Know God - day 14
1 Samuel 2:12-14; 3:4-18; 5; 8; 9:1-2; 13:8-14, 16:7
God is calling Samuel in the night. Of course Samuel thought it was old Eli. He ran to him back and forth more than once until Eli woke up enough to realize God was calling Samuel. Again - Pastor points out that God knows our name. But that isn't the purpose. God wanted to tell Samuel to tell Eli that his sons were wicked. Imagine having a boss you highly respect and basically rely on for all your needs. And God wants you - a child - to tell him that his precious sons are wicked. When Eli asks samuel what God said, can't you hear the 'ums', 'ahs', wells, the fidgeting, the lack of eye contact, etc as Samuel tries to delay the inevitable. What do you do when you know God is about to give you a hard and thankless job? I tend to avoid. I know it. I admit it. yes - I need to be obedient and do the job regardless of the difficulty or other situations. however reluctantly.
The elders later came to Samuel and told him he was getting old and his sons 'don't follow in your way' so they asked him to appoint a king to govern like all the other nations. (Keepin' up with the Jones' BC style) God reassured Samuel that the elders were rejecting him and not Sam. They didn't want God to be king. They wanted a flesh and blood human. What do we want most right now so we can be like other people? The people I want to be like are the ones who display a sense of peace just by being around them. The ones you just soak up God's love from. Never seem frazzled or overwhelmed by the heaviest of burdens. Have such a strong faith/assurance in God that you are sure the strongest storm, the fiercest battle will not phase them one iota. That is what I most want right now to be like other people.
God then tells the elders. Fine. You want a king. You'll get a king. Here's what he'll do....he'll take your sons to work for him, he'll take your daughters to work for him, he'll take the best of your crops you worked so hard to grow. He'll take a tenth if your grain and your vineyards and your flocks. Oh yeah - AND - you'll be his slaves. Is that really what you want? Be careful what you wish for...you just might get it!
In short - if anyone BUT God is king - you will be oppressed. This is for us also. If we rely too much on human government - it has a huge potential to oppress us. But that is a very general example. We have personal false gods that can oppress us, keep us from God. Pastor's example is football, then college basketball, then spring sports (Go Braves!) But these are false priorities. Time suckers. Can we afford all the wasted time?
What earthly priorities and false kings do we bow down to? What is the tax - the price - our false priorities play? One of my huge time suckers is facebook. I was spending hours on it. Since doing this study, I have not been on it nearly as much. It does serve an excellent purpose of keeping in touch with dear friends, increasing contacts for organizations I am involved in and reconnecting with old friends. But do I really need to spend hours working a fake farm? another is tv - I'd space out in front of it for hours in the evenings. not studying. not communicating. not being productive. just being mindless. escaping the reality of the world. It undermines relationships both in and out of the family. and my relationship with God.
Despite warnings about what life would be like under an earthly king - the Israelites pressed for one anyway. of course they did. they are stubborn. rebellious. and repetitive in their mistakes. Saul, the tall dark and handsome guy (I guess) was chosen to be king. He was faithful for a while, but true to God's word, he turned his back on God's commands. as predicted. While Samuel was looking for another tall, dark and handsome guy in the family of Jesse.
God says in 16:7 "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature...for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
If God looks at our hearts, what's really and truly at the core of our existence?
Me? It isn't pretty. My image of my heart is shattered. into a gazillion tiny pieces. dark pieces. not a pretty sight. a hurting heart. a weeping heart. but one that is also caring, compassionate, sinful, trying, fighting, full of contradictions, questions, pleas, hopes.
God is calling Samuel in the night. Of course Samuel thought it was old Eli. He ran to him back and forth more than once until Eli woke up enough to realize God was calling Samuel. Again - Pastor points out that God knows our name. But that isn't the purpose. God wanted to tell Samuel to tell Eli that his sons were wicked. Imagine having a boss you highly respect and basically rely on for all your needs. And God wants you - a child - to tell him that his precious sons are wicked. When Eli asks samuel what God said, can't you hear the 'ums', 'ahs', wells, the fidgeting, the lack of eye contact, etc as Samuel tries to delay the inevitable. What do you do when you know God is about to give you a hard and thankless job? I tend to avoid. I know it. I admit it. yes - I need to be obedient and do the job regardless of the difficulty or other situations. however reluctantly.
The elders later came to Samuel and told him he was getting old and his sons 'don't follow in your way' so they asked him to appoint a king to govern like all the other nations. (Keepin' up with the Jones' BC style) God reassured Samuel that the elders were rejecting him and not Sam. They didn't want God to be king. They wanted a flesh and blood human. What do we want most right now so we can be like other people? The people I want to be like are the ones who display a sense of peace just by being around them. The ones you just soak up God's love from. Never seem frazzled or overwhelmed by the heaviest of burdens. Have such a strong faith/assurance in God that you are sure the strongest storm, the fiercest battle will not phase them one iota. That is what I most want right now to be like other people.
God then tells the elders. Fine. You want a king. You'll get a king. Here's what he'll do....he'll take your sons to work for him, he'll take your daughters to work for him, he'll take the best of your crops you worked so hard to grow. He'll take a tenth if your grain and your vineyards and your flocks. Oh yeah - AND - you'll be his slaves. Is that really what you want? Be careful what you wish for...you just might get it!
In short - if anyone BUT God is king - you will be oppressed. This is for us also. If we rely too much on human government - it has a huge potential to oppress us. But that is a very general example. We have personal false gods that can oppress us, keep us from God. Pastor's example is football, then college basketball, then spring sports (Go Braves!) But these are false priorities. Time suckers. Can we afford all the wasted time?
What earthly priorities and false kings do we bow down to? What is the tax - the price - our false priorities play? One of my huge time suckers is facebook. I was spending hours on it. Since doing this study, I have not been on it nearly as much. It does serve an excellent purpose of keeping in touch with dear friends, increasing contacts for organizations I am involved in and reconnecting with old friends. But do I really need to spend hours working a fake farm? another is tv - I'd space out in front of it for hours in the evenings. not studying. not communicating. not being productive. just being mindless. escaping the reality of the world. It undermines relationships both in and out of the family. and my relationship with God.
Despite warnings about what life would be like under an earthly king - the Israelites pressed for one anyway. of course they did. they are stubborn. rebellious. and repetitive in their mistakes. Saul, the tall dark and handsome guy (I guess) was chosen to be king. He was faithful for a while, but true to God's word, he turned his back on God's commands. as predicted. While Samuel was looking for another tall, dark and handsome guy in the family of Jesse.
God says in 16:7 "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature...for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
If God looks at our hearts, what's really and truly at the core of our existence?
Me? It isn't pretty. My image of my heart is shattered. into a gazillion tiny pieces. dark pieces. not a pretty sight. a hurting heart. a weeping heart. but one that is also caring, compassionate, sinful, trying, fighting, full of contradictions, questions, pleas, hopes.
Labels: Know God
posted by Chris K at
22:54
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Speak gently. carefully. thoughtfully. graciously. humbly.
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