Saul's Victory Over the Ammonites - I Samuel 11

 

I Samuel 11- Saul’s Victory Over the Ammonites

 

When Saul asked the people to come and linked his name with Samuel’s name, the people came. They also came because they were afraid of Saul and fearful of what the Ammonites might do to them.

 

Saul divided his men into three companies. Then the Israelites went after the Ammonites and killed and scattered them so badly that not two of them were left together, Each Ammonite that survived fled by himself.

 

At first there was some resistance in Saul being king, the victory over the Ammonites took care of the resistance. Now all of Israel accepted Saul as king.

 

It is one thing to have authority and ability, but something else to prove yourself a leader. People respond to a crisis in different ways; some give in, some give up, Saul responded with anger and action and rallied the people for battle.

 

God empowered Saul to fight the battle and win. He had stature as well as authority. He had proved himself a leader. He gave God the glory and did not use his success and authority as weapons to attack his own people.

We all face a crisis in our life at one time or another. God permits these crises to strengthen our faith. We need to use the victories over our crisis to give God the glory and to help others.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary

 

Saul is Anointed King I Samuel 10

 

I Samuel 10. Saul is Anointed as King

 

Samuel anoints Saul as king and then kisses him, which was probably an act demonstrating his personal affection for Saul

 

Saul could not understand how a man like him could lead the nation of Israel, so God gave him a series of “signs” to assure him for his new responsibilities.

 

A leader must trust God to solve problems, to provide needs, and to give power needed for service. He must know how to hear God’s Word and wait obediently on the Lord. Saul began his ministry in the strength of these assurances, but as time went on, he trusted more and more in himself and rebelled against God’s Word.

 

His modesty in saying nothing about the kingdom and his self-control in not answering his critics are commendable, but he felt the need to hide on his coronation day. He did a great deal of hiding in his leadership, but God found him out. As the book of Proverbs says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper.”  (28:13)

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

I Samuel 9 - Saul is Chosen as King

 

I Samuel 9 – Saul is Chosen as King

 

 

Saul is not a king when we first meet him. He was never a king in the true sense of the word. Kish was Saul’s father, and he belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. It is from this tribe Benjamin, that the first king comes.

 

This boy Saul was handsome. Physically he looked like a king, but he was an actor that played a part. The children of Israel liked him because of his outward appearance. The most dangerous enemy we have is the television. The man that will control this country is the man that has a good television appearance. Because we chose men by the way they look and the way they talk rather than by their character.

The children of Israel wanted a king and they liked Saul.  He was handsome, he was tall. He was fine looking. There wasn’t a kinglier looking man in the nation. The trouble was, he wasn’t a king a heart.

Samuel met them on the way while Saul and his servant were out looking for donkeys.

Many times, God answers our request when it is not the best thing for us. When we keep crying to the Lord for whatever it is we want, finally He does what He did for Israel. He grants our request. Prayer should be made in the name of Christ, which means it must be according to His will and His glory. All requests hinge on that important matter.

Saul was a man that impressed even Samuel, he just regretted that Saul did not make good.

Saul was not actually God’s choice, that is, He gave Israel the sort of man He knew they wanted.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

Israel demands a king - I Samuel 8

 

I Samuel 8 -Israel demands a King

 

Samuel made his own sons judges to succeed him, although they were unworthy and incompetent for the job. I was a mistake. Samuel was a great judge, a good prophet, and a great man of God, but he was a failure as a father just as Eli had been.

 

The people of Israel ask for a king. They are influenced by the surrounding nations. The fact that Samuel had made his sons judges gives these people an excuse to ask for a king. This was sad news for Samuel, but God comforts him with the assurance that Israel’s rejection is not of him but of God Himself.

 

Samuel warns Israel what it will be like to have a king. He tells them that a king will reign over them, take their sons for soldiers, their daughters for cooks and maidservants, and part of their fields, vineyards, olive yards, and animals for himself. He warned them that eventually they will cry out in their distress and in that day the Lord will not hear them.

 

“And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” Psalm 106:15. God granted Israel their desire for a king, but it was not to their advantage, God’s guidance of the nation was indirectly through the prophet. He did not speak directly to the king. Samuel continued to convey God’s word to the king.

 

Much of what Samuel worked for and prayed for turned out differently from what he expected, and yet he remained faithful to the Lord to the end. Leaders who are faithful to God may not always appear to be successful to men.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Revival - I Samuel 7

 

I Samuel 7 - Revival

 

After twenty years the Israelites begin to turn to God and away from Baalim and Ashteroth. They have come to the place where they want God. This is actually the beginning of Samuel’s ministry. He is not only the prophet of Isreal, but also the judge of the nation. He is praying for them to get out of idolatry and turn to God. They had been defeated in so many battles that they have become discouraged. Now they confess their sins. This is the way back for God’s people. They promised to return to God. As a result, God gave them a victory over the Philistines.

 

I think it can be said that from this time on the Philistines were never again as dominant as they had been before. This was a significant battle, and a stone now stands in memory of it.

 

Ebenezer means “stone of help”.

“Thus far the Lord has helped us – The Lord will see to it.”  This takes care of the past and the future, so why worry about the present!

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

God's Judgment on the Philistines. I Samuel 6

 

I Samuel 6, God’s Judgment on the Philistines

 

The people of Gath had the ark, and they didn’t want it, so they sent it to Ekron and they, too, wanted to get rid of it. Since the Philistines wanted to get rid of the ark, they consulted with the priests and diviners who told them not to send the ark of the God of Israel away empty. They were to send an offering. The offering consisted of five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice.

 

God chastened the Philistines because they kept the ark, but He killed some of His own people because they looked into the ark. The Israelites knew the law, so they were more responsible than the Philistines.

 

The men of Beth Shemish were reaping the harvest when the cart with the ark came into view. The ark had been gone for six months, but that did not allow that to keep them from working. Even in times of defeat, there are jobs to be done and people to feed.

 

Abinadab’s house will be a tabernacle for the Lord. All our homes should be a dwelling place for Him.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

God is in Control, I Samuel 5

 

I Samuel 5 God is in Control

                                  

The glory may have departed from Israel, but God was still in control and well able to defend His name. If you get depressed because the enemy seems to have “captured” the glory, rest assured that God is still on His throne.

 

God can reveal His glory even in a heathen temple, and all false gods must fall before Him.  How much better it would have been for His glory to be revealed on the battlefield, but He could not give victory to a disobedient people, it would have only encouraged then more in their sin.

 

Instead of confessing their sin and trusting the true God of Israel, the people of Philistia tried to get rid of the ark. What a great opportunity they were passing by!  But then, would you want to trust the god of the defeated enemy? Israel was a poor witness to the other nations, so they rejected Israel’s God.

 

 Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.