Questioning Reality

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

1 Samuel 16:10–11

All of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel and God did not indicated that any of them were to be anointed king. This presented Samuel with a bit of a brain teaser. God had told Samuel that He would indicate one of Jesse’s sons to be king. But now God’s Word wasn’t matching up with reality. Jesse had seemingly brought all of his sons before Samuel but none of them were the future king. What is Samuel to make of this?

Let me tell you what Samuel didn’t do. He didn’t doubt God’s Word. So often we make that mistake. If the Bible says that soemthing is true and then we look at the reality of the situation, the evidence around us, and it doesn’t match up with what Scripture said, then so many Christians say "Well, the Bible must be wrong!"

But not Samuel. When God’s Word, when His promise, didn’t match up with Samuel's reality the first thing Samuel did wasn’t to doubt God it was to double check his perception of reality. He turned to Jesse and said “Are you sure these are all your sons?” Imagine how silly he must have felt asking that question! But you know what? God’s Word was proved true! Jesse had excluded one of his own sons. 

Here again Samuel sets an example for us to follow. Your confidence in God’s Word and His promises should be unshakeable. So much so that when God’s promise doesn’t seem to match your reality you are more inclined to doubt your perception of reality than you are to doubt God’s promise. Strive to be like that!

Deceiving Ourselves and No One Else

When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

1 Samuel 15:13-15

The frustrating thing about pretending to be something you aren't is that the evidence of who you truly are is all around you. It cries out against you to betray you like the bleating of these sheep. That's the problem with being a hypocrite or of pretending to follow God when you really aren't, is that everyone around you can see how you are really living your life.

What sound or evidence cries out against you and threatens to reveal the truth about who you really are? Your internet search history? Your Netflix watch history? Your credit card history? Or your social media activity? No one can hide the truth about themselves forever. It always comes out in the end. 

But somehow we always fool ourselves into thinking we will get away with it. No other creature on earth is as skilled in self-deception as man. Even a dog that convinces himself he is chasing something other than his own tail, yelps in pain and admits he was wrong when he finally catches his tail and bites down hard on it. But not man. People will lie to themselves and go one refusing to admit their mistakes long after everyone else knows they were wrong. 

That's what Saul did. He refused to admit his sin. He tried to shift the blame onto his own soldiers. He even tried to claim he disobeyed God in order to worship Him! When all along, he ought to have been honest with himself, admitted his sin and asked God for forgiveness. 

Are you deceiving yourself this morning? Are you shifting the blame? You would be far better off just admitting your sin and seeking God's forgiveness. 

Remember Your God!

After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place. But they forgot the Lord their God;

1 Samuel 12:8–9a

God brought Israel up out of Egypt. The knew Moses and Aaron. They witnessed the 10 Plagues. They saw God turn the Nile to blood. They saw God part the Red Sea for the Israelites and then close it back on their enemies. Then God brought them through the desert and settled them in the Promised Land. They crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. They saw the walls of mighty Jericho fall. God did all of this for them, and still verse 9 says they forgot their God! How is that possible?! 

We learn something about people in these verses. Sadly, the ability to forget God, to grow tired of Him, to ignore Him... is an ability that all mankind shares. We are all only too capable of forgetting God.

Think about a husband who has an affair. Do you think he forgets that he’s married? No. He doesn't forget that he has a wife. But he does forget his wife in the sense that he isn’t thinking about her anymore. When he commits that great sin, he’s thinking about someone else, this object of his desire, instead of his wife.

That’s the sense in which Israel forgot their God. They didn’t forget that God existed, but they weren’t thinking about Him anymore. They had no time for God in their thoughts or their lives because they were too busy running after the gods and the things that they desired more. False idols and fleshly desires had pushed God out of their thinking and out of their lives.

What about you? Did you know that you can go to church every week and still forget God? You can if there is no room for Him in your thoughts or your life once you leave church each Sunday. Has God been pushed out of your thoughts and your life by someone or something that you desire more then you desire Him?

Have you forgotten your God? If so, take a look back at your history and remind yourself of all He has done for you. Remember how He called you to salvation. Remember how He freed you from sin. Remember how He loved you at your worst. Remember how He gave you His Word and His church. Remember how He has met your needs again and again and again. Remember your God!

A True Prayer Warrior

They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him. While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.

1 Samuel 7:8-10

As Israel gathers for repentance and revival, their enemies attack. The people of Israel have been fasting, not sharpening their swrords. They aren’t prepared for war, and they aren’t strong enough to defeat the Philistines. But look at what they do.

In verse 8 the Israelites say to Samuel “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” In other words, they say, “Samuel, you pray and we’ll fight.” And that’s what they did.

As the Philistines begin to march out against them, Samuel sacrifices a whole burnt offering to the Lord and he prays for the people. And as Israel goes out to meet their enemies, the Lord thunders from on high! The Philistines are thrown into such a panic by this thunder of God that they are routed and Israel wins a great victory over her enemy on that day.

Samuel delivered Israel with his prayers just as surely as Samson delivered them with his jawbone of a donkey or Gideon delivered them with his trumpets and torches. Samuel was a literal prayer warrior. He fought the battle that day from his knees. And he won! And in doing so, Samuel lived up to his name. You see, in Hebrew Samuel’s name sounds like the phrase “heard of God.”* Samuel was heard by God that day.

There are a number of applications here for us. First, don’t underestimate the power of prayer. A believer can win mighty victories from his knees. Second, as Christians we have an even better intercessor than Samuel. Scripture tells us that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven praying for you and me (Hebrews 7:24-25). It’s appropriate then for us to say to Jesus what the Israelites said to Samuel. “Don’t stop praying for me, Jesus, while I fight these battles." Third, we should also strive to be like Samuel for others in our lives. Do people seek out your prayers? When they are hurting, when they are facing a battle, are you the person they come to for prayer? Strive to be known as a person of prayer, a prayer warrior others can turn to when they need someone in their corner praying for them.

*John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Sa 1:20.

God Came Down to Talk to Samuel

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

1 Samuel 3:10

This is a familiar passage of Scripture to many of us, but we often read it and miss how God condescended or lowered Himself to call Samuel. Think about this. Entire armies of angels, powerful spiritual beings, stand at God’s command in Heaven ready to be dispatched at a moment’s notice. All of creation knows His voice and bends to His command. Every human on earth is at His disposal. And yet, He chooses Samuel who may have only been 12 years old at this time [Geneva Bible: Notes, vol. 1 (Geneva: Rovland Hall, 1560), 122.] to deliver His message to Eli the priest.

God came down and called not once, not twice, not three times... but four times in 1 Samuel 3 God called to Samuel. God didn’t give up on Samuel when he couldn’t figure out who was calling him. (Samuel thought he was hearing Eli the priest call to him.) No, God waited patiently for Eli and Samuel to figure it out, so He could give His message to His newest prophet.

Let this be a reminder to us that God is patient with His servants and knows how to bring us along at a pace we can understand. And let it be a reminder also that God delights in using the weak, the small and the overlooked to do His will. He could have sent an angel. He could have delivered this message of judgment to Eli Himself. He chose to use Samuel... this young man... for His glory.

But why Samuel? Throughout the Bible, God regularly chooses those who are already serving faithfully where they are for bigger things. Joseph was a faithful and righteous servant in Potiphar’s house, before he was chosen to be second in charge of Pharaoh’s house. Joshua was a faithful soldier, a faithful spy and a faithful assistant to Moses before he became the leader of all Israel. And Samuel was a faithful nazirite and Levite before he became a prophet of God.

Serve faithfully where God has put you. Don’t worry about how much attention or prestige you receive. Don’t worry about credit. Just faithfully serve the Lord with all you have. And God will patiently bring you along and will likely use you in bigger and bigger ways for His glory just like He did with Samuel.

Finding a Way to Serve

But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod.

1 Samuel 2:18

According to Old Testament law, as a Levite, Samuel wasn’t supposed to start serving the Lord until he was 25 yrs old and he was to be released from service at 50 (Numbers 8:24–25). But Samuel’s mother had given him over to the Lord to serve Him "for his whole life" (1 Samuel 1:28). That is why Samuel was "ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod."

What service could Samuel possibly render at the tabernacle as a young boy? Did he sweep up? Did he sing or play an instrument in worship? Did he light the lamps or clean out the ashes or clean up the blood from the offerings? We don’t know. What we do know is that Samuel found some way he could serve even as a young boy, and he put his hand to the work faithfully.

In this way, Samuel reminds us that everyone can serve the Lord in some way. Everyone can do something. Have you found something that you can do at your church? Churches and ministires almost always need volunteers. Don’t wait for someone to ask you. If you want to serve, volunteer. I can almost gurantee that they will find something you can do. It may not be glamorous. It may notbe exactly what you wanted to do. But, it will be ministry.

Find your way to serve.

God is our Family

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her... [and] they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

1 Samuel 1:24–28

Samuel was likely around 3 years old when Hannah made good on her vow and took him to live at the temple. How difficult and heart-breaking that must have been for Hannah! And how difficult it must have been for Samuel. You can imagine his little cries when his mother walked away. We know that Hannah loved her son dearly and continued to visit him and take care of him because 1 Samuel 2:19 tells us that “each year [she] made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.”

But even though Hannah saw her son at least that one time a year, she didn’t see him every day. He had no mother there to care for him day in and day out. Samuel was alone. Hannah left him under the care of Eli the priest. And more specifically, Hannah gave Samuel over to the care of the LORD.

Hannah was able to do this impossible thing, giving up the child she had so longed for, because she trusted God to watch over Samuel. She trusted the Lord to provide for Samuel and care for Samuel and protect him. She didn’t abandon her son. She gave Him over to the Lord. And the Lord became mother and father and brother and sister to Samuel. God became Samuel’s family.

The same is true of every believer. When you became a Christian you were adopted as God’s child and He became your family. So, even if your earthly family lets you down, or if they are taken from you prematurely, or if you are off all on your own far away from them, know that you are never alone. You are not orphaned or widowed or abandoned in the true sense of the word, because God is with you. He is your family. He is a father to the fatherless, a husband to the widow, and a compassionate friend to those who have lost children.

And that doesn’t just go for yourself, it also goes for your children. It can be so difficult to let our children go… to send them off into the world. But if they are believers, then we have the added comfort of knowing that we are not the only family they have. Even if we cannot watch over them anymore, God is watching over them. And that brings us the same comfort that it brought Hannah.

How to Pray: According to Hannah

And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

1 Samuel 1:11

There is much that we can learn from Hannah's prayer in her time of misery. And both her prayer and God's answer to it have been the subject of many sermons. But what is often overlooked is the language of the prayer itself... the specific requests that Hannah makes of the Lord.

Hannah asks God to “look on her misery,” to “remember her” and to “not forget her.” These are all helpful phrases for us to remember and use in our personal prayers, because they capture something that’s common to all human experience.

It is a basic human need to know that someone cares about your pain, that someone is thinking about you, that you are not completely forgotten or overlooked. And it is good and right for you to take that need to God in prayer.

So, the next time you feel like no one sees you or no one cares, don’t sulk. Ask God to “remember you.” The next time you feel like no one understands your pain, don’t get mad at everyone else for not being able to understand your experience. Instead, turn to the one person who can. Pray and ask God to “look on your misery.” And the next time you aren’t invited to something and you feel overlooked and left out, pray and ask the Lord “not to forget you.” And comfort yourself with the knowledge that He never has.

And lastly, but perhaps most important of all. Don't forget to ask God specifically and directly for what you want. Hannah comes right out and asks God for a son. Don't let your prayers be general, fuzzy or unclear. Be specific. Don't be afraid to ask God for exactly what you want and need in prayer.   

A "How To" for Reconciliation

Reconciling with someone is to change their mind or renew your friendship with them after your sin has caused a rift in your relationship. It normally requires much more than a simple apology. If all you offer those you have wronged is a half-hearted “I’m sorry,” then you will most likely fail in your attempts, so how do you go about reconciling with those you have wronged?

Here I believe that the story of Abigail and David, which can be found in I Samuel 25, is immensely helpful. Even though Abigail is apologizing for her husband’s sin and not her own, she provides us with a wonderful, biblical example of how to reconcile with our enemies.

During the time David was on the run from King Saul, he and his men provided protection in the wilderness to the flocks of a man named Nabal. It was the custom in those days that when Nabal sheared his sheep he should throw a big feast and give some food to David and his men in gratitude for their service. But, when David’s men came to kindly request their share of the food Nabal insulted David and them and then sent them away empty-handed. David was enraged! He strapped on his sword and rode out with his men intent on killing Nabal and every man in his house. But before David could carry out his plan, one of Nabal’s servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail what had happened. Now Abigail was certainly Nabal’s better half. She was very wise, so she immediately saddled her donkey and loaded it down with provisions. Then she rode out to intercept David and his men.

As Abigail meets David, her speech of reconciliation gives us five steps we can follow to reconcile with our own enemies.

When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 

I Samuel 25:23-24

• First, Abigail humbled herself. She knelt before David and called him "my lord." She called herself his "servant." Reconciling with someone requires humbling yourself before them. This is why reconciling is so hard for us. It’s a humbling experience that hurts our pride

• Second, notice that Abigail fully accepted the blame. It's hard to apologize if you won't admit you have done anything wrong.

Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Fool is his name, [Nabal means fool] and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. 

I Samuel 25:25

• Third, Abigail validated his feelings. In essence she says “I understand why you're angry, and you have every right to feel this way.” It's hard to reconcile with someone until we understand and acknowledge all the ways our sin affected them. 

And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.

I Samuel 25:27

• Fourth, she made restitution. Abigail made it right. She generously provided food for David and his men. Whenever you can make up for how you wronged someone, no apology feels complete until you try to do so.

Please forgive the trespass of your servant.

I Samuel 25:28

• Only then did she ask for his forgiveness. The timing on this is important. It often does no good to ask someone to forgive you if you won’t follow these other steps first. If you don’t 1) Humble yourself, 2) Accept the Blame, 3) Validate their Feelings, and 4) Make Restitution then your apology feels hollow and meaningless.

Who do you need to reconcile with? Have you been trying to apologize to someone and haven't understood why they won't forgive you. Hopefully this helps! I leave you with the words of Romans 12:18- "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."

God Sees You!

The Lord said to Samuel, "...I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

... [Jesse] sent for [David] and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.

I Samuel 16:1-13

The great prophet Samuel had come to town and invited Jesse and his sons to a sacrificial feast. David’s seven older brothers and his father went to meet this great man no doubt wearing their best clothes, while David was left behind in the fields to tend the family's sheep. David appears to have been a bit overlooked and even taken for granted by his family.

David was the youngest and the least physically impressive of Jesse's eight sons. His family appears to have had no great wealth or social standing. He lived in a small, unremarkable village on the fertile edge of a desert and spent his days tending sheep and playing music. No one looked out on that young man sitting in the fields and saw greatness. No one but God!

Maybe you know that feeling. No one ever seems to notice you. No one thinks you’re all that special. Maybe you even feel a bit taken for granted. You do everything you’re supposed to, but instead of appreciation, all you get is more work or worse, complaints. Whether it's your parents, spouse, kids, boyfriend/girlfriend, or even your boss; most of us know what it feels like to be taken for granted, forgotten, or overlooked in one way or another.

Sometimes it can be tempting to think, “What am I killing myself for? It isn’t worth it. I should do what everyone else does and do just enough to get by. Do the bare minimum” But in young David, we find encouragement to keep going. God saw David sitting out in those fields by himself, and God sees you!

Today if you feel ignored or forgotten, know that He sees you. He sees you working long hours at your desk. He sees you rising before dawn to work your land, tend your animals or make lunches for your kids. God sees you doing good, hard, honest work to provide your family

In this way, David reminds us of what Galatians 6:9 says. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Don’t grow weary in doing good. It’s not for nothing. God hasn’t forgotten you. Continue to be faithful in the little things and in due time God will reward you. It may be in this life, as it was for David, or it may be in the next. But make no mistake. God sees you. It matters. And you will be rewarded.

A man named Fool

One of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he scorned them... Now therefore…consider what you should do, for evil is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him.”

Excerpts from I Samuel 25:14-17 

Have you ever known someone who was their own worst enemy? They seem to go from one crisis to the next and are completely unaware that much of it is due to their own poor decisions. Maybe you tried to tell them this, but you learned your lesson. No one can tell them anything. They're convinced that everything is someone else's fault. Even when they do take responsibility for something they are careful to point out that they weren't as wrong as everyone else thinks they were.

Nabal was kind of like that. He was a rich man, but his name means fool and his loved ones describe him in the most unflattering of terms. One of his employees said he was harsh, evil in his dealings, and completely unwilling to receive correction. You see David sent men to Nabal asking him for food as repayment for David's army protecting his flocks. This was in keeping with the custom of the day, and David's men were very respectful. But Nabal dealt harshly with them, insulted David and his family, and sent them away empty-handed. In a fit of rage, David and his men strap on their swords and ride out exact revenge. But Nabal's household intervenes. 

One of his young men runs to tell Nabal's wife, Abigail. Abigail knows that Nabal is a "worthless fool" who will never listen so she is forced to go behind his back and clean up his mess. She gathers food and rides out to meet David with an apology. David relents, Abigail is praised, and Nabal is struck dead by the Lord ten days later.

One of the things we can't help but notice in this passage is how much better off Nabal would have been had he been willing to receive correction from those who loved him. Those around him knew his flaws better than he did. Don't think for a second that your co-workers, spouse, and friends don't know yours. Believe me, they do. They know them all too well, even the ones you're blind to. You see just like Nabal we are often blind or overly dismissive of our faults. That's why we all need people we can trust to lovingly confront us when we are headed for disaster. 

Do you listen to those around you? Do you intentionally give the people you trust permission to draw your attention to your struggles and failings? Is anyone holding you accountable? If not, then I would challenge you to choose someone you love and trust and ask them these questions:

• What sin do you see in my life?
• Do you think I am harsh or that I mistreat people in any way?
• What faults or poor choices do you see in my life that you think maybe I am blind to or overly dismissive of?

Go ahead, ask someone. I dare you!

A Stone in the Lord's Hand

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

1 Samuel 17:50-51

When we read the story of David and Goliath, many of us want to read ourselves into David's role. We are the underdog fighting an epic battle, and whoever or whatever opposes us is our Goliath. If we will only trust God, then we know we can defeat our problem with His help. 

I once heard a pastor note that this reading of the story is all wrong. David foreshadows the Messiah, not the modern believer. If anyone is David in the story it's Christ. He is the great warrior who saves His people from the enemy who is too big for them. 

Well, if I can't be David, then perhaps I can be the stone. 

The above passage goes out of its way to point out that God ordained for this mighty warrior Goliath to be killed not by a sword or a javelin or a spear but by an ordinary stone. Verse 50 tells us that there was no sword in David's hand when he killed the giant. And verse 51 re-emphasizes that Goliath was already dead (from the stone) before David cut off his head. 

It was an ordinary, small, smooth stone which was hurled at that giant and killed him. A stone which had sat in a stream bed being rubbed smooth by the passing of water and time for who knows how long before its day of glory came.

I'm not saying that this is allegorical. This is a real story. And the stone doesn't represent us in an allegorical sense. Rather, this very real stone reveals something to us about how God works and what types of things (and people) He uses. God often uses small, overlooked, weak, and despised things and people to do glorious things to advance His cause. We see this in countless other Bible stories and characters as well. I could recount stories of fishermen who turned into apostles, of a small boy's lunch that fed 5,000 people, of a prisoner who became second in command over all Egypt, and a nursing cow who proved to the Philistines that Israel's God was real. But today it was this little stone that resonated with me.

Lord, I may be more of a blunt instrument than a sharp tool. I may be ordinary, but I know that You make a habit of using ordinary people and things to glorify Your name. Let me be a stone in Your hand, Lord. For even a little stone in Your hand is far superior to the sharpest weapon in the hand of the enemy. Send me out to do Your will. Keep me on the narrow path, aimed directly at all You would have me do. And when my life is over, Lord, when my purpose has been served, let none of the glory fall on me. Let me be as forgotten as that stone in Goliath's forehead, so that the name of my Savior may abound more and more.

Ugly Thoughts About Scripture

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli... The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”

I Samuel 3:1-4

I was reading Scripture just now. I opened my Bible to the story where God calls out to Samuel in the temple, but Samuel is just a boy and he thinks it is the old priest Eli calling him. Before I started reading, this thought flitted across my mind: "Oh, I already know this story. There's nothing new for me in this one." I'm ashamed to admit it but there are times when I come to one of the less exciting passages in Scripture and I even catch myself thinking "This passage really isn't very interesting. There really isn't much in it. I need to find a passage with something good in it if I am going to teach on it."

Now, I am a pastor. I've committed my life to God's Word, to reading it, interpreting it, and preaching and teaching it. So I was thinking, if I can underestimate God's word in this way, if someone who has committed their life to the Bible can take it for granted like this sometimes, then maybe you do too. The truth God is reminding me of today is that every single word of Scripture is here by His expressed desire. Every passage is a precious treasure that is there to encourage, challenge and teach us. We can open our Bibles to literally ANY section and with enough study, prayer, and help from the Holy Spirit mine out precious truths that will nourish our souls.

God reminded me of all that by showing me something in this passage I had missed. Samuel was sleeping in the tabernacle. If I understand the book of Leviticus rightly, then only certain Levites were even allowed in the tabernacle at all. Samuel was not one of these Levites, but by virtue of him being dedicated to the Lord from birth and being placed in the charge of the priest Eli, he had received this great privilege. As a young boy he slept in the presence of God! Not in the Holy of Holies, mind you, but in the tabernacle just a stone's throw away from God's presence. What a privilege! What a blessing!

But you know, this is a privilege all New Testament believers can enjoy. We ought not to "visit" God once a week in church but we ought to dwell with Him throughout the week. Stay in His presence young Christian! Pray, read Scripture, cultivate an awareness of Christ in you, learn to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit and to enjoy His presence. And when you lay down your head at night may you sense the Father's presence so strongly that you can almost hear Him singing over you (Zephaniah 3:17).

These Cows Are Making Me Look Bad (W.o.W. Rewind)

So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

1 Samuel 6:10-12

In I Samuel 4 & 5 we read how the Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant and bring it back to their land. In anger God smites them with plagues of rats and tumors. After quite a bit of heartache, the Philistine priests and diviners suggest a solution. They decide to make a new cart and place the ark on it. Then they will take two nursing cows away from their calves and hitch them to this cart. These cows had never been in a yoke or pulled a cart before. They had never been to Israel before. By nature everything in these cows would compel them to return to their calves immediately. The Philistines reasoned that if the cows were to return the Ark of the Covenant to Israel then they could be certain that it was indeed God who had been plaguing them. If not, then perhaps it was just a coincidence.

An amazing thing happened. Those two cows pulled the cart away from their calves and went straight up to Israel without turning to the right or to the left lowing all the way. Now, I don't know a lot about cows so I asked someone who does whether cows low when they are happy or sad. He told me that cows low when they are sad. And without knowing why I was asking the question, he added that when you take their calves away to wean them, cows will low and bawl for days.

You and I can learn a lot about how we should serve God from these two cows. Though it meant leaving their calves behind (possibly to die without their mother's milk), and though it meant that they themselves would be sacrificed to the Lord (I Samuel 6:14), these cows obeyed the Lord's leading and went straight up toward Israel. Oh that we would serve God with such faithfulness! Though the cows bawled over the sacrifice God was asking them to make, they still went straight up after God's will without wavering or turning to the right or left.

Now, one could argue that the cows didn't have a say in the matter. Who knows whether cows have some form of free will. Somehow I missed that class in seminary. But I do know this: when I stand before God and am judged for how obedient I was to Him and His word, I don't want to be showed up by any cows! So regardless of whether or not cows have free will before God, the simple truth is they followed God's bidding. And if a cow can do it, then I can too.

I know that there will be times when you and I mourn over what God asks us to sacrifice on the altar of His glory. Yet, even in our mourning let us go straight up after His will. Even if it means laying down our very lives, let's not stray to the right or to the left.

For further reading...

• I Samuel 4-6: Get the whole story.