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I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and drink in the flood of love he is pouring out towards me.

”My Love is the most powerful force in the universe – manifested in My grace towards My creation. My common grace which keeps the universe running and My special grace which fills each one of my precious children giving them a sense of My presence and My power, enabling them to live remarkable lives despite the difficulties which face them and are common to all men. As you look out over My creation and see different people in different positions, some flourishing some struggling, know that they are under My common grace, but only those I have chosen and sanctified through the death of Jesus have the privilege of experiencing My love through My special grace. May that motivate every part of your life as I empower you to live the gospel life.“

Now to 1 Samuel 12. The chapter opens with Samuel’s farewell speech, in which he presents his life, a life of righteousness, as he sees it. He challenges the people to speak out if they have found any fault in him. He ends with vs 5 calling the Lord to witness that they had not found fault in him or his behaviour.

He then turns to remind the people of everything God has done for them vs 7 “I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your fathers.“

Against this background he turns on them and puts his finger on their great shortcoming vs 9 “But you forgot…” In their forgetting all that God had done for them they forgot God Himself and turned to their own wicked and selfish ways. I am afraid this is a constant human problem, this forgetting. In the warmth of receiving God’s blessings in whatever form, it is easy to remember, but when the reality of life returns it is just as easy to forget. That is why Jesus instituted the whole communion service, as a reminder to us of the centrality of His death to our faith, who forget so easily.

A symptom of their forgetting that God is their real king they are demanding a king like the tribes around them to rule over them. So Samuel gives them God’s promise of a king. with this great proviso, vs 14,15. To receive the blessing of God’s king both the people and the king have to be totally obedient to God, otherwise God’s hand will be against them. What a terrible prospect, which they don’t seem to take too seriously.

To emphasize his words God sends rain in the harvest time, a sign of His judgement and power. The people, who may not have taken Samuel’s words too seriously respond in terror at the Lord’s power when He shows it practically.

To end the chapter Samuel again reiterates the promise that God will not abandon them, but this is dependent on their continuing to fear the Lord and demonstrate this by remembering all He has done for them vs 24. The chapter ends with a final warning of what will happen if they persist in doing evil. vs 25.

Just one or two more points. The fact that God will never completely abandon them is not because of their value as such but because God will defend His own name at all costs vs 22. The focus of our lives is not on us it is on our Lord who has created us and redeemed us. He keeps us going primarily for His Name’s sake.

The second vs which really convicted me was vs 3 “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you…” Not remembering to pray is here pictured as a sin in itself. quite a challenge!

This chapter is a summary of the repeated story of the whole Old Testament which is shown repeatedly playing itself out in the same circle. God acts, the people respond, yet they soon forget and turn away making it necessary for God to act in judgment to bring them back to Himself. This powerlessness lays the whole platform for the coming of Jesus and the New Covenant where His selfless act on the cross deals with our sin and empowers us to live gospel lives. But our sinful nature is nevertheless still lying there and we still tend to forget so easily, hence God’s desire to keep us remebering.

God bless for this coming week and keep remembering all God has done for you and us and the whole world.

I feel weak and vulnerable this morning, then the words of this song come to me, “By Grace I am redeemed, by Grace I am restored”, and I am reminded of the endless supply of Gods grace towards me.

“My Grace is much misunderstood and often forgotten or underestimated, yet it is always there, always surrounding you and covering all your weakness and stumbling. it is so much more than just an attitude towards you and all My children. It is a powerful force to pick you up and change your life, change your perspective on your life and your current circumstances. My grace lifts you up into the heavenly realms to bring you really close to Me so that you can grow and move on from moments of weakness and stumbling. No matter what is happening and how you feel – My grace is always constant and complete in all its power and joy”.

Now to 1 Samuel 11. In our last reading God’s choice of Saul as king is described. He is described as having an outstanding appearance but weakness, as he is hiding away during this choosing and as he returns home there are many who reject him as their new king. In chapter 11 where is he and what is he doing? He was in his fields behind his oxen, certainly not ruling the nation.

Remember that Israel at that time was more like a bunch of loose tribes living in proximity to each other. It was going to need a work of God to unite them as a nation under one king. So how does God set about this? We are introduced to Nahash the Ammorite king. His name actually means serpent or snake. and he has a diabolical plan to humiliate the people living in Jabesh.

God then specifically uses this action to mobilize Saul to start uniting the nation with a common goal. As we read on we can see how God is involved in this event. cf v 6, when Saul hears of this threat “the Spirit of God came on him and he burned with anger”. Saul then acts out a charade which results in a nationwide reaction cf v 7 b. “the terror of the Lord fell upon them and they turned out as one man”. (Just a note from the New Bible Commentary: they suggest that the figures given here and elsewhere in the Old Testament for the number of soldiers in their battles are probably not a true representation of the real numbers. The problem comes apparently from the translation of the Hebrew. What is translated as thousands can also be translated as military units. Thus 300 military units here instead of 300 000 soldiers. This seems more likely to me) It does not affect the story though.

What has ,in effect happened is that in one move God has provoked a sense of nationhood. It would take years for this to be fully realized, but this was a start. The narrative goes on with Saul accomplishing a huge victory. The writer, quite rightly tells us who should get the glory, vs 13, “this day the Lord has rescued Israel.

There is so much to learn from this chapter. Israel who had been rescued from slavery in Egypt were brought through the desert and after 40 years they invade and take over the Promised land. But all is not well, they don’t destroy all the inhabitants and slowly their nationhood disintegrates into a number of loose tribes. They have lost touch with God, each one doing as he saw fit. The Lord has not left them as lost though. Samuel is the key figure God is going to use. The people now demand that they be given a king, so that they can be even more like the tribes around them. God still has a plan for a king, but the people need to learn some things.

Now notice the cruel threat to the people from Nahash, yet from that comes a victory which unites the people to some extent, bringing them back to God and raising the profile of Saul as king. Now friends, this bears some deep thought. God does not initiate cruel situations, but He does often allow adversity and suffering in the process of accomplishing His bigger plan and His plan for each of us, hence Romans 8:28. So when everything appears wildly out of control in your life and in the world around you, remember scenes like this from Gods word.

Notice also that the action of this new king is to accomplish a rescue which God initiates and completes. Remember we have said that the line of Israel’s OT kings were leading up to the revelation of God’s ultimate King – Jesus. Here we see the main action of the new king reflecting Jesus’ main purpose when He comes. The action of rescue or salvation. So this is once again a faint reflection looking forward to the ultimate King who we all adore and serve.

Plenty to think about in this small story of an evil (Snake) ruler being used by God to accomplish His ultimate purpose. See you all again next week.

“ Do you understand what it means when you sing “the Lord Almighty reigns”? Do you understand the difference between My reign and the reign of any king or ruler in this world? My reign extends to having authority over the whole world, but not only this world the whole universe as big as it is, extending tens of thousands of light years. Note though, it is not only a nominal authority it is a complete control of anything that is happening and will happen. There is not a king or ruler of this earth that I have not placed there through my authority and their authority only extends as far as I allow them. The only area that may appear that I do not have authority over is every persons will – their freedom to decide. Yet even that freedom is under my authority although it may not appear that way. So sing from the bottom of your heart ‘hallelujah the Lord Almighty reigns’, and believe it and trust it”

We continue with the choosing of the first future king of Israel in 1 Samuel 10:9-27. This should have been a joyous event, yet the writer wants you to see that there is a shadow looming over this new king.

The reader may have been encouraged by the description of Saul as a spiritually changed person as we read in the first verses of our reading today, with him ending up “prophesying with a group of other prophets. This type of prophecy, mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament, should not be confused with the great prophets of the Old Testament, like Samuel who spoke on behalf of God. It may have just extended to praise of Yahweh and telling out His attributes, but it is not clearly described and there is a suggestion that it was accompanied by music and ecstatic behaviour (New bible Commentary).

Although God has pointed Samuel to choose this man, there is a formal process which is now acted out at the end of Ch 10, where a lot is used. Before this process is initiated though, Samuel once again warns the Israelites in vs 19, “But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, “No, set a king over us”.

As I read this I was reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father in heaven” So although God is clearly guiding the process, it is being done, clearly against His immediate will.

As the process now unfolds where is this future king? He had hidden himself vs 22b. So although he is described as having an exceptional appearance there was a sense of uncertainty.

Further on there is another warning light. Way back in the book of Judges from ch 19 onward there is an awful story which almost reminds of Sodom and Gomorrah. It shows to what depth some of the Israelites had sunk. It also results in the rest of Israel almost completely annihilating the tribe of Benjamin. The name of the city where this awful incident takes place? “Gibeah”. And now we find that the new king of Israel comes from where? Gibeah, (10:26). It surely is no coincidence this and should raise a sense of uncertainty and alarm about the king, even if only small.

Then the chapter ends on another note which should should contribute to the reader’s sense of foreboding. Vs 27 tells us that there was a definite section of the population who were not happy with Saul as a choice of future king in fact they despised him.

So this new king starts his rule with a shadow hanging over him. Strangely but for another reason the real Messiah King, of God who appears 1000 or more years later is also born and raised with the cloud of rejection hanging over Him, but for a different reason.

So what is Jesus saying to us from this passage? Important is that we should not think that because things seem to be working out we have God’s blessing. Gods blessing goes with those who choose to do His will. See also the Lord’s prayer. for confirmation of this. Secondly as we see this stuttering start to the line of kings who will rule in Israel, we may be asking ourselves ,”Does this really reflect a God who is completely in control?” In answer to that I am reminded of the the word in Matthew 13:11. Where Jesus speaks of the secret things of God. The Greek word used here is ‘mysterion’. So much of God and His actions are mysterious and only able to be understood when He reveals it to us. And if we read the context in Mat 13, it is to those who choose to do His will that He reveals His mysterion.

So, dear friends join me in seeking to “let Thy will be done” in our lives. Blessings for this week, see you next week.

I stand amazed in Your presence Jesus the Nazarene, I stand in awe of who You are and Your mighty works.

“I invite you to consider Me, who I am, Yahweh, the Alpha and the Omega, who from nothing has created the entire universe and everything you see. It is right and good that you be filled with awe. It is right and good that you remember Me as I had revealed my presence to My people Israel. So great yet so far removed by my Holiness. Now you are so privileged to have access into My presence, real access where you can communicate with Me and hear My voice. All the glory to My Son Jesus who made this possible. Enjoy it, enjoy Me and My presence and grow in your love and enjoyment of Me even as I continue to draw you closer and closer to Me”

We consider 1 Samuel 9:1 – 1 Samuel 10:8..The people have continually demanded a king: 1 Sam 8:19; We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to lead us and go out before us and fight our battles” Samuel had been devastated at this, since there were clearly times when God had fought their battles and he felt they were clearly rejecting God. However God had said to Samuel, “Listen to them and give them a king”.9:22

The focus then in ch 9 moves away from Samuel as the central figure to the process of identifying this new king. Although the next number of chapters are now going to focus on Saul I remind you that the real central figure in this story is Yahweh himself as he moves and unrolls history.

Read now through today’s passage and consider what impression you get as this story unfolds. I see an incredible amount of detail. Much of it seemingly insignificant in the bigger scheme of things. Here is a young man. A man with great appearance huge and athletic, the perfect figure of a king. Yet he is humble, coming from the smallest tribe vs 21.

So what does all this detail tell you? Well it speaks to me of the total control of God over every individual and of the affairs of the world. Despite the fact that the people are going against God He is still guiding them in the finest detail. Of course we cannot see at this stage how this king is going to turn out in the long run, but here it is clear that he is God’s choice.

This passage climaxes in 10:6 with his anointing. Notice that Samuel prophecies that the “Spirit of the Lord will come on you in power…. and you will be a changed person.” Now if this was in the New Testament era we would immediately say that this promise was one of being born again. However as history unfolds and we look into the future the Spirit departs from him later and he is ruled by an evil Spirit. This is not part of this passage though, we will face that when we come to it. But we take note this promise is equipping him for the task ahead.

What we have seen so far is God’s intimate guidance in this process and as we meditate on this we should be reminded of Roman’s 8:28, that “God works all things together for the good of them that love Him and are called by His name”. Is that a promise unique to the NT? I don’t think so. However under the Old covenant, God tended to work with His people as a a whole group, rather than in the intimate individual way as in the NT.

Nevertheless He was working for the good of all who love Him down through the ages, as He planned the coming of His new king, the Messiah Himself, our Lord Jesus. The reminder in this passage is the fact that He is involved in every little detail of our lives. Of course when we deliberately go our own way, He will use his discipline to bring us back to Him again. Sometimes this will cause one to go on a wide detoir over many years.

May this passage and this thought bring you a deep peace and comfort in a world which seems to be being governed by evil and chaos. on all sides.

Hallelujah for the Lord Almighty reigns. He is indeed our only king.

“ It took many years for My people to really understand My kingship. Many stumbling steps and deviations and even now do you you truly understand what my kingship means? My complete, benevolent authority over My whole kingdom – the whole of creation. Many have submitted and recognize Me but many have not, The day will come though, when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that I am The king of all. Bring your voice, bring your whole being and worship at the foot of My throne, singing hallelujah for the Lord the Almighty reigns and revel in My reign, enjoy it and serve Me with gladness and rejoicing”

Now to 1 Samuel 8. This is a key chapter to understanding the steps towards the appointing of a king for Israel. To put this in perspective we need to take a step back and look at what God has been doing and will do in this process.

If we look at the appointing of Saul as king it appears to be a disaster as God allows them to appoint this man apparently against His wishes as king over the nation of Israel. However if we stand back and look at the bigger picture we see that this event did not take God by surprize. He had in fact anticipated it as we see in Deuteronomy 17. When they demanded to have a king, God said, they should appoint His choice and he should be a God-fearing man, following God and His law closely.

We don’t see this yet in today’s passage but the real choice of God was actually the humble shepherd boy David. But even David was only a step in God’s bigger plan as the story of Israel unfolds, because as much as he loved God he was very humanly fallible, despite his faith and love for God. What we can see today as we look back, however is that this concept of King and kingly rule was actually looking forward to the coming of the perfect King, King Jesus, many years later.

Now back to 1 Sam 8. We see the picture of Samuel getting old and the elders gathering to make the request for a king for the nation, vs 5. But there is a fatal flaw in their request, can you see it in this verse? They want a king “such as all the nations have”. Samuel was rightly displeased, as the nation had been led up to that stage by prophets, like Moses and judges like Joshua and Samuel who acted as God’s agents as it were, with God Himself actually ruling.

Although we know that this fitted God’s bigger plan, He nevertheless tells Samuel not to take this personally, vs 7 “it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king”. This is a symptom of their unfaithfulness surfacing again vs 8. (Remember the people had supposedly repented of their unfaithfulness in the previous chapter)

Then God tells Samuel to warn them of the dangers of having an independent king ruling over them vv 10-18 and he warns them there will come a time that the people will cry out for relief from these tyrants who would not care for them. vs 18.

Nevertheless he people ignore God’s warning and continue to demand a king so that they could be like all the nations around them vv 19,20. So God says to Samuel, “listen to them and give them a king”. vs 22.

Now there is an important application here. God wanted His people to be different, holy and different, following Him, representing Him to the nations around them. It was their very difference which would be their testimony. Yet they were avoiding this very privileged status and instead wanted to be the same as these people. Now, how often is there an avoidance on our part to standing out as God’s witness by being prepared to be different and instead wanting to “fit in” so that we don’t make ripples? You see it is not only what you say but your whole life which is a witness and if it does not demonstrate your unique relationship with our God and Creator through His Son Jesus then we are not true witnesses. It does not mean we have to be rude or prudish, we just need to live out our dynamic relationship with Jesus in a loving way in the community we live and move in and not be tempted to try and be like them so that we fit in..

There is another application which is echoed in Romans chapter 1. Three times in vv 24, 26, and 28, Paul says, “God gave them over” to continue in there sin. The warning is that if one sins continually and does not heed God’s warnings, He will step back, in judgement and “give you over” to continuing in your sin and then let you face the consequences of that. So here is and example of that. The Israelites kept demanding a king like the nations around them so God “gave them over” and said to Samuel “give them a king“, and we shall see what sort of king they got in the next chapters as we meet king Saul.

The message Jesus seemed to be saying to me was a reminder as to the the difference between human kings and rulers and our Almighty King and ruler of the universe. A reminder to examine my heart to plumb the depths as to whether I truly wanted to be totally different, in His words holy at the danger of being rejected by some. But the joy of realizing what it actually means to believe in this King of ours and truly serve Him. The question to you and and to me is do I really grasp and understand this? Like many things about our loving God, some things are so clear and some remain a mystery.

God bless you this coming week.

The battle belongs to You oh Lord and in the midst is the Lamb.
“Yes Ian, although you cannot see it, you can and do feel the effects of the unseen battle which is raging between My forces and the forces of evil. In the midst, symbolically stands the lamb – the symbol of victory won at a specific time and place on a cross. yet, although He has won the victory, the battle on the personal level still continues and will only cease when I wrap up the whole of history. It is important that you are aware of this much deeper level of our relationship because even as you face the battle you must remember the battle belongs to Me and you must stand in My armour and face the battle. The first step is just a reminder to be aware of this additional dimension of the walk along the narrow path filled with obstacles so that you can grow continuously.

Now on to 1 Samuel 7. After the apparent complete loss of awareness of Jehovah as described in Judges 21:25, and the evil of Eli’s sons, Israel has been brought up short by a massive defeat by the Philistine army. They then remember the ark, which represented God’s presence in the tabernacle and fetch it to help them in this battle. At this stage it seems they were seeing the ark as a sort of power in itself and God teaches them another lesson by allowing the Philistines to steal the ark. This proves to be a huge problem for the Philistines however and they get rid of the ark, sending it back to Israel. There it is put in the house of Abinadab under guard.

Today’s reading opens with the remark that the ark remained there for 20 years. A half a generation, a long time. Then comes this insightful statement in vs 2, “all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord.” Samuel picks this up and makes the key statement of this chapter, “If you are returning to the Lord” vs 3.

Now there is a repeated sequence in the book of Judges which is repeated here. Israel sins, God brings judgement as a punishment which leads to Israel’s repentance. Samuel, who is now called a judge vs 15, picks up this lament of Israel and points them to why they are experiencing God’s judgement and what they should do about it. vs 3b. “If you are returning to God, get rid of all the foreign gods and Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to God and serve Him only and He will deliver you.”

Samuel calls the people together for a huge religious ceremony at Mispah. Here he calls on God on behalf of the Israelites. The Philistines misinterpret the gathering, thinking that the Israelites were gathering together for war and start mobilizing their troops. This terrorizes the Israelites even more. There follows a touch which is a shadow of something which would happen many years down the line. Samuel takes a suckling lamb and sacrifices it. Echoes of the words in John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. This turning from their sin in repentance and calling on the Lord for salvation from their hearts is followed by a divine slaughtering of the Philistines who are never again a problem to the Israelites.

Chapter 7 then is a story of the Israelites turning in repentance away from their unfaithfulness and to the Lord, but it is also a picture of Samuel’s rule, as judge over IsraeI. It describes the end of theocratic rule (rule by God directly through a human instrument) before the beginning of the choosing of the first king of Israel which we will see in the next chapter

There is much to learn from this chapter, which I am sure you can see. The way sin and unfaithfulness weakens us, the process that God uses to bring us to repentance. Does God still use this process today? To find the answer we need to look at this passage through the gospel filter. We have the Holy Spirit who helps us to walk with the Lord, we have Jesus who has died on our behalf for our sins, so we are very privileged. However we are still sinners and there is a pattern within this that God uses to discipline us and bring us back to Him.

The encouraging reminder here is that just as we are still involved in a spiritual battle, just as those Israelites, the battle belongs to the Lord. We need to use His tools to fight the battle, the main one is the shield of faith and we all need to learn that trusting God is the only way to win the battle. Take Ephesians 6 seriously where Paul describes the full armour of God. We also should not be fooled into thinking that there is no battle. The first step to victory is to recognize the reality of the battle.

So rest in God. When the storms of life arise and relationships are under attack, remember the battle is not yours, it belongs to the Lord. So bless you all till next week.

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene.

“Look up – look out – look at the creation I have made and with that the one moment when I met with each person who I had created and will create. The moment on the cross when Jesus said, ‘It is finished’, ‘It is accomplished’, ‘It is done’! Consider all this and be amazed this morning at My mighty works and especially this magnificent act of salvation. It was not done in the abstract, it was done with each person who has ever lived in mind – it was done with you in mind. Stand amazed and in wonder at My Presence. Soak in it and enjoy every moment of it.”

We come now to 1 Samuel ch 6. The Philistines who had been so happy at capturing the ark because they thought it contained Israel’s God, are now desperate to get rid of it. They have also developed a holy respect for the Israelites after their experience with the ark, so they are too scared to just take it back. They should make some sort of sacrifice or offering to make up for stealing the ark, so they come up with this idea of making golden rats and tumours.

By the way the prominence of the rats and tumours confirms that it was bubonic plague which had affected the Philistines- this has no significance in the unfolding story but is only of interest. Bubonic plague is transmitted by fleas, carried by rats and the most prominent symptom is the appearance of tumours or “buboes” in the groin.

The amount of gold that was sent back with the ark reminds us of the way the Israelites plundered the Egyptians when they left Egypt, taking much silver and gold with them cf Exodus 1:35,36. God was once again demonstrating His favour towards His people.

The detail in the story of the return of the ark once again shows us how real this was, not a made up story written years later and serves to remind us of the reality of the whole of God’s word.

The other point that comes to the fore is how slow the Israelites were to learn. Despite the demonstration by God of His holiness represented here by the sacredness of the ark, there are nevertheless some 70 men who would actually disregard this and go and peep into the ark to see what was inside. I stop and shake my head, how can people be so stiff-necked that they don’t learn, despite the demonstration before their eyes of the events that have been described before.

This brings me to consider one of the major lessons of this chapter. How easy it is to misread and misunderstand God and His holiness and awesome might if we are stiff-necked and hard of heart. We are reminded, lest we are in a hurry to point fingers, of Jesus’ frustration with His own disciples when they were so slow to learn and understand. Read Mark 8:17-21 for an example of this. Somehow it is so important to continually prepare your heart in your devotional time so that you remain teachable and ready to “listen to Jesus“.

So this interlude ends with the ark in the house of Abinadab with his son specially consecrated to guard over it. It is not the last that we will hear of the ark. But the message of God’s holiness which is demonstrated by His Presence, symbolized by this inanimate object should remain a lasting reminder to the Israelites and not less to us today. It should give us a new appreciation of what Jesus did on the cross so that we can have access to this awesome and mighty God through Him. Let us not ever lose our awe at the very thought of His holy Presence.

May God bless you till next week.

“Be still and know – that I am God – be still and consider My creation – consider the lilies of the Field they don’t labour or spin yet are clothed in more beauty than a king. Consider the sparrows – they don’t sow all plant – but I provide for them all they need. I am the One who hangs out the stars at night and tells the Sun went to shine – I kiss the flowers every morning with dew, yet I am never too busy to care about you – yes I never slumber nor sleep. I am there all the time caring for you that you will not stumble or fall. Consider all these things and many more which speak of Me and know I am not only your Creator but I am also your Father and your Lover and Friend – and yes, I really care about you and everyone else who reads this blog.“

On now to 1 Samuel chapter 5. Looking back over God’s story so far in His bible we have seen various ways that God represented Himself. Each one had a significance. Think of the burning bush and Moses. Then some time later the picture in Exodus 19 where God was going to speak to His people from a mountain. Thunder and lightning, plus a warning that no-one should come near as He demonstrated His holiness and power. Then later, hiding Moses in a cleft in a rock so that he would not die as God passed by.

The end of Exodus shows God’s careful preparation of the “Tabernacle”, every part of which was significant in representing God and how He should be approached and worshipped by His people. The most significant part of the tabernacle was the “Holy Of Holies” where the golden box, containing the testimony was placed. The high priest could only go in there once a year, it was so holy and then they tied a rope around his leg so that if he should die because of God’s presence they could drag him out without going in there themselves.

Of course this was really symbolic to teach the people to be in awe of Yahweh, because God could never be contained in a box.

In Chapter 5 of 1 Samuel we see the Philistines delighted that they had captured Israel’s God. Little did they know or understand. What starts as delight soon turns to horror as their favourite deity Dagon falls on his face the first night they are together. Even worse the next day he is found broken. Interestingly He has lost his head. Dagon was then one of three major figures in 1 Samuel to be destroyed. The other two were Goliath and Saul.

Even worse the people of the area are affected by an outbreak of a disease which featured tumours (probably Bubonic plague). This supposed huge magic asset had now become a major liability and the Philistines did not know what to do with it. The writer repeats, “God’s hand was heavy on them“. Next time we will see how the Philistines desperatelytried to get rid of the Ark.

So what lessons have you picked up from this most insightful passage?

Here are some I felt Jesus was saying to me: 1.Our God can appear in any form or shape He wants and at any time. From a still small voice to mighty thunder and lightning.

2. He cannot be packaged or manipulated in a sort of magic way, like a rabbit’s foot. He meets with us (through Jesus and His Spirit) on His terms, but at the same time He is ever so close and responds to our seeking Him, since He wants a relationship with us.

3. The pagan people often believed that their God’s were high up in the mountains or on the clouds. Hence Psalm 121; “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? (no, no not from there) My help comes from the Lord the Maker of Heaven and earth“. A God who is not restricted to time and place.

4. As much as God was angry with His people because of their neglect and symbolically left them. He was not going to allow the Phlistines to mock Him or use Him. his judgement was heavy on them. We can never play the fool with God. He might be testing others but soon may test us as well.

I am so glad I worship a God who cannot be manipulated or used. Share any other words you may have picked up from this passage with us. Bless you all this coming week.

I am conscious of God’s presence here in the room with me. His love and His Spirit fill the room around me. “I love you Jesus!”. But do I really love Him?

“You ask what is real love? How do you know whether you love Me fully? To start with love is not an emotion. It contains a huge emotional element but it is far more than that. It is a whole attitude of one towards another and that reflects in a number of ways. You cannot fake the real thing – you can pretend, but it quickly becomes apparent when you do that. Ultimately the attitude of one who loves is demonstrated by actions. That is why the sacrifice of my Son on the cross is such a clear and definite picture of the attitude I have towards you and My whole creation. Just because you are not filled with loving thoughts towards Me all the time it does not mean your love is deficient. your love for Me is reflected by your whole life and all your actions.”

Returning now to Samuel we reach ch 4 today. Last time we saw how Gods word had become rare in Israel because of her turning her back on Him and living their lives as they pleased without reference to Yahweh.. It represented a form of judgement by God towards His people, withdrawing His communication with them and effectively His presence. As the story here unfolds we see how God has raised up a new prophet, Samuel who would bring His word again as He prepared His people for a new phase when He would introduce His rule through His chosen kings.

Today we see another way God demonstrated that He had withdrawn His glory from His people, which runs parallel to His withdrawing His word. Can you remember how the Tabernacle was constructed. In the well-protected Holy of Holies was the golden Ark of the Covenant, with it’s Cherubim on top. The Ark contained the “Testimony” or the 10 words or commands God had given Moses on Mt Sinai. It represented the presence of God with His people and there were many instructions that reminded them of that.

Of course we recognize that it was only symbolic of His presence as was the cloud and the fire. God cannot be contained in a building never mind a box, but He wanted the people to have a continual visual reminder of His presence. At this time it was clear by the attitude of the people towards the Ark they had lost all respect and interest in God who had rescued their forefathers from Israel.

Now when faced with the setback in their ongoing war with the Philistines they conveniently remember that they needed God to fight on their side. The two evil sons of Eli are involved as they bring the physical ark to the Hebrew camp. There is a loud shout as the ark arrives. Are the Israelites glad that the presence of God is with them again? As the story unfolds it is clear that their joy is merely a selfish expression of the feeling that they would soon be on the side of victory. It had nothing to do with the reality of God’s presence and their recognition of how they had fallen away from Him.

God has a strong and unpleasant message for them. His ark is not a magic token which would give them victory. They were still under His judgement and the subsequent defeat in battle including the effect on Eli and His family demonstrates this. Not only are they heavily defeated but the ark itself is captured and now in Philistine hands. Could God not have protected Himself and His ark? We will see in the next section what the answer is to that question. The lesson here is clear. God cannot be manipulated or used. He desires an ongoing relationship with His people. In the OT this was represented by their keeping the Sabbath as a reminder of their covenant relationship with Him.

What is the message for us here today? It seems that it is exactly the same as to those people. God desires to have an ongoing relationship and fellowship with us. While He uses means to remind us of that eg taking communion, He will not be manipulated by our keeping memorabilia of Him as a means to obtain His blessing.

When I first met Sylvia, she was clinging to a tenuous connection she felt she had with God through a special bible her mother had given her many years before. A bible, no matter how precious it may be, carries God’s word to us. But it does not in itself represent God’s presence with us. There is no superstitious magic with God. Our interaction with Him is through Jesus and His Spirit and represents an ongoing relationship.

The other thing that we are reminded of through this passage is that God may carry out His judgement on His people or a person by withdrawing His presence and His fellowship so that they may experience the vicissitudes of life without Him.

More on the Ark next week. God bless you all.

Singing through many of the names of Jesus, His Majesty, His kingship, His beauty. Names like Bright morning star, blessed Redeemer, most Holy one – I feel frustrated at the inadequacy of words to truly express how my God looks, how he is. Then it strikes me maybe one of the important words is “my” – he is my Jesus, he is my Redeemer – what a wonder that I can use that intimate word – a relationship word of true intimacy.

“ Yes Ian I am indeed yours and you are mine. That is what I created you for – remember in Acts – created that you may seek me and in finding me I will know you and you will know me. This is indeed the intimacy of the closest of relationships – yes words may not adequately describe this – but as you let your heart go you know, you experience My presence with you. That is what I desire for you, to enjoy and appreciate Me and that is what I desire for everyone who turns to Me and asks, seeks and knocks. Enjoy it today, enjoy Me today and enjoy Me every day.

Back now to 1 Samuel chapter 3. We have arrived at a picture of Israel, God’s chosen people, redeemed from slavery in Egypt, now in the promised land, but having drifted away from God completely, highlighted here by the evil sons of Eli. Into this scene God introduces a bright light. His name is Samuel. God is going to use this lad in His plan of the redemption of His people.

Chapter 3 reveals a vital aspect of the means that God is going to use in this process of redemption. You should see what this is as you read through this chapter. More than 6 times we read of God’s word or that God speaks. The means to redemption hinges on the fact that we worship a God who speaks and has spoken. His communication over time carries immense power because it is the very connection with our Creator Himself.

See if you can pick up the thread of what I have been saying.

Firstly in vs 1 we have a description of the situation in Israel at that time. It is featured by the fact that “the word of the Lord was rare in those days”. If we follow the biblical story we will come across other times when God’s word was rare. We read of it in Psalm 74:9.Lamentations 2:9 and Ezekiel 7:26 for example. These occasions were all a feature of God’s judgement upon Israel. He was withdrawing His presence and His communication with His people because of their sin and neglect of obedience to His law and guidance.

Perhaps the most difficult time was the few hundred years before the incarnation of Jesus, when God was silent. So this small picture is looking forward to the coming of another prophet” one day, who would also be known by the title “John the Baptist”, who would be the forerunner of the true King of Israel also called, “The Word of God”.(John 1:1).

So God takes the initiative to reestablish His relationship with His people. He has raised up a prophet and is going to give Israel a king. So He speaks to the boy. There is the interesting vs 7 where the writer remarks that: “Samuel did not yet know the Lord: the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him”. Was this the moment then that Samuel met the Lord and came to know Him? It seems likely since how else was the boy going to meet Him.

Interestingly the word that Samuel receives from God is a word of judgement. Judgement against Eli and his sons, and I take it by inference, judgement against the whole of apostate Israel, although it does not specifically stipulate that. Looking way down into the future we see another prophet we came preparing the way for a king. Tis time for the real king of Israel. Remember him? The word of John the Baptist was also a word of judgement and warning eg “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” Matt 3:8

Israel is ready then to start a new chapter and Samuel will be the one who will be the fore-runner hence the description in v 19 where Samuel proves His prophetship is authentic in that none of his words fell to the ground. In other words all his prophecies came about. His position is finally stated in 4:1 which showed that Samuel’s word was received by the whole nation.

Let us reflect a bit on this. God’s word has no magic power of its own. The power of God’s word lies in the fact that it reflects what God is saying to us. It is what He desires for us and instructs us to do. If we understand and follow His word we have His full power behind it. Jesus was in fact the living word and His whole life demonstrated God’s will and power in a dynamic way. It is our privilege as Christians to be able to receive and follow God’s word and through that to develop and grow a dynamic relationship with Him. Equally when God’s word is twisted and read out of context it is an insult to Him and carries no power.

This passage revealed to me again the importance and value of God’s word and His communication with us as well as giving us an insight to the greater plan of God for the whole world. May He bless you all richly this coming week.