7:10 - God always offers us a way out of trouble if we choose to accept it. I see sin in our lives, like the Philistines creeping up...ready to attack and run roughshod over our lives. Do we like the Israelites throw ourselves at the mercy of God...do we cry out for help with our struggles? Or do we try to face them alone and fail yet again?
7:14 - God brings restoration and renewal to the lives of those who humble themselves before Him.
8:7 - My hart breaks as I read this! I couldn't help but cry as this verse hit so close to home. The rejection is so huge. This is on the short list of brutally tragic verses in the bible. Samuel is upset, thinking that the people have rejected him...but God makes it clear that the people have chosen to reject God. When you and I choose not to walk in God's path, we are not rejecting the biblical writers or church dogmas or individual preachers...we are rejecting God. When we choose to buy into the lies of this world...we are rejecting God...plain and simple.
8:18 - When we chose to find fulfillment in something other than God - we eventually find out how big a mistake we made.
9:2 - Hahaha! Great criteria for a leader..."Okay who is the tallest and best looking person here? You...well, you're the new king - congrats!" Ha!
9:5, 7 - Keep this is mind, Saul is a really good guy. He thinks about his dad and is willing to turn back from his mission so his dad doesn't start to worry about him. He is thoughtful enough to consider bringing a gift to the prophet before he approaches him. He is a good candidate when it comes to human kings.
9:16 - I find it amazing that God is willing to work through a human king even after the people have completely rejecting Him. If Mandy had chosen to marry another guy right before we were about to get married - I don't think I would have showed up at the wedding to support their future happiness. God's heart is so huge and merciful.
9:21 - Whether out of fear or humility, Saul is not some arrogant jerk. He is a pretty meek young man. I wonder if the absolute power he is about to receive as a king will change him any?
4 comments:
8:10- Its the time of year where some of the modern day Israelite behavior really shows. Go to any gym right now and every treadmill will be taken. then come back in a month and they will be empty. It's always this time of year when the American way really makes me angry. Partly because I fall into those horrible cycles as well. Its always about the latest and greatest blindfold to shield our eyes from the reality around us. anyway... that was more of a rant, sorry.
Thanks for commenting Matt...I like rants.
-Brandon
8:7 - I completely agree, even though it's hard to accept. I never really thought of it as rejecting God, but that's exactly what's going on. I've been pretty lenient towards my sin recently and there's no reason for that. There's no reason to break God's heart after you've promised to love Him and dedicated your life to do His work.
8:19 - This verse really got me going. The people won't listen to the prophet that just saved their behinds and refuse to let God work through him. It's so weird to put yourself in their shoes, but that's the picture that was painted in my head.
Yay for Joshie-poo!
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