The Simple Life

The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 1 Samuel 31:8 (ESV) Saul's successes seem irrelevant. His plans for his family's future were gone. His desire for his people was unfulfilled. His legacy was tarnished.  Jesus would one day come in the line of David, not Saul.  Things could have ended differently. The Bible tells us the good, bad, and ugly; we should learn from all the examples about which we read. What can we learn from Saul's example? https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me." But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 1 Samuel 31:1-4 (ESV) Imagine what Saul might have been thinking at this time. There were moments when masses of people honored him, cared for him, and looked to him to guide and direct them. There were times of celebrating God's provision. There were wonderful times of great hope now dashed against the reality of war. Saul went from being a cele...

Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, "Behold, your servant has obeyed you. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me. Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way." He refused and said, "I will not eat." But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed. Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it, and she put it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night. 1 Samuel 28:20-25 (ESV) Those who kn...

“Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines." 1 Samuel 28:19 (ESV) God would not even talk with Saul. Those who say God never gives up on someone must have forgotten this story. What is interesting about this is that Samuel told Saul that he and his sons would be with him the next day. Samuel was not in a place of torment, but was in the presence of God. Saul would not be cast out of God's family because of his failures, for being a son is not dependent upon perfection. Saul and any other son will be disciplined because of his/their disobedience. They may lose opportunity, purpose, and hearing a "well done" one day, but sons are sons. Our obedience does matter, but our obedience did not enable our sonship ,and will not disable it either. Those who disobey God, for whatever reason, will wish they did not,...

But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?" And David said, "As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. 1 Samuel 26:9-11 (ESV Strong's) Waiting on God….Waiting on anyone or anything can be difficult. Waiting often means waiting for something to be transferred to our control. We do not like things we cannot control. David could have quickly taken matters into his own hands and get on with being king. He could easily have justified his actions before all his loyal subjects. Yet, those who live by faith do not spend time justifying their actions; instead, they give reasons for them. David understood that God was going to make him king. He needed to watch Him work. We do not need to help God accomplish His will; we just need to be obedien...

And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed." So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way. 1 Samuel 24:4-7 (ESV) It is easy for us to look at what is happening in our world and attempt to determine God's "will" or "provision" through the lens of circumstances. It looked like God was delivering Saul into David's hand. Yet, David did the opposite of what most of us would...

And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. 1 Samuel 19:8-10 (ESV) Doing everything right does not ensure peace and tranquility on this earth; instead, it ensures your significance in the universe. David was a man after God's own heart, a faithful soldier, a good friend, and generally, one who could be trusted. These qualities did not ensure him peace on earth and, in fact, often brought him strife. Those who do things right will face resistance. Resistance is not a sign that we should change course, but that we are on course. Those who take the path of least resistance will live meaningless lives....

Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. 1 Samuel 18:12-14 (ESV) Good luck  trying to fight and win against God or His anointed. I use the word  luck  because, in reality, luck does not exist, so, in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way, you need something that does not exist to fight and win against God. The wicked are often jealous. It is what they do best. It is a sure sign that the Spirit of God has left a man when he is jealous of his benefactor. Jealousy is a foolish passion and inflicts self-injury. Jealousy is a wicked passion and displeasing to God. Jealousy is a dangerous passion and leads to the most fatal issues. "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand against envy?" (J. T. Woodhouse.)   The fool sa...

And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?" And Saul eyed David from that day on. 1 Samuel 18:8-9 (ESV) It seems that God did not need to destroy Saul because he would do a fine job doing that himself. Jealousy is a terrible thing that demonstrates that we think our significance comes from circumstances instead of God. Significance comes from enjoying God, not from enjoying circumstances. Significance is a byproduct of living life as it was meant to be. Trying to catch it is like trying to catch wind. Pursuing it will cause you to waste your life and wishing you had more will leave you with less. People are significant because of their proximity to God, and all have the same opportunity to be significant. One day, God Himself will tell you if you made the "significant" list, and all who love and obey Him can be on it, ...

And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. 1 Samuel 18:5 (ESV) Those who are genuinely successful are successful because of the connections God has provided for them and the fact that they took advantage of those connections. We do not worship or even honor David; we admire him. He was faithful with the sheep. He was faithful in bringing his brothers' provision. He was faithful to God when facing Goliath. Faithfulness is rewarded by success. Faithfulness is success. There was an element of uncertainty in each of David's acts of faithfulness. Those who insist on certainty often look to the flesh to deliver when, in reality, only God can provide the certainty for which we long. David did not read the book  How to Win Friends and Influence People.  Instead, he read the law, wrote many Psalms, and knew God enough to trust Him an...

Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand." 1 Samuel 17:45-47 (ESV) “That all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel….” Those who know God would know that He is still faithful. That is what mattered to David. That is what should matter to us. God is older than us, smarter than us, and loves us. We can trust Him. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:38-40 (ESV) David already had the tried and tested tools of war at his disposal. He had tried and tested God in fighting off dangers in the past, and he trusted that God would be there to fight off the present dangers. Perhaps many are consumed with the current dangers because they never practiced fighting off the enemy during the times when the enemy was not so formidable. Perhaps we should be looking to be faithful today in the little things, so that tomorrow, when faced ...

And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God." And David said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you!" 1 Sa...

And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" 1 Samuel 17:26 (ESV) This is an innocent question asked by an innocent young man. David was curious as to why trained soldiers were unwilling to go and fight this big bad guy. Sometimes, perspective is everything. David wondered why anyone could stand up and defy the name of the Lord and have those who named the name of the Lord remain silent. Silence is the same as compliance when one has observed something wrong, and compliance makes one an accessory to the wrongdoing. Perhaps that is why we, as a culture, have worked so hard at eliminating right and wrong. We do not want to be responsible. We will be judged one day according to what we have done and what we should have done. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well." 1 Samuel 16:14-16 (ESV) There could be nothing worse for an individual or a nation than them turning from God. A tragic historical period begins with, "Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul." Saul should have learned from Moses, who understood this, and told God he would not go if God's presence were not with him. So often, we do not recognize the importance of the presence of God in our lives. We live as if His presence is only necessary when in trouble. We often want the benefits of being in a relationship with God, yet not spend time with Him. If God's absence...

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV) God is not into impressions. He is not to be swayed by looks or rhetoric or bribed in any way. God sees us as we are and what we could be. He knows how and why He created us, and He knows how close or how far we are from achieving what He put us on this planet to achieve. Appearances often sway us. We are often swayed by rhetoric or influenced by cultural trends, ideas, and the popular vote. God is not influenced. He influences. He cannot be fooled and is not tolerant. The people of this day were looking for a King they could look up to, yet they refused to look up to God. The first King, who was a failure, was one of stature who stood head and shoulders above the crowd. He failed. What or who you trust and why you trust them matters.   ...

And Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel." As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” 1 Samuel 15:26-28 (ESV) Some teach that God never gives up. This passage would indicate that there comes a time when God does give up, and man loses the opportunities that were once readily available to him. Those who defy God will face a time when God will deny them. God's mercy and grace are abundant and available to all who desire to enjoy Him through His Son Jesus Christ. However, those who deny Him have nowhere to turn. This sounds harsh, yet reality is often harsh. We want to believe that we will always have another chance, and perhaps we will, perhaps we won't. Only God knows.   ...

And Samuel said, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king." 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV) To obey is better than sacrifice. To obey is better than sacrifice. That is the principle taught throughout all of Scripture. Perhaps it's because we either do or do not do obedience, whereas the idea of sacrifice is left up to the individual. In the United States, we sacrifice when we give up watching a football game to serve at a soup kitchen, while in other countries, sacrifice might mean not eating for days, but the idea of obedience is the same in both. Those who do not obey God do not impress God with their sacrifices. It's best not to try to impress anyone; instead, w...

And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?" Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction." Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night." And he said to him, "Speak." 1 Samuel 15:13-16 (ESV) Liar. Saul is a blatant liar, or he is deceived. Either way, he loses. Saul thought he had a better plan than God had. In his mind, Saul had taken over the leadership of the people from God. Saul must have thought that God would be impressed that he went above and beyond what God asked him to do. God is never impressed when we attempt to do more than we are asked to do. It is the sam...

And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." 1 Samuel  13:13-14  (ESV) If you disobey God, you lose. If you disobey God, all those whom you love and influence lose. There is no possible way to have a good ending to life that has ignored God. Saul took leadership into his own hands when he should have been placing it in God's hands. Those in leadership must understand the gravity of their actions. They must realize that an intentional ignorance of God will lead to disaster. In our culture, it is difficult for someone to tell someone else that they have done something foolishly. It would be politically incorre...

He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering. 1 Samuel 13:8-9 (ESV) Doing right, wrong is never right. It was right to offer a sacrifice; it was not right that Saul offered the sacrifice. It was a good idea that Saul wanted to do right; it was a bad idea that Saul did right the wrong way. Wanting to please God is a good thing. Wanting to please God, yet disobeying Him is a foolish thing. God cannot be impressed, so if we are trying to impress Him, we are trying to do something impossible. God would honor those who obey Him, but He is not going to be impressed by those who obey Him. He is pleased with those who have faith, but not amazed by those who have faith. When you know God, you have faith; when you do not know Him, you have doubts. To know God is to obey God. Saul must not have ...