Trust in the Lord

One day Jonathan suddenly planned to visit the philistine camp with his armor bearer without his dad's knowledge.

Jonathan had to go through a pass to get to the Philistine camp, there were two large rocks, one on each side of the pass.

Jonathan had confidence that the Lord will help them and nothing can keep him from giving them the victory, no matter how few they were. (1 Samuel 14:6)

The young man with Jonathan rendered full support to him.

Jonathan asked a sign from God, that if the Philistines called them to their camp then they would go taking that as a positive sign from the Lord, that He has given them the victory.

Jonathan climbed up out of the pass on his hands and knees, Jonathan attacked the Philistines and knocked them down. (1 Samuel 14:13)

In that first slaughter Jonathan and the young man killed about twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

All the Philistines in the countryside were terrified; the raiders and the soldiers in the camp trembled with fear; the earth shook, and there was great panic. ( 1 Samuel 14:15)

And The Lord saved Israelites that day !!!

To Ponder:

Though they were only two in number, they got the conformation from God and boldly marched forward. 

Nothing can ever stop them from getting the victory, because God was by their side!!!!

With God by our side we can run through a troop. Cheer up!!!

Absolute faith is what is required.

Do not be anxious

Saul was 30 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 42 years.(1 Samuel 13:1)

Since Jonathan attacked the Philistines, they were against Israelites waiting to attack them.

So Saul waited 7 days for Samuel, as he instructed him but Samuel still did  not arrive.

Since  people began to desert Saul, he decided to offer the burnt sacrifices and the fellowship sacrifices to the Lord. (1 Samuel 13:8-9)

Just as he was finishing, Samuel arrived and said, “What have you done?” Saul said that people were deserting  him, since Samuel did not come, when he said he would; ...

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, I thought , the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ 

So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:11,12)

Samuel answered that was a foolish thing to do. Since he disobeyed by doing it, the Lord rejected him as king and will find the kind of man He wants and make him ruler of His people.

To Ponder:

Since Saul got tensed humanly...Looking at the situation ....and people's pressure on the other side ....He saw his army getting scattered ..out of anxiety and  tension he couldn't wait anymore. So he took things in his hands.

Many a times we too commit the same mistake in our life. It is very difficult for us to keep quiet in pressurized situations.

Let us learn from Saul's life not to be anxious and hasty and  loose God's best for us, rather wait on The Lord.

God is on our side!!!

     Nahash, king of the Ammonites, was oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived in the east of the Jordan.

     He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and help. There wasn’t a single one whose right eye was not gouged out.

     But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-Gilead.

     King Nahash led his army against Jabesh-Gilead to attack the 7000 men. But all the citizens asked for peace, they pleaded. So Nahash agreed on one condition, to gouge out the right eye of every one as a disgrace to all Israel!

     The elders asked seven days to send messengers throughout Israel! “If no one helps, they decided to agree to the terms of Nahash.” When they came to Saul and the people told about their plight, everyone broke into tears.

     Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel"

     And the LORD made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one.

Saul made a surprise attack and fought all morning and won over king Nahash.

     Then the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Where are the people who said that Saul should not be our king? Hand them over to us, and we will kill them!”

     But Saul said, “No one will be put to death for this is the day the Lord rescued Israel.” And Samuel said “Let us all go n once more proclaim Saul as our king.”

To Ponder:

Don't worry today God will silence the mouth of the people who spoke negatively against you. Jesus is still on the Throne. He will prove once again for us. Amen

Move Forward!!!

In order to openly declare the king, Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the LORD, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. (1 Samuel 10: 20)

Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the LORD, and the family of the Matri’s clan was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them.

But when they looked for Saul, he had disappeared! So they asked the LORD, “Where is he?” And the LORD replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” So they found him and brought him out. (1 Samuel 10) 21-23).

Saul stood head and shoulders above anyone else. Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the LORD has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” (1 Samuel 10: 24).

Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the LORD.

When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this fellow save us?” And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.  (1 Samuel 10: 27).

To Ponder:

When God anointed Saul as king, He not only changed him into a different person, but his companions were also touched by God.

Though some people where there who had negative thoughts and feelings, Saul just ignored them.

Let us also learn to ignore the few people who disappoint us in life but move with the ones God has anointed and kept in store for us.

Anointing of Saul

After Samuel anointed Saul, Samuel said that when they leave him they would see these 3 things happen.

He will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb. They will tell that the donkeys have been found and that Saul's father was now worried about him. (1 Samuel 10: 2-7)

ü  When they go to the oak of Tabor, they will see three men coming toward them who were on their way to worship God at Bethel.

o   One will be bringing three young goats,

o   Another will have three loaves of bread,

o   The third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine.

They will greet Saul and offer him two of the loaves, which he should accept.

ü  When he arrived at Gibeah of God, Saul will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying.

ü  At that time the Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon Saul, and he will prophesy with them. Then Saul will be changed into a different person.

After these signs take place, Samuel asked Saul to do what must be done, for God was with him.

As Saul turned to leave, God gave him a new heart and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day.

When those who knew Saul heard about Saul prophesying they were astonished saying “Is even Saul a prophet?”

Saul’s uncle enquired on what happened? Saul didn’t tell his uncle what Samuel said about the kingdom but only conveyed him about the donkeys (1 Samuel 10: 9-16)

To Ponder:

When Saul was anointed with the Holy Spirit he was transformed into a different person. He started prophesying. God gave him a new heart. People were astonished to see the change in Saul's life.

Let us always be filled with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, so people will see the hand of the Lord in our life and be witness for the Lord.

All things are possible

Saul went to Samuel’s house and Samuel introduced himself and asked him to go up to the place of worship.        (1 Samuel 9:19)

They all ate there, then he asked him not to worry about the lost donkeys and that he will speak to him in the morning.

Samuel told Saul that he and his family were the focus of all Israel’s hopes.

Saul replied, that he was from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and that his family is the least important of all the families of that tribe.

Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and placed them at the head of the table, honoring them above the thirty guests.

Samuel then instructed the cook to bring Saul the finest cut of meat, the piece that had been set aside for the guest of honor. So the cook brought in the meat and placed it before Saul.

Saul slept in Samuel’s house. In the morning, they all left the house together. When they reached the edge of town, Samuel told Saul to send his servant ahead, because Samuel wanted to convey a special message from God for Saul.         (1 Samuel 9:18-27)

Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, the LORD has appointed him to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. (1 Samuel 10:1).

To Ponder:

Ø  Though Saul was from the least of all tribes but God chose him n gave him the best of all honors.

Ø  Humanly it might seem impossible but with God all things are possible.

Ø  If you think you can’t, remember God is able to do great things beyond our imagination.

God's plan for you

The Israelites were led by God through the leaders and judges. But they were not content to have God as their king and they wanted a human king like the nations around them.

So God agreed to give them what they wanted. He chose Saul and later David as kings to rule His people.

Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land (1 Samuel 9:2).

His father Kish was an influential man from the tribe of Benjamin.

One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, so he told Saul to take a servant along with him and look out for the donkeys. So Saul started the search, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere.

Finally, Saul decided to go home since his father would be more worried about him than the donkeys!

But the servant had an idea about a man of God who lived there in the town. Who was held in high honor, because everything he said came true. But Saul and his servant had nothing to give him.

The servant told Saul that “I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take” (1 Samuel 9:8).So they decided to offer it to the man of God and see what happens!

And now the LORD had told Samuel the previous day, that about that time He will send a man to him from Benjamin and that he should anoint him to be the leader of His people, Israel and he will rescue them from the Philistines, for He said that he heard the cry of His people and had mercy on them.

When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said, “That’s the man I told you about! He will rule my people.” (1 Samuel 9:17)

Points to Ponder:

Saul went to Samuel only for his donkeys, but God had a greater plan in his life.

Today what are you worrying for?

God has a better plan for you. Surrender your plans to Him today.