The Challenge (1 Samuel 11:1-3)

5/13/2010 9:44 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The Challenge

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  1Samuel 11:1-3

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now Nahash the Ammonite came up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us and we will serve you." 2  But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "I will make it with you on this condition, that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, thus I will make it a reproach on all Israel." 3  The elders of Jabesh said to him, ‘Let us alone for seven days, that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to deliver us, we will come out to you.’”

            The events that happened in this section are exactly why Israel asked Samuel for a king, for when nations around them would oppress them they wanted a king to lead the entire nation into battle, and so by the grace of God He gave them Saul as their first king, a man who looked like a warrior and a man who when he first became king would rely upon the Lord for the victory over Israel’s enemies.  It is unfortunate that latter on Saul would become proud and that was something that the Lord did not like.

            The Ammonite’s were decedents of Lot, through a relationship with his daughter, and thus they were realities of Israel, yet they wanted to conquer the people of Jabesh-gilead and so they gave them a choice of fighting them and probably win the battle or gouge out the right eye of all the men, something that would make them unable to fight.  The elders of Jabesh-gilead were smart and witty in that they asked for a week to raise someone up to fight against their foes, and so the leader of the Ammonites agreed to these terms.  This would prove to be a big mistake for the Ammonites, and would bring glory to the Lord.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The wisdom of the elders of Jabesh-gilead is something that I can learn form, for they would take some time in order to see if the Lord was going to deliver them from a very bad situation and not just jump into this battle without seeking what the Lord would do for them.  Patience is what I can learn from this section of Scripture.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 are the verses that I want to apply to my steps of faith for today, “5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
2. Romans 12:1-2 are also verses that I wish to apply as my steps of faith for today, “1 ¶  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

 

5/13/2010 10:16 AM