The death of Absalom (2 Samuel 18-20)

  David and his men traveled through the wilderness to escape from his son Absalom. They finally arrived in the town of Mahanaim, where they were warmly greeted. The people of the town brought sleeping mats, bowls, barley, flour, grain, beans honey, butter sheep and cheese for David and his men. "You must be hungry thirsty and tired from your long trek through the wilderness." They said.

  Then David split his troops into three groups and appointed three generals to lead his men as they set up camp in Mahanaim. David wanted to go with them into battle, but his men talked him into staying back because they knew that he was the one that Absalom wanted to kill. So David stood by the city gate as the troops headed out to battle. He gave these orders to all the men as they passed by. "Please deal gently with my son Absalom. Spare his life for my sake."

  So the troops went out and the battle began. The Israelite army was beaten back by David's army and 20,000 men lost their lives that day. During the battle, Absalom unexpectedly came upon some of David's men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the branches of an oak tree, his hair got tangled in the branches. His mule kept on going  but Absalom was left hanging there defenseless. One of David's men saw what happened and he went back to report what he saw to Joab, one of David's generals.

 "What?" Joab demanded. "You saw him hanging there and you didn't kill him? I would have given you 10 pieces of silver if you had."
  "You heard king David say, 'For my sake do not harm young Absalom.' I would not have killed him for a thousand pieces of silver!"
  "Enough of this nonsense!" Joab shouted as he grabbed three daggers and headed toward the oak tree where Absalom was still dangling. Joab stabbed Absalom. Then Joab's men took Absalom down from the tree, threw him in a pit and buried him with stones.

  David was waiting for news of the battle at the city gate. He saw a man in the distance running toward him. The man finally approached David. "All is well my lord. The Lord your God has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against you." But David was more worried about his son.
  "And what of young Absalom?" David inquired. "Is he alive and well?" The man was afraid to tell David that his son was dead, so he lied and told him that he didn't know. Just then another man showed up with news, and David asked him about Absalom. David was completely heartbroken when he found out that Absalom had been killed. He walked slowly back to his room, weeping the entire time.

Word soon reached general Joab that David was very upset about Absalom's death and that there was no joy among the men for his victory over the Israelites. Joab was very angry and went to see David. "It seems to me that you would have been happier if we had all died and lost the battle and Absalom had lived. You are making me and all your men feel as if we had done something wrong." Joab said.
  David realized that the troops needed to be recognized for their victory, so he went out to the city gate and congratulated them. In the meantime, all the people all over Israel were in a huge discussion about reinstating David as the king over all of Israel. The people finally agreed that it shall be done, but not without a few revolutionists who continued to plot against David.

  Did you even notice that in life.....it is never all good or all bad. We have to be thankful for the good things in the midst of trouble. And celebrate with our eyes open and hearts receptive to people around us who may be struggling. Don't let our emotions (joyful or downcast) blind us to loving others so that God may be glorified.

David makes some bad choices and sins against God (2Samuel:11)

  Some time after David invited Mephibosheth to live on the palace grounds, King Nahash died. King Nahash was a leader in Ammon and a friend of Israel so King David sent some ambassadors to pay their respects. Hanun, who was King Nahash's son and now king, was a little paranoid and thought that David's men were there to spy on him and eventually conquer the city. King Hanun had his men cut off half of the beards of David's men, cut their robes to shreds and sent them back to David.
David was furious! He summoned his general, Joab, and gathered his troops. The whole Israelite army marched toward Ammon and a huge battle ensued. Some neighboring armies joined forces with the Ammonites, but after many of them were killed in battle,they retreated and the Ammonites were left alone to fight Israel. Winter quickly approached and the battle between Israel and Ammon was put on hold till the spring.

  Up until now, we have seen all the good things that David has done and how he trusted God, now we come to a section of the Bible that shows that David made mistakes, just like we do. In this chapter, David will make some bad choices. Aren't you glad that the Bible doesn't sugarcoat everything? We see how real the people are, and how we can relate to many of their struggles.

  The following spring, the war with the Ammonites resumed. But David told his general, Joab, "You go fight the Ammonites. I think I will sit this one out and just hang around the castle. So Joab took the Israelite army and marched off to war, while David stayed behind. One day David spent the morning walking the halls of the castle killing time. By afternoon he was so bored that he decided to take a nap. When he got up from his nap, he took a stroll to the rooftop to look over his kingdom. He
noticed a beautiful woman taking a bath on her rooftop a few blocks away. He called one of his servants to find out who she was. "She is Bathsheba, wife of Uriah who is fighting the Ammonites with General Joab as we speak." The servant answered.
 David sent for her and when she arrived at the castle.... David fell in love.  Soon afterward Bathsheba was going to have a baby. David didn't want her husband to find out that he had been with her, so he sent a message to General Joab to put Uriah in the front line of the battle, then pull back all his men so that Uriah would be killed. Joab didn't like the idea, but he followed his king's orders and Uriah was killed.
  When Bathsheba heard that her husband had been killed, she mourned. When the mourning period was over, David sent for her. She became his wife and the she gave birth to a baby boy. Then the Bible says this one thing at the end of Chapter 11 of 2 Samuel in verse 27.... but the Lord was very displeased with the things that David had done.

 Even though the Bible describes Davis as "a man after God's own heart", he was still just a man.... and all men have fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Next time we will see that David has a choice to make. Turn from God.... or turn from his sin.

 Did you see how one small choice David made to stay home instead of going to war snowballed into many many bad decisions? One of David's main purposes that God had for him was to build up Israel by finishing the battles that Joshua had begun years earlier. By staying home when he should have been out to war, David gave the devil an opportunity to lead him astray. If David had been out to battle, he would have never taken an afternoon nap, seen Bathsheba and eventually had Uriah killed.

 We can learn a huge lesson. Be all about what God has for you. Pray and study the Bible. God will reveal what He has planned for you. Then get out there and do something for God.  Don't let the devil have an opportunity to use your idleness to sin against God.

David Spares King Saul's Life (1 Samuel 23 &24)

One day, David got word that the Philistines were attempting to take over the city of Keilah. David prayed and asked God if he should gather his men (which now numbered about 600) and fight the Philistine army and save Keilah. God said "Yes." So David gathered his men and they defeated the Philistine army and saved the city of Keilah. In the meantime, King Saul heard that David was at Keilah. "Now we have David right where we want him! He is in Keilah, a city with a wall all the way around it. Gather the entire Israelite army! We have him trapped!" King Saul shouted.
 So as the king and his men marched toward Keilah to kill David, David prayed to God and asked him if he should stay in Keilah or leave. God told David that the people of Keilah would turn him over to king Saul, and that he should leave the city.

 Wow! David saves the whole city from destruction by the Philistine army, and they are ready to turn on him as soon as they hear that King Saul was on his way!

So David and his men left and headed into the wilderness. Jonathan heard that his father the king was in hot pursuit of David and went to the wilderness to find David and encourage him. "Don't worry." Jonathan told David when he finally reached him. "God has anointed you to be king, so my father can't harm you."

God knows where we are all the time and He led Jonathan to David. David was in need of some encouragement after he found out that the city of Keilah was going to turn against him. God knows where you are right now, physically, mentally and spiritually. And he will equip you with what you need to carry out His purposes.

When King Saul reached Keilah, the people told him which way David went. The king and his army were just on the other side of a large rock that David was hiding behind, when Saul got word that the Philistines were attacking Israel. He gathered his men, left the chase and went back to Israel to fight. Ever since then, that rock has been known as "the Rock of Escape". Then David and his men went deeper into the wilderness and found a cave in which to hide.

 After King Saul chased the Philistine army out of Israel, he took 3000 of his best warriors and continued to chase David. Some men along the way told the king which way David went.  So King Saul headed in that direction. Along the road into the wilderness, the king had to go to the bathroom so he ducked into a cave. Guess what? David and his men were hiding in that very cave! As King Saul was standing with his back to David and his men, some of David's men whispered to David that now was the time to kill Saul and become the king. David knew that this was not God's plan. "Saul is God's appointed leader and it is a serious thing to attack and kill him!" David rebuked his men.
 So David reached out and cut off a piece of Saul's robe. Then he told his men not to harm the king.
 After King Saul left the cave and was on his way, David came out and shouted, "My lord the king!"
Saul turned and saw David holding something. "Why are you trying to kill me?" David continued. "Don't listen to all those men who say that I am trying to kill you! Look what I have in my hand. It is a piece of your robe! I could have killed you back in that cave, but I didn't. I am leaving all the judging to God. He will punish which ever one of us is guilty. Be sure of this my king. I will never purposely harm you."
 Saul called back to David and began to cry. "You are a better man than I David, for you have repaid me good for evil. You have shown me kindness today. I was in a place where you could have easily killed me. But you didn't." Saul continued."I know now that someday you will be king! Please be kind to all the members of my family when you do."
 With that Saul went back home and David went back to the cave where he had set up camp.

God says in the book of Romans that we should "overcome evil with good" and that is just what David did.

David and Goliath (1Samuel 7:32-58)

So David stood before king Saul. The king asked him. "What's with all the questions about the reward for killing the Philistine soldier known as Goliath?"
 David replied. "Don't worry about a thing. I will go and defeat the giant."
"Don't be ridiculous!" The king replied. "You are just a boy! He has been in the army since before you were even born!"
David persisted. ""God has been with me when bears and lions attacked my father's sheep. I clubbed the beasts and sometimes would even have to kill them with my bare hands."

David remembered how God helped him through the tough times. When we are faced with difficult situations, it helps to remember the times when God was there for us in the past. David also realized that the lions and bears were training him for something bigger. Are you going through a tough time? It may be that God is preparing you for something great.

 Finally Saul agreed to let David go and fight Goliath. He even gave David his own personal armor to wear. But Saul was very tall and the armor felt clunky and uncomfortable to David. So he took it off. He wasn't used to wearing any type of armor when he was defending his father's sheep. David grabbed his staff and a slingshot. Then he headed down to the river where he picked up five smooth stones and put them into his pouch.
 Goliath was already out in the clearing taunting the Israelite army. David came up from the bank of the river and ran toward Goliath and his armor bearer.

To everyone it looked like two against one.... and a very lopsided two against one at that, because one was a giant with a spear, armor and a shield bearer and the other was a boy.  It WAS lopsided, but not a giant against a boy, but God and a boy against two men. 

Goliath sneered at David. "Am I a dog that you come at me with a stick? Come over here and I'll feed you to the wild animals!" He shouted.
 David shouted back. "You come to me with a spear, javelin and a sword. But I come to you in the name of the Lord God Almighty. Today He will conquer you, then I will feed you to the wild animals and the whole world will know that there is one true God! This battle is not mine, but it is the Lord's because you have defiled His people." David continued running toward Goliath as he reached into his pouch and took out a stone.

When facing problems in our lives, do we look at the problem and give up or panic? Or do we have the confidence that comes with knowing that God is on our side. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

                                                              As David ran toward Goliath, Goliath moved toward David. Placing the stone in the slingshot, David hurled it toward Goliath. It hit Goliath in his head. Goliath fell with a great thump face down to the ground. He was dead. David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and a sling.
 The Philistine army saw Goliath fall to the ground and ran away. The Israelite army, now full of confidence, shouted triumphantly and chased the Philistines out past the gates of Ekron.

God doesn't want us to sit back and wait for Him to fight our battles. He also does not want us to do it all by ourselves. He wants us to team up with Him.  He loves you and everything He allows into your life is for His greater purpose. Trust Him in the little things, the big things and the difficult things.



  

David Hears About Goliath and the Reward (1Samuel17a)

  So David worked for the king as well as caring for his father's sheep. He would travel back and forth
between his home and the palace. While he was home, the Israelite army had gathered to battle the Philistine army. The Philistines had set up camp just outside of Judah. So the Israelites set up on an opposite hill with a valley between the armies. David's three oldest brothers had already gone ahead to join the army to fight the Philistines. As he was getting ready to go back to king Saul, David's father gave him some grain and bread to take to his brothers and some cheese to take to their captain. He also asked David to see how they were doing and to bring back a letter from the brothers.

  When David arrived at the camp. The Israelite army was just leaving for battle. But today would be the same as the last forty days. The two armies would be on opposite sides of the valley. One of the Philistine soldiers would come out and stand between the armies and begin taunting the Israelites. This was no ordinary soldier however. His name was Goliath and he was nine feet tall! He was an  honored champion among the Philistines. He wore a bronze helmut and had a spear on his back. The head of the spear alone weighed over fifteen pounds. He also had an armor bearer in front of him with a huge shield.
  For forty days, twice a day, Goliath would strut in front of the Israelite army and shout at them. "Do you need a whole army to settle this?" He would sneer. " Choose someone to fight for you, and I will represent the Philistines. We will settle this dispute in single combat. If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the army of Israel!" Goliath taunted. "Come on! Send out someone who will fight with me!"

 King Saul and the Israelite army would shake with fear every time Goliath would come out. Many of them ran away in fright. David was going toward the battle. Some of the Israelite army were grumbling among themselves as they were headed away from the front lines. "Have you seen the size of that guy?  They asked each other. "Even with the king's huge reward, there is no way I'm fighting that guy!" David was curious about this huge reward, so he stopped one of the frightened  men and asked him about it. "Yes, the king has offered a huge reward to any man that kills the giant." The man continued. "King Saul will give that man one of his daughters in marriage and the family of the man who kills the giant will never have to pay taxes again."

  David went a little farther and asked a couple more soldiers who were standing near the front lines. "What will the man receive for killing this Philistine and putting an end to his abuse of Israel?" David asked. "And who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?" Some of the soldiers answered him. "What you have heard is true. The family of the man who kills the Philistine will be exempt from taxes forever, and that man will marry one of the king's daughters."

  But David's older brother Eliah, was nearby. He saw David and heard the questions that he was asking about the reward. "What are you doing?" Eliah asked angrily. "You are supposed to be tending to those couple of sheep on the mountainside away from everyone! You don't belong here and you certainly don't need to know about the reward for killing the giant! Go home!"
  "What did I do now?" Asked David. "I was only asking a question." Eliah walked away in anger and David continued to ask questions. Soon king Saul heard that David was inquiring about the reward and he sent for him.

  Did you notice David's response to Goliath's taunting. He had the right perspective. David saw the Israelite army as God's army. He knew that God was on their side. He heard Goliath's threat as a threat against God, not just men. Don't be afraid to stand up for what is right. God is on your side. (Romans 8:31) God did not give us a spirit of fear. (2Timothy1:7) Do the right thing and God will be with you. (Deuteronomy 6:18)

David is Anointed King (1 Samuel 16)

 After Samuel called Saul on his disobedience, the two men went their separate ways. Samuel was very sad because he and Saul had a long history between them. Finally God called to Samuel. "You have mourned for Saul long enough. Now it is time to anoint a new king. I want you to take some oil and head to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse. One of his sons will be the next king of Israel."

God understands our disappointments. But there comes a time when we have to get back to what we are supposed to do. 

 Samuel answered with a tinge of fear in his voice. "What if Saul finds out? He will have me killed!"
 "Don't worry." God said. "Bring a heifer and tell everyone that you are there to make a sacrifice."
 So Samuel took a cow and headed to Bethlehem. When he arrived, the people got nervous. "What happened? Why are you here? Is there something wrong?" They questioned.
 "Relax." Samuel replied. "I am only here to make a sacrifice in the town square. Invite everyone in the town. Make sure that you invite Jesse and his sons."
 Samuel had just begun the purification sacrifice when Jesse and his sons arrived. Samuel took one look at Eliab, Jesse's oldest son and thought to himself, "This is surely the next king of Israel. He is tall and handsome." But the Lord said to Samuel, Don't judge by appearance and height for I have rejected him. People judge by appearance, but I the Lord, judge by a person's heart."

We don't have to do things to make us look good. God sees our heart. He knows our motives, which means that He knows why we do things. The good things that we do should be an overflow of our hearts, not to rack up points with God.

 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward. Again, the Lord rejected him, even though Samuel again thought that this was the one. Then Shammah stepped forward. And again God said, "No." One by one all seven of Jesse's sons stepped forward. And one by one they were rejected.
 Finally Samuel asked Jesse. "Do you have any other sons that are not here?"
 "Yes" Said Jesse. "There is one more, my youngest, David. He is working out in the field watching the sheep."
 "Send for him at once," ordered Samuel. "We will not sit down and eat until David gets here."
 When David arrived, Samuel saw that he had red hair, pleasant eyes and he was handsome. God told Samuel that David was the one. So Samuel poured oil on David's head and anointed him. As soon as Samuel anointed David, the Holy Spirit came upon him.


 In the old testament, the Holy Spirit came upon people. The Holy Spirit would descend upon and leave people as God saw fit to accomplish His purposes. Now, after Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us if we have made Jesus the Lord of our life. And He is with us forever! It is one of God's most amazing promises!

 Meanwhile, Saul was in his throne room. The Holy Spirit had departed from him and Saul became agitated and fearful. One of Saul's servants suggested that Saul needed music to calm him down. Another servant suggested a young man that he had heard about who played the harp very well. His name was David!

God is always working behind the scenes, even when we don't see it. 

 Saul sent a message to Jesse to send his son David. Jesse sent David to the king along with some gifts. David played the harp for Saul and it helped Saul. Saul liked David very much and soon David became the armor bearer as well at the royal musician.

The Fall of Saul (1 Samuel:13-15)

  When we left last time, Samuel had anointed Saul as king. Samuel warned the people that God was not very pleased with them about choosing a king over Him. But that as long as they looked to God first for everything, that He would continue to bless them.

 Saul was 30 years old when he became the first king of Israel. He ruled for 40 years. Saul had a son named Jonathan. Jonathan became a great soldier in Saul's army. In one battle, Saul took 2,000 men and gave Jonathan 1,000 men. Jonathan defeated a garrison of Philistines with half the men that his dad had. Saul sent a message out that he had won a great battle against the Philistines. The Philistines got mad and mounted a great attack with chariots and horsemen. Saul and his men got scared and camped at Micmash.
  Samuel the Prophet sent a message to Saul. The message said that he would be there within seven days to pray and make a sacrifice to God. Saul waited and waited. But his men began deserting. Some hid in caves, and some crossed the Jordan River and ran. After seven days, Saul was too fearful to wait any longer. "Bring me the burnt offering." he shouted.

 Just a Saul had finished the sacrifice, guess who shows up? Yep Samuel.
 "What have you done!?" Samuel asked. " Sacrifices must only be offered up by priests and prophets. That was a very foolish thing to do."
 "I didn't think you were coming. All my men were leaving and I thought that the Philistines were ready to attack." Saul replied. Then Samuel told Saul that his disobedience would result in losing the crown.... and that God already had someone after His own heart in mind. Then Samuel left.
 There were only 600 men left with Saul. They left Micmash just in time, because the massive Philistine army showed up there and set up camp.  Saul and his army were in Geba, not far from where the Philistines were set up.Without telling his father, Jonathan took one of his servants. They snuck up on the Philistines. Jonathan told his servant that God would be with them. They attacked the Philistines. The Philistine army was so confused, that they began killing each other! Saul's lookout saw something going on and reported it to Saul. Then he saw the Philistine army running off in every direction. Saul knew that he had to get over there to help Jonathan before the Philistines regathered their troops. He called his men together to pray, but it was taking too long, so he said to forget it, and they left. When they arrived. The Philistine army was gone. The Lord saved Israel that day, but the battle was far from over.

 In the years that followed, Saul fought against Israel's enemies in every direction. He won battles against Moab, Ammon, Edom and Zobah. The Israelites continued to battle the Philistines.
  One day Samuel said to Saul. " I have anointed you as king because God told me to. So now listen to what the Lord wants you to do. He wants you to destroy the country of Amelek because of the evil they did against the Israelites when the left Egypt during Moses' day." Samuel continued. " Make sure you follow these instructions exactly. Destroy everything and everyone. Do not take anything or anyone or any animal. from the land."
  So Saul gathered his army. They destroyed most of Amelek. Saul took the king as prisoner and brought back the best sheep, donkeys and cattle and anything else that appealed to them.

  God said to Samuel the Prophet. " I am sorry that I ever made Saul king. He has been disloyal to me and has disobeyed me at every turn." Samuel was so upset with Saul that he set right out to confront him. When Samuel finally reached the camp, he asked one of the men where Saul was. Guess where he was? He was out in a field surrounded by all the sheep, goats, and cattle that he took from Amelek and he was building a monument.... to himself!
  "I did it!" Saul exclaimed. " I followed God's commands."

 "Then what is all the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?!" Samuel was very angry.
"Oh, I was going to sacrifice them to God later." Saul lied.
"Obedience is much more important to God than sacrifices!" Samuel retorted.
Saul knew he had done wrong. He confessed, but Samuel told him that the since he had rejected the Lord's command..... the Lord will now reject him as king.

   We can see Saul's gradual fall away fro God. We can learn from his mistakes. Let's look at his demise:
1. Saul took credit for Jonathan's victory.
2. Saul sacrificed without Samuel. (He thought of it as a magic wand, not as communing with God)
3. Saul didn't pray because it would have taken too long.
4. Saul directly disobeyed God's commands.
5. Saul thought more of himself than God. (When he built a monument to himself.)
 We should continually check ourselves. Do I take credit for things I did not do. Do I treat the things of God (prayer and bible reading) like a magic lamp? Do I hurry through my prayers or forget about them altogether? Do I break any of God's commandments. Do I think more of myself than of God? All of these things pull us away from God. He loves us and wants us near. He is always in the same place. we are the ones who pull away.

 

Saul is Anointed and Crowned King (1 Samuel 9-12)

  After the feast was over, Samuel took Saul to the rooftop where he had already prepared a bed for him. Saul still did not know what all the fuss was about. (Last time we learned that God had picked Saul as the first king of Israel)
The next morning, Samuel woke up Saul and his servant. Samuel sent the servant on his way and he brought Saul to a house at the edge of town. Then Samuel took out a flask of oil. He poured it over Saul’s head. I’m sure Saul was till wondering what was going on. He just came to this town looking for his lost donkeys!
 As Samuel as anointing Saul with oil, he said. “ I have received a special message for you from God. He has appointed you as leader over the people of Israel! Now be on your way and return tomorrow for the big announcement to all the people.”

  So Saul went home. The next day Samuel called all the Israelites together to introduce them to their first king ever. Samuel made a long speech about how God didn’t really want the people to have a king. And that God was their king, but God gave the people what they wanted. Finally the time came to announce Saul as the new king, but he was nowhere to be found. God told Samuel where to find Saul and he brought him out and said. “This is Saul! Son of Kish! God has chosen him and in all Israel there is no equal!”
 All the people shouted. “Long live the king!”
  Samuel stood next to Saul and read all the duties of the king from a long scroll. Saul was a very tall handsome man. He stood head and shoulders above everyone in Israel. The people agreed that God had picked the right man as their king. (Whether the people agreed or not, God always chooses right)
 When Samuel was finished reading, he sent the people home. Saul went home too. He was still not too sure about this whole king thing. He went back to working in his fields. Many people brought him gifts and encouraged him, but of course there were a few wicked men who complained about Saul as king.

  About a month later, the king of Ammon led his army against the Israelite city of Jabesh-gilead. The people surrendered to the king and offered themselves as his servants. The king said that he would return in seven day to not only take them as servants, but he said that he would gouge out every single Israelite’s right eye too!
 When the word about the king’s threat reached Saul’s hometown, everyone began to cry. Saul finished plowing his field and went into town. “Why is everyone crying?” He asked.
 The messenger from Jabesh-gilead filled Saul in on all the details. Then the Holy Spirit came upon Saul and he knew what he needed to do. (In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come upon people as God saw fit. Now, because of Jesus, we can have the Holy Spirit living inside us, if we believe that Jesus died for us and we follow Him.)
 Saul went around Israel and gathered 330,000 men. They launched a surprise attack on the Ammonites and defeated them completely.The people hailed Saul as king.
 Samuel said. “OK now lets go reaffirm Saul as king.” So in a solemn ceremony, Saul was crowned king of Israel. The people of Israel rejoiced because they had a brave and strong king.
 Samuel then made his final speech as judge over Israel. “ Now you have your king. My work as judge is done, but I will never stop praying for you, teaching you or giving you godly advice. I will continue as God’s prophet. Even though you rejected God as your king, He has given you a brave and strong king. Just remember to look to the Lord for your help and remember all the wonderful things He has done for you.”

   Isn’t it amazing that even though the people rejected God as their king, he didn’t punish them. That is called mercy. Then on top of it, God picked out the best man for the job and empowered him with the Holy Spirit. That is called Grace.
 Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. We don’t deserve to go to heaven because of our sin. God sparing us is mercy. God sent Jesus as our savior to die for us and the Holy Spirit to live in us. That is Grace. Isn’t that amazing!  Amazing Grace!

Israel Requests a King (1Samuel 8,9and10)

 By now Samuel was getting old. He had two sons, Joel and Abijah. Samuel was getting his sons ready to take over as Israel’s judges, but the people wanted a king. Samuel had explained that God was their king. He told the people that Joel and Abijah would be the new judges, but the people cried out. “We don’t want your sons! We want a king like the other countries have!”
 Samuel was hurt. He went to God and told Him what the people were saying.
 “Don’t take it personally Samuel.” God said. “It is not you and your sons that the people are rejecting. It is me. Ever since I brought them out of Egypt, they have continually rejected me and followed other gods.” (Jesus said the same thing in John 15:18)
 God continued. "First warn the people about what will happen when they have a king. Tell them: A king will draft your sons into the army. A king will make some of your sons slave laborers. A king will take your daughters and force them to cook and clean for him. A king will take away your best fields and have them harvested as his own. A king will take your best cattle and keep them in the royal stable for him and his officials. Then you will beg to go back to the old way, but it will be too late.”
 So Samuel brought God’s message to the people. He warned them about how a king would treat them. Guess what the people said?  They said, “We don’t care! We still want a king like all the other countries around us!” They wanted to be like everyone else, even if it wasn’t best for them!

 Have you ever tried to be like everyone else? Sometimes it seems easier to just go along with the crowd, even if we know it is not what God wants. Do you know what God wants for you? He wants the best for you. When God says, “Don’t.” He is saying, “Don’t hurt yourself.” God loves you. He made you different from everyone else for a reason. Be who God made you to be.

Well, the Israelites made up their mind so God told Samuel that he would pick out a king for them. He told Samuel to prepare a feast and invite the top 30 officials in Israel. He also told Samuel to save the best piece of meat for the king. So Samuel invited 30 of the top officials and had a feast prepared. Wow! Samuel had faith! He would have looked pretty stupid if he threw a party for the new king and the king didn’t show up! But God was already working behind the scenes.

Did you know that God is working behind the scenes in our lives right now? When we talk to Him today, we should thank Him for all the things that He does in our lives that we don’t even know about.

A few miles away their was a rich man named Kish. He had a very handsome son named Saul. Saul was not only handsome but he was also tall. He stood head and shoulders above everyone else. Kish called to his son. “Saul, some of the donkeys have run off! Take one of the servants with you and see if you can find them and bring them back. So Saul and the servant headed toward the hill country. They searched everywhere and couldn’t find the donkeys.
 “I think we better head back home.” Saul said. “The donkeys are nowhere to be found.”
 “Wait!” Said the servant. “See that town just over the next hill? There is a prophet named Samuel that lives there. Maybe he can direct us to the donkeys.”
 So they headed toward the town. When they arrived at the gate, Samuel was waiting. Saul asked where he could find the prophet Samuel.
“I am he.” Said Samuel. “Come with me and don’t worry about the donkeys. They have been found.”
Samuel led Saul to the head of the table at the banquet and brought out the best piece of meat for him. Saul was very confused. He just wanted to find his donkeys and now he was the guest of honor at some feast.

 Sometimes we think that things are not going well, like Saul when he couldn’t find his donkeys. But sometimes God is leading us right where He wants us. Sometimes He is protecting us from something. Sometimes He is preparing us for something and sometimes he is teaching us something. But through it all, He is always drawing us nearer to Him.

The return of The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord (1Samuel 6&7)

 When we left off, Eli had just fallen backward off his chair when he received news that his 2 sons had died in battle and the the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord had been taken by the Philistines. Samuel had warned Eli about this years earlier.
 So now the Philistines had The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. They took it back with them to the town of Ashdod and put it in the temple next to their god, Dagon. Over night, a strange thing happened. The stone god, Dagon, had fallen face down in front of The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. The men all gathered and hoisted Dagon back up. The next morning, when the diviners showed up, Dagon had fallen again before The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, but this time, his arms were broken off and His head was in the doorway of the temple. The diviners were shocked! The called the leaders of Ashdod and said, “We have to get rid of the Ark! Not only had Dagon been damaged, but the people of the town are all getting sick!”
 The leaders agreed. “Let us send the Ark to the city of Gath.” They said. And so they did. Pretty soon all the people of Gath were getting sick and there were frogs everywhere! The citizens of Gath thought that they should get rid of the Ark and sent it to the city of Ekron. The people of Ekron had already heard about what happened in Ashdod and Gath, so when they saw the ark coming over the hill to their city, they cried, “No! we don’t want the Ark!” But even before the Ark had reached their city, the people had already begun to get sick and the plague of frogs had started.
 The Ark had been moved to five cities in all. The Ark remained in the Philistine territory for a total of seven months. The diviners and the leaders of all the cities got together. “What are we going to do about the Ark?” they asked. “Should we send it back to the Israelites? And if we do, How?”
 “Yes, the Ark must be returned immediately along with a guilt offering of gold.” They were told.  "Take two cows that had never been hitched to a cart. Put them in the middle of a field with a cart hitched to them and the Ark along with the offering in the cart. If the cows begin to head toward the Israelite territory, we will know that it is because of their God. If not, then all these diseases and frogs were just a coincidence.”

So these instructions were carried out and sure enough, the cows went strait toward Beth-shemesh (an Israelite territory) Some of the Philistines followed the cows until they reach the border of Beth-shemesh.

 When the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord returning on a cart being pulled by two cows, they were overjoyed!  The cows stopped at a large rock in a man named Joshua’s farm. The Israelites turned the large rock into an altar to and made sacrifices to God. The  Philistine rulers watched the whole thing, then reported back to their cities.

 Then Samuel called all the Israelites together. “Ok, now if all of you are serious about returning to the Lord, make up your minds to obey Him and get rid of all your idols. Then He will protect you and rescue you from the Philistines.”
 So the people made the decision to obey God and eliminate the idols in their lives. Then they fasted and confessed that they had sinned. Samuel sent out a message for everyone to come to  the city of Mizpah. There they prayed and offered sacrifices to the Lord. The Philistines heard that all the Israelites were in one place so they decided to attack. When the Israelites saw the Philistines coming over the hill they cried out to Samuel. “Plead with the Lord to save us!”
 Samuel prayed. A loud voice came from heaven and confused the Philistine army. They were defeated that day and The Israelites lived in peace for the rest of Samuels life.


 We can learn a few things from this chapter in the Israelites history.

(1) God does not want us to put anything before Him. These are called idols. Just like the Philistines had their cement god named Dagon, the Israelites had other things that they had put in place of God. We do it as well. Do you ever think about praying, or reading the Bible, then decide to do it later because you wanted to watch TV, play a game or do some stuff on the computer? That is an idol. The first commandment says that we should not put anything before God.

(2) When Samuel called the people to return to God he had them do some things.
(a) Make a decision to obey God and put Him first in everything.
(b) confess that they had sinned.
 If we feel that we are far from God, it could be that we have sinned by putting God second. Confess that sin and turn from the sin and toward God in obedience. This is called repentance.

Samuel and Eli (1Samuel 1-4)

 During the story of Ruth and Naomi, there was a lot going on with the Israelites. They were still battling the Philistines. Remember Samson had killed 3,000 Philistines during a celebration? The Israelites were also grumbling about how all the other countries had a king.... but they didn’t. They really had the best king of all, God, but they didn’t see it that way. So God gave them a king. He had a great prophet named Samuel anoint a king even though God knew that it was not the best thing for them.

 So let’s go back a few years to when Samuel was born.
 Hannah was a young Israelite woman who did not have any children. Some of the other women would tease her so much, that she would be driven to tears. One day she was very distraught. She went to the temple and prayed. She prayed that if God would give a son, she would dedicate the child and give him back to Him. She prayed with such emotion, that the priest, Eli, went up to her and said. “Excuse me, but if you have been drinking, I must ask you to leave the temple.”

 “No!” Said Hannah. “ I am not drunk. I am praying to God for a son.”
Then Eli said. “God has heard your prayer. May He grant you your request!”
“Thank you!” Hanna said as she ran back home with a smile on her face.
 Soon afterward Hanna found out that she was having a baby and when the time came she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel which means “heard by God.” She kept her promise to God and when Samuel was a few years old, Hanna brought him to the temple.
 Hanna took the child to Eli. “Do you remember me?” She asked. “I promised God to give my child back to Him. He will now belong to the Lord for the rest of his life.” And she left Samuel there with Eli.

God hears our prayers. If our requests are in line with God’s will, He will give us what we ask. (Psalm 37:4)

Every year Hanna would make Samuel a new coat and bring it to him in the temple. Eli would bless her and tell her that he hoped the Lord would bless her with other children, and God did. Hanna ended up having 3 more sons and 2 daughters. God is willing and able to give us more than we ask or even imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)
 Samuel served the Lord with all his heart even though Eli’s sons (Hophni and Phinehas) who were older than Samuel did not. They would steal from the temple. They would treat the servants badly and they did not respect their father. They got fat from feasting on all the best offerings that were supposed to be sacrificed to God.
 One night while Samuel, Eli and his two sons were sleeping, Samuel heard a voice. “Samuel Samuel!”
Samuel jumped out of bed and ran to Eli. “Yes? What do you need?”
 Eli woke up and told Samuel to go back to bed. It was nothing. Then Samuel heard the voice again. “Samuel Samuel!” He jumped up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. What do you need?” Samuel asked.
I didn’t say anything. Go back to bed. It happened again and the Eli realized that God was calling Samuel. He told Samuel to stay in bed and the next time the Lord called to say. “Yes Lord. Here I am. Your servant is listening.” And that’s just what Samuel did.
 The Lord spoke to Samuel. “I have warned Eli about his sons already. He hasn’t done anything, so now I have to do something.”
 The next morning Eli asked Samuel what God had said to him. Samuel did not want to tell him, but Eli insisted. So Samuel told him that he and his sons were going to die in the very near future. Eli told Samuel that God was right. He had warned him, but Eli didn’t want his sons to get mad at him, so he let them get away with a lot of stuff. Now God was not going to let them get away with it any more. “Let the Lord do what He thinks is best.” Eli said as he hung his head in sadness and shame.

 God has put our parents in charge. Sometimes we think that they are being mean or uncaring, but they want the best for us. We need boundaries now so that we won’t be punished later. (Galatians 6:7)