Author: Larry Soape

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 24 (day four)

“As the proverb of the ancients says, “out of the wicked comes forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be against you.”  V. 13

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus made reference to this same truth.  Matthew 7:16-20 says, “You will know them by their fruits…”  David understood this truth…he could not believe God on one issue and then ignore Him on another.  To obey and honor the Lord, David must trust His authority to bring about what He has promised.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.  David’s men might have rationalized that God had delivered Saul into their hands.  David saw the bigger picture.  David knew that to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed would be evil.

Isn’t it easy to take matters into our own hands?  “Look Lord, here is the best way for this to play out.”  The end does not justify the means.  The way we get to the final outcome is as important to God as the outcome itself.  Trust God…He will keep His promises

Re:Verse reading— 1 Samuel 20:1-17, 30-42 (day four)

He does it again…Saul has his spear and he puts another hole in his wall!  Here he is telling Jonathan of his concern about Jonathan succeeding him on the throne and he hurls a spear at his own son to pin him to the wall.  Who is Saul really trying to protect here?  Saul is so full of selfish pride that he is blinded to his own sinful behavior.

Is there a sin in your life that is a blind spot to you?  David wrote about these hidden sins.  In Psalm 19:12-13, he asks God to keep him from hidden faults and presumptuous sins.  In our lives, God does that through the work of the Holy Spirit.  In Psalm 139:23-24, David again asks God to search his heart and find the bad stuff.  The work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification is a great blessing.  For Saul, God had removed His Spirit.  For us, we have the promise of His everlasting presence.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 18:1-16, 19:1-10 (day four)

It seems that Saul always had a spear in his hand…three times he tried to pin David to the wall with it.  David escaped each time.  It is not that Saul was just no good with a spear…he was a warrior and well-trained in the weapons of war.  God was protecting David.  He had promised David he would be king…David had been anointed by God’s servant Samuel.  God always keeps His Word!

God always keeps His promises with us, too.  When He tells us that if we, in faith, confess His Son, we will be forgiven of our sin and saved from death for eternity, we can trust Him to keep His promise.  This promise alone is so big, it is almost beyond our comprehension.  But there is more!  God has given us promises throughout His Scripture.  Search the Scriptures…find His promises…believe Him!  Even when the spears are flying, God will fulfill His Word!

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 17:1-11, 26-32, 38-51  (day four)

David was only a youth…he had not been trained in the weapons of war. Goliath was not only a huge, muscular man, but he had trained in combat techniques since he was a youth.  An obvious mismatch!  Goliath was self-absorbed…he was trusting in his skills as a warrior.  David was God-absorbed…he was trusting only in the Lord.  Not only was David a contrast to Goliath, but also to Saul.  David had served and ministered to Saul in his private quarters in his darkest moments, but when David prevailed over the giant, Saul did not even know who he was.  Saul was focused on himself and his own authority.  David was filled with the Spirit of God.  The purity of David’s heart brought the overwhelming victory for God’s people, Israel.

What are the weapons in your hand?  Are you trusting in your own abilities…your own wisdom…your own power?  What about the focus of your heart?  Are you self-absorbed or God-absorbed?  Kingdom work requires a heart after God’s own heart!  Psalm 139:23-24.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 16  (day four)

“For I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.”  (16:1)  Israel thought it was their idea to have a king.  There was surely a plan for succession to the throne.  Where Israel thought they were in charge, we discover God’s fingerprints are already there.  Where was Jesse from?  Verse 1 tells us he was from Bethlehem.  Coincidence?  Fast forward over 1000 years…Joseph and Mary are going to Bethlehem to register for taxes.  This long, treacherous trip was because Joseph was of the house and linage of David.  God has had a plan for all of time!  He is sovereign…He is unchanging…He is omnipotent…He is all-knowing.  What an amazing, loving God we serve!

Why is it that we try to take control of the events of our lives?  Do we honestly believe that our plan is better?  If we look closely, we will discover God’s fingerprints are already there.  If we listen carefully, we will hear His Spirit guiding our steps.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 15 (day four)

V. 26 –“you have rejected the word of the Lord.”

This was the reason for Saul’s rejection…the reason his kingdom was taken away…he had rejected God’s Word.  It wasn’t just this one instance with the Amalekites, it was a pattern of rebellion against God.  Saul had sought to rule his kingdom according to his own desires in his own time.

Saul’s failure should serve as a warning to us.  Does God really mean what He says in Scripture?  Do we really expect to avoid judgment and punishment when we justify our disobedience?  As individuals or as a nation, can we allow abortion? Can we pervert God’s plan for marriage and the family?  Can we refuse to forgive and reconcile?  Can we pick and choose which command or how much of a command we will obey?  Forgiveness is available in response to true repentance.  True repentance will be followed by change of heart and action.  Obedience is better than sacrifice!

Easter Re:Verse reading–John 20:1-18 (day four)

Re:Verse reading – 1 Samuel 13:1-14

In our 1 Samuel passage, we see the end of Saul’s kingdom.  He has disobeyed God and his kingdom has been removed.  God would have established his kingdom forever, but instead, God sought a man after His own heart to bestow this honor upon.

In John 20, we see the culmination of that promise God will make to David in 1 Samuel 16.  David’s pure heart to obey the Lord resulted in a kingdom that would last forever.  Jesus was of the house of David and His resurrection ushered in His eternal kingdom.

For generations…hundreds of years…God’s plan had been unfolding.  Now…thousands of years later…it is still unfolding.  God has been faithful to His Word.  What does it mean to you and to me to have a God who is unchanging…who is eternal…who is faithful and true to His promises? Should our lives reflect His glory to those around us?  Could it be said of us that we are after God’s own heart?

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 9 & 10 (day four)

10:26 – “Saul also went to his house at Gibeah, and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.”

Saul had been called by God to serve…but he was not alone.  God touched the hearts of some valiant men.  They followed Saul to serve him and to serve God.  There was work to be done in Israel and God began to gather those who would work alongside Saul.  It is the same today.  God often calls a leader to a task, but He likewise calls those with open hearts to serve beside that leader.

This model is most often seen when God calls a new pastor to a church.  Valiant men and women…whose hearts God has touched…join the church and help shoulder the task of reaching a city and the world.  They may already be members of the church, but they renew their commitment to reach people and serve.  Sound familiar to anyone?  Are you ready to get to work?

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 7 (day four)

Samuel was an intercessor for Israel, just like Moses had been.  Both men had been set aside for the Lord from birth and they stood in the gap between God and Israel.  Moses had stood between Israel and the Egyptians, now Samuel stands before Israel and the Philistines.  In both cases, what looked to be overwhelming obstacles to Israel were completely removed from before them.  These two men were held in the highest esteem as intercessors.  Jeremiah 15:1 says, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people;”  God held them up as the ultimate intercessors.

How would you be known to God?  Would you be considered a faithful and true prayer warrior?  Do others see a visible outpouring of God’s Spirit as a result of your praying?  We have a promise…Matthew 21:22…”And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”  Samuel believed it…Moses believed it…do you?

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 3 (day four)

V.7 – “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him.”

Philippians 3:8 – “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing values of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things…”

Henry Blackaby has said, “there is a radical difference between knowing God through experience and knowing God from a theology textbook.”  Samuel discovered that truth.  Until chapter 3 and his experience with God, Samuel served Eli.  Now he served the Lord.  All of Israel recognized the difference.  Samuel’s faithful obedience to God caused God to end His famine of revealing His word to Israel.

Can the people around you recognize that you have experienced the living God?  Is it evident that your relationship with God is more than a head knowledge…that you have a heart knowledge?  Don’t settle for just a head knowledge of God…ask Him to make His Word a living experience in your life!