Sunday, February 2, 2014

Saul was despaired over what would happen to Him (1 Samuel 28:20-25)

8/4/2010 8:04:24 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Saul despaired over his plight

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Samuel 28:20-25

            Message of the verses:  “20 ¶  Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night. 21  The woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrified, and said to him, "Behold, your maidservant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. 22  "So now also, please listen to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you that you may eat and have strength when you go on your way." 23  But he refused and said, "I will not eat." However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to them. So he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. 24  The woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; and she took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it. 25  She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and went away that night.”

            The point has been raised as to why was Saul fasting before the battle that he had to fight?  Fasting while in spiritual battles is another story, but in either way fasting, like any other thing that one does to seek the Lord, has to have a heart ready and clean before the Lord in order for the Lord to bless it.  One can pray all night and day or one can read all night and day, or one can attend every service that the church has to offer, but in order to be in a right relationship with the Lord a clean heart is required.  Psalm 139:23-24 sheds some light on this process of having a clean heart before the Lord:  “23  Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24  And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
            Warren Wiersbe writes these words concerning Saul:  “In spite of all the blessings God gave to Saul, and the opportunities to grow spiritually, Saul was unprepared to lead, unprepared to fight, and unprepared to die.” 
            I want to compare two verses as I close this portion of Scripture that happened first of all at night and second suicide followed, and thirdly is was after a meal.  John 13:30 (KJV) “He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.”  1Samuel 28:25 (NASB) “He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life:  As I have been studying the life of Saul for the last few months, along with studying the first portion of the life of David and also looking at the life of Daniel I have seen things in each of these OT men that have had an impression on me for the good and also for the bad.  I want to follow the things that I have learned from both the life of David, and Daniel, but I want to avoid the pitfalls that occurred in the life of Saul, his missed opportunities and his unrepentant heart, along with his “religious” way of trying to come to the Lord that meant nothing.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.       Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.
2.      Continue to learn contentment, knowing that no matter what I am going through the Lord is in charge of my life.
3.      Trust the Lord to guide my heart today.
4.      Because I know that I am in a battle every day of my life I need to put on the Spiritual armor.
5.      Follow the heart of David as he penned the last two verses of the 139th Psalm as seen in the portion above.


8/4/2010 8:31:05 AM

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