrew women were viewed as dishonored by God. And to add to Hannah's anguish, Peninnah made fun of her constantly for not having any children. During her yearly visit to the temple. Hannah poured out her soul to God in prayer. She made a vow that if God would give her a son, she'd dedicate him totally to God.
God answered Hannah's prayer for a son quickly and completely. She became pregnant and had Samuel, which means "heard of the Lord." Hannah also kept her promise. After Samuel was weaned, she brought him to the priest, Eli, for service to God. She literally gave her son to God.
Sometimes you may believe God isn't answering your prayers. But regardless of how you feel, the God of the universe will always hear your prayer. And God answers every prayer in his time and in his way.
Many churches hold baby dedication services once or twice a year. Parents stand with their babies at the front of the church and make a promise to both God and the congregation that their child will learn Christian beliefs and values. How would you react if, at the end of the service, a mother gave her son to the pastor and said that since she'd prayed for a child and her prayer was answered, she wanted to give him up to serve God? That's similar to what a woman in the Old Testament did with her son.
Elkanah had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. Childless Hebrew women were viewed as dishonored by God. And to add to Hannah's anguish, Peninnah made fun of her constantly for not having any children. During her yearly visit to the temple. Hannah poured out her soul to God in prayer. She made a vow that if God would give her a son, she'd dedicate him totally to God.
God answered Hannah's prayer for a son quickly and completely. She became pregnant and had Samuel, which means "heard of the Lord." Hannah also kept her promise. After Samuel was weaned, she brought him to the priest, Eli, for service to God. She literally gave her son to God.
Sometimes you may believe God isn't answering your prayers. But regardless of how you feel, the God of the universe will always hear your prayer. And God answers every prayer in his time and in his way.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Student Devotion Week 25: Ruth: Redemption and Blessings
Key Verse: Philippians 2:3-4, "3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
It seems as though all the Bible characters we've studied over the past few months have been defined by either their obedience to God or their disobedience to him.
The story of Ruth helps us look at the role of obedience in the lives of God's people. In it we see how obedience leads to her redemption as well as the redemption of all humanity-including you.
Things were different for women in Ruth's day. When her husband died unexpectedly, Ruth was left with no security and no way to earn a living. Her Mother-in-law, Naomi, encouraged Ruth to stay in Moab with her own people. But Ruth's faithfulness to Naomi-whose husband had also died-led both women to journey to Israel. Ruth provided food for herself and for her mother-in-law by picking up bits of grain during harvest time in the barley fields. Then a man named Boaz-the man who owned the field-spotted her.
What was it about Ruth that caught the eye of Boaz? Could it have been her outward beauty? Her godly character? When Boaz asked about Ruth, people told him she'd returned to the land with her mother-in-law, Naomi. The foreman over the field workers told Boaz about Ruth's hard work in the field. Her character must have appealed to Boaz because he immediately went to talk with her, and he tried to help her as much as possible.
When Boaz married Ruth, he saved her from a life of hardship. God's plan of redemption was also at work in the lives of Ruth and Boaz. Their son Obed was King David's grandfather-an ancestor to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world.
It seems as though all the Bible characters we've studied over the past few months have been defined by either their obedience to God or their disobedience to him.
The story of Ruth helps us look at the role of obedience in the lives of God's people. In it we see how obedience leads to her redemption as well as the redemption of all humanity-including you.
Things were different for women in Ruth's day. When her husband died unexpectedly, Ruth was left with no security and no way to earn a living. Her Mother-in-law, Naomi, encouraged Ruth to stay in Moab with her own people. But Ruth's faithfulness to Naomi-whose husband had also died-led both women to journey to Israel. Ruth provided food for herself and for her mother-in-law by picking up bits of grain during harvest time in the barley fields. Then a man named Boaz-the man who owned the field-spotted her.
What was it about Ruth that caught the eye of Boaz? Could it have been her outward beauty? Her godly character? When Boaz asked about Ruth, people told him she'd returned to the land with her mother-in-law, Naomi. The foreman over the field workers told Boaz about Ruth's hard work in the field. Her character must have appealed to Boaz because he immediately went to talk with her, and he tried to help her as much as possible.
When Boaz married Ruth, he saved her from a life of hardship. God's plan of redemption was also at work in the lives of Ruth and Boaz. Their son Obed was King David's grandfather-an ancestor to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Student Devotional Week 24: Judge Samson: A Powerful Death
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2:4, "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs-he wants to please his commanding officer."
Once again, God chose to deliver his people from their enemies. This time the action took place south of where Gideon lived, and the enemies were known as the Philistines.
One day an angel appeared to a couple from the tribe of Dan. He told them they would a long-awaited child-a son-and they should dedicate the child as a Nazarite. The angel also said their son would rescue Israel from the Philistines. This son the angel referred to was Samson.
Samson was an awesome physical specimen. He had the potential to be a great leader, but ego and self-centeredness would eventually bring down this mighty man of God. Early in his life, Samson insisted his father get him a Philistine woman to be his wife, even though her people worshiped the false god Dagon. Later, Samson's lust for Delilah blinded him to her efforts to discover and ultimately remove the secret to his strength-his long hair.
Samson, the powerful man of God, lived his final days blind and in captivity, like an animal. The Philistines mocked his former strength by chaining him to a device used to grind wheat in a mill. But with his hair growing back and his strength slowly returning, Samson prayed to God to allow him to take revenge on those who had blinded him. God granted his request, and Samson pulled down the pillars of the temple, killing more Philistines that day than he had in the course of his lifetime.
Samson's physical power was great, but he wasn't a great person. He went out with a bang, but a consecrated lifetime spent following God would have made a greater impact on history. Samson's life was unrealized potential that produced a whole lot of fizzle.
As a follower of God, are you realizing the potential God has given you?
Once again, God chose to deliver his people from their enemies. This time the action took place south of where Gideon lived, and the enemies were known as the Philistines.
One day an angel appeared to a couple from the tribe of Dan. He told them they would a long-awaited child-a son-and they should dedicate the child as a Nazarite. The angel also said their son would rescue Israel from the Philistines. This son the angel referred to was Samson.
Samson was an awesome physical specimen. He had the potential to be a great leader, but ego and self-centeredness would eventually bring down this mighty man of God. Early in his life, Samson insisted his father get him a Philistine woman to be his wife, even though her people worshiped the false god Dagon. Later, Samson's lust for Delilah blinded him to her efforts to discover and ultimately remove the secret to his strength-his long hair.
Samson, the powerful man of God, lived his final days blind and in captivity, like an animal. The Philistines mocked his former strength by chaining him to a device used to grind wheat in a mill. But with his hair growing back and his strength slowly returning, Samson prayed to God to allow him to take revenge on those who had blinded him. God granted his request, and Samson pulled down the pillars of the temple, killing more Philistines that day than he had in the course of his lifetime.
Samson's physical power was great, but he wasn't a great person. He went out with a bang, but a consecrated lifetime spent following God would have made a greater impact on history. Samson's life was unrealized potential that produced a whole lot of fizzle.
As a follower of God, are you realizing the potential God has given you?
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