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1 Samuel 3:1f

A Word From God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 14, 2024

1 Samuel 3:1 begins with a sad state affairs for the nation of Israel, to whom God had given the Law on Sinai and then carried them through the wilderness. It says, “And the word of the Lord was rare in those days.” It is particularly sad when you realize that there was a lot of religious activity going on. The Priests and Levites were all busy with their religious duties. They offered the sacrifices on schedule and burned their incense at the appropriate time. They performed all their duties as expected, but God remained relatively silent. The priests had lost their focus and were performing mere rituals. They were also abusing their office. One of the most important tasks of the priesthood was to guide people to God and to help them cultivate their personal relationship with Him. Eli and his family of priests had failed the people. Instead of leading people to God, they were using their office to their own benefit.

But then God speaks. In the first ten verses of chapter 3, The Word of the Lord came to Samuel four times. Samuel thought it was Eli calling him. One of the marks of a faithful servant is an attentive ear and an immediate response. He rises each time and runs to Eli. Even though Eli was a dreadful example of what a man of God should be, young Samuel submitted totally to his authority. Because Samuel was faithful to his earthly master, even though he was an undeserving one, he became a mighty instrument in God’s hand. God wouldn’t speak to the corrupt priests and Levites. But he did decide to break his silence with Samuel.

But Eli got God’s message through Samuel. God did speak to Eli. The Word that came to Samuel was a prophecy about the demise of Eli and his house. It was not a pleasant message, and Samuel did his best to keep from delivering it. But Eli insisted on hearing the truth. Samuel finally delivered it with all its condemnation to Eli. Eli was full of problems. He had more weaknesses than the average man, and many a preacher and teacher will point each of them out to us. But, I can’t help but marvel at his godly response to the catastrophic message Samuel gave him. He simply says, “It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.” Many of the commentators argue that it’s not a positive response, but I’d rather not see it that way.  I like to see Eli as a man resigned to accept God’s will regardless of what it is. I like to think that amidst his many life failures, he still acknowledges God’s sovereignty and submits himself graciously to God’s will. Unlike Saul, who tries to kill David, Eli blesses Samuel and surrenders to the inevitability of God’s will in all the circumstances of his life. If this is accurate, we might compare Eli in some sense to Job. “Naked came I into the world, naked from it I must go.  The Lord gives, and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

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1 Samuel 1:10f, Philippians 4:6-7

Dumping On God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 13, 2024

In 1st Samuel, we look at a kind of love story. It’s between Elkanah (a man) and two women: Hannah and Peninnah. It seems that Elkanah married Hannah for love and Peninnah for children, for Hannah was barren. You can bet that Peninnah, like Hagar before her, took advantage of her situation. You can hear her taunt Hannah, “God’s punishing you! There is something about your character or some secret sin in your life that prevents God from blessing you with children.”  I think that Hannah might have begun to believe her!  It was a great pain for Hannah. 1 Samuel 1:10 tells us, “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.” She pleaded with such grief and such a public display of her sorrow that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk and accused her of such. She explained her grief, and when he understood the problem, Eli said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” Then, to close the story, 1 Samuel 1:18 tells us, “Then the woman (Hannah) went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

She dumped her pain on God, and that settled the issue for her. David was good at that. He wrote many Psalms, which we call “Imprecatory” Psalms. They are the ones in which David asks God to kill his enemies. He uses some pretty harsh words and describes, sometimes in gory detail, what he wants God to do to them and their families. The point of this type of Psalm is not to explain the harshness of God but the pain of David. He was exploding with emotion over mistreatment by others, especially King Saul. Saul had tried to kill David and mistreated him in many ways. David exploded with his rage at injustice but refused his own revenge. He just poured it all out on God in his Psalms. Even when the opportunity to take personal revenge on Saul, David refused to do so, giving the right completely to God. Setting a good example for all of us, David acknowledges that all vengeance belongs to God. He’ll dump his hurt and disappointment on God but leave the resolution of the problem up to God. This is what Hannah did in her prayer also.

Paul talks about managing our own life problems like Hannah and David did. He puts it in plain language in Philippians 4:6-7 which are familiar verses. The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then, you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” All of our cares and problems are in good hands when we give them to God.

 

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Exodus 20:8, Romans 14:5

A Special Time For God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 12, 2024

Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy.” What does it mean to be “Holy?” It means to consecrate it or to set it apart as special. So, it may be expressed as “dedicated to God” or “belonging to God.” If you ask Google, “What does it mean to be Holy”? You’ll find this list of synonyms: sacred, consecrated, hallowed, sanctified, venerated, revered, reverenced, divine, religious, blessed, blest, dedicated.” But the key biblical idea of “Holy” is that it’s set apart. It’s different than anything else.

There was one special thing to the Jews that was exceptionally holy. It was holy, or different, from anything else in their life. That was the Tabernacle and later the Temple. When you read the description of the Tabernacle in Exodus, you find that it’s built from the most luxurious and beautiful materials imaginable. Only precious metals: gold, silver, copper, brass. It had glorious colors: red, scarlet, purple, blues and yellows. It had incredibly creative images. There were angels sown into the curtains. There were bronze and gold and silver candle sticks and lavers and chalices. There were jewels and gems embedded throughout the ornate objects. And there was one other thing that truly made a difference in the Tabernacle. There was a smell. Yes, only the tabernacle could burn this special incense. Everything about the place where God was was holy or different from everything else in life. In the drab world of the desert, this was a place that looked different, felt different, and smelled different. It was holy! I really like what Ashby said in his commentary on this passage. He wrote, “Someone has called the Sabbath a ‘holy space, a sanctuary in time.’ It was as holy as the Temple, which was a sanctuary in space. Just as a holy place provides a space for celebrating God and praising him, so does a holy time.”

In the Old Testament economy, there was one day in seven that was to be dedicated to the Lord. It was a day when they were to remind themselves that they were not self-originating, self-sustaining, or self-authenticating. The idea of setting aside time to remind ourselves that God has done everything for us is crucial to a happy, wholesome, and healthy life. We have six days to live in a world of sowing and reaping. We have six days to bear the burdens of life. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy. It’s not about what we’ve done, are doing, or will do! It’s all about what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do! Everyone needs to take time to stop their work routines and focus their attention on that which God has accomplished for them.

In our culture, not everyone has Sunday as their special day. Some have to work. I’m glad firemen are on duty, policemen still patrol the streets, and medical services are available in times of emergency. But it’s obvious that even policemen and firemen, medical professionals, and restaurant servers need a “sabbath” day, even if it can’t be Sunday. Jesus dismissed the religious leader’s abuse of the people over keeping the Sabbath day by saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The blessing of time off is not a particular rule regarding a particular day. It’s the principle that is important. Take time for reflection on God and His blessings. Paul made it clear in Romans 14:5 that it will be different for some. He said, “In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.”

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1 John 4:9, Various

God’s Compelling Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 11, 2024

One cannot love until he has experienced God’s love. Even John, the “love” apostle, explains this truth when he says in 1 John 4:19, “We love because God loved us first.” I’d argue that all the apostles truly grasped this truth. They understood that no real-life change can occur apart from a growing apprehension and experience of God’s love for us. Paul makes this crystal clear in his prayer for the Ephesians in 3:17-19, “And I pray that your love will have deep roots. I pray that it will have a strong foundation. May you have power with all God’s people to understand Christ’s love. May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is. And may you know his love, even though it can’t be known completely. Then you will be filled with everything God has for you.” We cannot “know” or “understand” it. But I believe we can experience it as we look at the cross of Christ. Paul tells us in Romans 5:8, “God demonstrated His love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The woman that Jesus met at the well in John 4 is an interesting study. She is often described as a woman who looks for love in all the wrong places. She moved from man to man, from husband to husband, and never found what she needed until she encountered Jesus, who “knew all about her” and still loved her. She even left her water jar at the well and ran to town to call everyone to come see Jesus (John 4:28-30).  Why?  It wasn’t gratitude that would have kept her at the well. Was it a new understanding that Jesus was Christ? That should have kept her at the well with Him also. Most reasons you might consider lead me to think that she would have stayed with Him, not run off to get others. I would argue that what she found was so wonderful to her that she just had to share it with others. Boice says, “It was love, the love of the Lord Jesus already beginning to spring up within her. She had learned of this love from Christ. He had loved her, a sinful woman. Now she was to love as he loved. Before, she had loved in one sense only. It was an imperfect human love. Perhaps it was even largely sexual. Now she was able to love with a measure of the love with which Christ had loved her. This was a divine love, and it changed her completely.”

Robert J. Thomas was a missionary en route to Pyongyang in Korea when a fight broke out between the American sailors and the Korean coast guard. The ship was burned and all the passengers were killed. As the ship was sinking, Robert leaped into the water and struggled to make his way to shore. He staggered out of the water with an armload of books. They were Bibles. He thrust them into the hands of the Koreans, who clubbed him to death. It was through such love and commitment to his mission that the gospel first came to Korea in 1866. Today, Korea is one of the most Christian countries in the world. Today, there are over 12 million Christians in Korea. The biggest churches in the world in major denominations, including Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Pentecostal churches, are all located in Seoul.  Boice concludes his comments; “The Bible sets this pattern for us when it declares, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor. 5:14–15).

 

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Luke 19:10, Various

No Man Left Behind!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 10, 2024

God is always seeking for the lost.  He says, “I myself will search for my sheep”  (Ezek. 34:11);  “…seek me like a lost sheep!” (Ps. 119:176); “I will seek the lost” (Ezek. 34:16); “searching for the straying sheep” (Matt. 18:12); “you will be called, ‘Sought out, a city not forsaken’” (Isa. 62:12); “the Father seeks such to worship him” (John 4:23); “though they hide on the summit of Carmel I will search them out” (Amos 9:3); “I will search Jerusalem with lamps” (Zeph. 1:12).

In Luke 19, after just four chapters earlier telling the parables of the one lost son of two, the one lost coin of 10, and the one lost sheep of 100, he gives his mission statement: “I have come to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). The parables emphasize the one that is lost. It doesn’t matter if there is another son at home, or nine more coins on the dresser, or 99 more sheep in the field. He wants and will search everything and everywhere until He finds the lost one. God’s heart is for each and every individual in the world. His heart is for me and you. In Matthew 18:14, He says, “So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter describes Him as “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” It reminds me of the NMLB acronym. It stands for “No Man Left Behind.” It’s been the motto of the U.S. Rangers, but it is also used by firefighters regarding those trapped in a burning building. It’s a commitment to risk one’s own life to reach out and save others. April 30, 1975, was the last day of the RVN (Republic of Vietnam). While on a Navy Destroyer, we rescued many who fled for their lives when America withdrew troops. One eye witness wrote, “On the Republic of Vietnam’s final day, as I looked down into the … terrified eyes in the upturned faces of hundreds of Vietnamese nationals and citizens of other countries friendly to the United States, who were being left behind, I knew that I would be haunted for many years to come.” Our nation, unlike God, left them behind. We did it again when we withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.

Jesus’ followers, His Disciples, were given the same commission that Jesus had. In John 20:21, he says, “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” We are always on a mission to seek and save the lost. It’s often referred to as the Great Commission.  God calls us all to embrace His mission in the world and make it our own. I like what Bock says in his commentary on Luke regarding this truth. He writes, “Disciples… need absolute commitment. Their mission, even though others grumble at it, is to seek the lost, just as God does. God rejoices in finding lost sinners, so Jesus’ call is to pursue them as one would a lost sheep, a lost coin, or a wayward son. When the lost come, open arms are to await them. Celebration and joy greet them in heaven.”

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John 10:11, Luke 15

The Shepherd’s Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 9, 2024

When we say “God loves us,” we mean that all three persons of the Godhead are involved. The parable of the prodigal son instructs us regarding the depth of God the Father’s love for us. Bill MacDonald suggests that the parable of the lost coin might easily be understood as a story focusing on God the Holy Spirit’s love for us. The parable of the lost sheep then would be seen as an illustration of God the Son’s great love for us. It is often argued by commentators that John 10:11 is a direct reference by the Apostle John to Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep in Luke. Jesus says in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus then says in John 15:13, “That no greater love than this has any man; that one lay down his life for his friend.”

These three parables, the parable of the lost son, the lost coin, and the lost sheep, all picture the Godhead’s great love for every single one of us. When John writes in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love,” he is referring to the entire Godhead. Love is the unifying force of three persons of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Jesus, as the messenger of the Godhead, clearly expressed His purpose in taking on flesh in Luke 19. He says, “I have come to seek and to save that which is lost.” When we read Genesis three, we see the triune God involved in the creation account, but He is not only involved with creation, but also He is intimately involved with our redemption. No matter how many souls there are in the world (currently approaching 8 billion), God’s focus of redemption is on you! The Father waits for your return. The Holy Spirit searches far and wide, holding his lamp high as he sweeps through the rubble in the world to find you. The Son, our Great Shepherd, becomes the sacrificial lamb to redeem you! I expect that Peter was referring to this parable when he wrote that we “were like sheep going astray…(who) have returned to the Shepherd of our souls.” (1 Peter 2:25).

God loves each and every one of us sheep.  Jesus tells us the difference between the hireling and the shepherd. The hireling is a mercenary in it for the money! The shepherd is in it because of his love for the sheep. One commentator writes, “Without love, there may be care, but it will not be tender care; there may be guardianship, but it will not be incessant, unwearied, jealous guardianship. The heavenly Shepherd loves the sheep of his flock with a deep, true, patient, and abounding love, surpassing far the utmost affection whereof man is capable; surpassing even the utmost conception that man can form of love.” It’s Love that holds the Father to the fence, longing for His son’s return. It’s love that moves the Spirit to search far and wide for his lost souls. It’s love that moved the great shepherd to give up His life for us sheep.

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Romans 15:30, Luke 15

The Loving Spirit

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 8, 2024

When Paul requests prayer on his behalf from the Romans, he appeals to them on the basis of “the love of the Spirit.”  Paul closes his letter to them and, in Romans 15:30, says, “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.” The love of the Spirit of God is not a frequently mentioned subject. But some have found it in the Parable of the Lost Coin. In the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 15), Jesus tells three parables that are often interpreted as being one parable in three movements: the lost son, the lost coin, and the lost sheep. There are two sons, and one goes astray. The father’s love yearns for his return and with perfect love and forgiveness welcomes him home. The mistress of the house has ten coins. It was only the lost one that caused such distress that she went to no end to find it. The shepherd had 100 sheep.  Again, only one needed to be lost to make the shepherd leave the 99 and search far and wide for the lost one until he brings it home. God always deals with us one at a time. Someone once said that when Jesus was on the cross, “you were on his mind.” These parables increasingly emphasize the importance of you and me, one person, in God’s total scheme of things. God loves each and every one of us.

Some would suggest that these three parables are pure depictions of the Godhead’s love for His children. The parable of the lost son speaks to us of God the Father and His great love for his wayward children. The parable of the lost coin tells us about the Holy Spirit’s love for us as well.  This is what the woman who lost the coin does, according to Jesus, “She will light a lamp and sweep the house. She will search carefully until she finds the coin. And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors together. She will say, ‘Be joyful with me. I have found my lost coin.’” Jesus then adds, “I tell you, it is the same in heaven. There is joy in heaven over one sinner who turns away from sin.” The focus of this passage is on God’s love for “ONE SINNER” who turns from sin.

Bill MacDonald, in the Believer’s Bible Commentary, says, “The woman in this story may represent the Holy Spirit, seeking the lost with the lamp of the Word of God.” I recall that in Psalm 119 we read that God’s word “is a light to my path and a lamp for my feet.” To Bill this parable is situated in the context of the vast rejection of Jesus by the masses of His own people. God no longer deals with Nations. He will now only deal with individuals.  The Nation, the Religious leaders, and their religious system rejected Jesus, but there were the individuals that responded. Bill writes, “The nine silver coins speak of the unrepentant, whereas the one lost coin suggests the man who is willing to confess that he is out of touch with God.” It is the lost one that she is searching for. When she finds it, like the Father in the case of the prodigal son, she throws a great party to celebrate. When Jesus applies the parable he makes it clear that the lost coin represents a lost sinner.  MacDonald concludes his comments, “The lost coin which she had found brought her more true pleasure than the nine which had never been lost. So it is with God. The sinner who humbles himself and confesses his lost condition brings joy to the heart of God. He obtains no such joy from those who never feel their need for repentance.” The healthy don’t need a physician!

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Luke 15:20

The Father’s Love

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 7, 2024

I’ve often thought that the story of the prodigal son should be called the story of the “Loving Father.” In this story, we see not only the wayward son, but we also see the self-righteous older brother.  The Father affirms his love for both of his sons. The story of the wayward son is just one of three parables that talk about God’s passion for the lost. It’s nestled amongst the stories of the lost coin and the lost sheep. Some commentators even argue that the three parables are really one extended story about God’s heart for the lost.  The father is the central theme of the story and is mentioned 12 times in the story. Luke 15:20 gives us the heart of this father for his lost son. It says, “But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion.  He ran, threw his arms around his neck,  and kissed him.”

This story illustrates God’s passion for the lost. He wants to save all that is lost. It is the father’s response to his wayward son that gives us a picture of the Father’s amazing grace. John Newton experienced this grace himself. We’ve all sung about this grace in his unforgettable hymn, “Amazing Grace.” One of the best-known lines of that hymn says, “I once was lost, but now am found…” Newton explained that he took this line from the story of the prodigal son. Upon the prodigal son’s return, the father said he “was lost and is now found.”  We get the idea that the father regularly looked down that long, lonely road that led away from home for any sign of his child’s return. The Greek text emphasizes the fact that the father saw the son coming “from a long way off” (Luke 15:20). David Jeremiah suggests, “From a distance, the father recognizes the walk of his son. He was no doubt dressed in rags, unwashed, bearded, hair a mess. Yet the father saw something that told him his son had come home. I can imagine what Jesus intended is to suggest that the father went to a vantage point outside the city and looked far down the road every day for any sign of his lost son.”

When the father saw his son, he ran to meet him. I imagine this as an incredibly emotional scene; the father, full of grace, embraces his prodigal son even before the son has a chance to repent and ask for forgiveness. We think that the son is the protagonist in the story because he makes the first step to come home, but when you study the story, we see that he did so not because of his love for the father but because of his need for food and shelter and the knowledge that his father loved him. The central theme of the story is the love of the father, who watches every day for the return of his son.  In all three parables, The Lost Son, The Lost Coin, and The Lost Sheep, the attention is placed on the searcher who would not give up until he found that which was his. Jesus said, “I have come to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

 

 

 

 

 

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