June 15-19

The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. I Samuel 8:7




Once upon a time in a land far away lived a good king who was honest, righteous, fair, loving, giving and powerful. All the people in his kingdom were healthy and happy, so they loved and served him all of their days and lived happily ever after. What a shame!!! That doesn’t even work in fairy tales!!!!

This week we begin our adventures with Samuel. On Monday we are introduced to his family. We don’t even get 10 steps into the story before we discover that the family he was born into was quite dysfunctional. Sometimes our greatest battles are fought within the walls of our own home. Why did Peninnah feel she had to ridicule Hannah? I believe the answer is found in the words, “…he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters; but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah…” A woman does not merely want her husband’s respect; she wants his love. Like Rachel, Hannah understood the desire to manifest the fruit of her husband’s love and to bear his children. What sets Hannah apart from Rachel or Rebecca is that she did not depend on her husband to find the answer for her dilemma; she sought the true Giver of Life. Now there is good council for anyone who is dealing with bareness and deferred dreams in their life.

What an amazing childhood Samuel had! His bedroom was at the very entrance of the court of the Lord. It is here that Samuel learned to hear the voice of the Lord. No wonder that later we hear the Psalmist say, “I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked!” Although the sons of Korah wrote this Psalm, its inspiration is attributed to David, and Samuel’s life is directly related to David’s! It is as though you can hear Samuel himself speaking the words!!! What must Samuel have felt when the ark was taken into captivity? What anguish must he have endured when Eli’s dying daughter-in-law named her son “The Glory has departed?” All these events shaped Samuel’s life. To understand them, is to understand the heart of the man of God.

Although God orchestrated the Ark to be captured, He also conducted its homecoming. But its reappearance did not return things to the way they were. No longer was Shiloh the resting place for the Shekinah. The Ark finally came to rest in Kiriath-jearim. The people of Beth-shemesh thought just because the Ark was back, life would go back to business as usual, but they quickly learned that God’s presence without a lifestyle of understanding and walking in His ways brings trouble! Unfortunately, rather than drawing closer to God to understand His ways, it was easier to push God farther out of their lives. That’s an all-too-familiar story even today!

On Wednesday we get to know Samuel the warrior. He had an amazing way to combat the enemy. When the Philistines gathered to attack, Samuel prayed and sacrificed. God’s thunderous response sent the enemy into a tizzy! Not only did it give the Israelites the edge in battle, it caused them to regain territory they had once lost. It’s not that the Israelites did not have to fight, but Samuel knew how to intercede so that the Lord would lead the conflict and prepare the way.

As righteous of a man as Samuel was, he was not beyond feeling the pain of rejection. He had been a faithful judge in Israel. He had led them into victory and held them together when the nation was falling apart. And what thanks did he get? The people looked at Samuel’s sons and just assumed they would be their next leaders. How quickly they forgot that God has a way of raising up leaders in His time! No matter how desperately Samuel urged them not to settle for less than God’s best, their ears were closed. When we become bound and determined to have things our own way, often God will not only step back and allow us to fall into our own traps, He will give us a shove to get us there.

Of all the tribes God could have chosen from, He chose Israel’s first king from the tribe of BENJAMIN. And not from just any place in Benjamin; he was from GIBEAH!!! Take a moment to connect the dots. You remember when we were getting ready to leave the pages of the Judges? Remember those lowlife men in GIBEAH who ravaged the priest’s concubine? What a sad tale that was!!! You would have thought the leaders of Israel would have back down when they heard that their new king would be from the least honorable tribe in all of Israel. Saul wasn’t kidding when he told Samuel, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?” Do you remember how they became the least tribe? And Saul’s family was one who was the most affected by it. Not much of a pedigree for a king!!! But none of that deterred Israel from wanting a king! They were voting for “Change” and they got it!

I cherish Samuel’s words of commitment to these stubborn, insubordinate people. When God thunders from heaven to affirm His displeasure and the people are terrified, Samuel tells them, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.” What a committed servant of God! Whether the people would listen or not, Samuel was going to be faithful to his call to pray and to teach. After all, he God’s servant, not their! If that lesson would just sink into our hearts, we would save ourselves much grief. May we keep our eyes and ears open as we traverse the pages of this amazing book!