Living Subject to the KING

After the people of Israel demanded a king to rule over them, God answered their request and directed the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul, son of Kish, king.  True to form, many people were not pleased with God's choice of king, though he was head and shoulders taller than every other person in Israel coupled with humility.  If they would not have God rule over them, why would they gladly submit to His wise judgments?  While there was a band of men whose hearts God had touched that accompanied their newly crowned king to his home in Gibeah, life in Israel largely continued as it did before.  People did not subject themselves to their king, and thus they remained at the mercy of their enemies.

The next chapter starts with 1 Samuel 11:1-2:  "Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you." ² And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel."  Huh.  This isn't what I expected of the men of Jabesh Gilead who had a king--bargaining with an adversary and willingness to agree to a covenant as slaves!  The conditions of the covenant were designed to bring reproach upon Israel by maiming the men of Jabesh Gilead.  The elders of the city doubled down on their disregard of God and the king they asked for in 1 Samuel 11:3:  "Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you."  These elders did not seek the LORD, nor did they send a messenger straight to the king:  in their desperation they looked everywhere for help, guidance and strength anywhere they could.  With no hope of being able to overcome Nahash and little hope anyone would respond, they were resigned to the men losing an eye and suffering permanent reproach.

Amazingly, the men of Gibeah who heard the message--in king's Saul's city--had a similar response.  1 Samuel 11:4 reads, "So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept."  After they heard the news, the people lifted up their voices and wept helplessly, as if nothing could be done to oppose Nahash and avoid reproach.  1 Samuel 11:5-7 says, "Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, "What troubles the people, that they weep?" And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. ⁶ Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. ⁷ So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen." And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent."  King Saul had a very different reaction than the men of Jabesh Gilead or Gibeah.  He had not been acting as king because people were indifferent to his rule and obviously did not regard him, but the Spirit of God moved Saul to send a strong message to muster a great fighting force of 300,000 men he led to rout Nahash.

King Saul's actions led to a renewal of the kingdom of Israel, for the people had not been living like they had a king:  they offered to make deals with adversaries, didn't know where to turn when troubles came, and lamented hopelessly when they should have been rallying to their king and helping their brethren.  This is an illustration that rings true in the lives of Christians who can live as if they do not have a king when Jesus rules as KING OF KINGS.  We can cower in fear over adversaries who seek to reproach us and neglect prayer to God in the midst of conflict.  We can act like no one could help us when Jesus stands ready to save and deliver us singlehandedly!  Saul cut his own oxen in pieces to show what would happen to those who did not respond to his call, and Jesus lay down His life as a sacrifice on Calvary to demonstrate His love for us and rose from the dead to show His victory over sin and death given to all who trust Him.  Jesus is our King, yet it is possible we have not been serving Him or submitting to His rule; we do not trust He is able and willing to rise and aid us right now.

Jesus has established a New Covenant with His own blood, and having believed in Him we are to serve Him alone constrained by bonds of love.  God had put away the reproach of our sin and opened our blind eyes to see Jesus in divine glory.  We gladly bow before Jesus in holy reverence, and our tongues confess Jesus Christ is LORD of all, our Saviour and King.  Unlike Saul who worked in a field, Revelation 19:11-13 gives us a glimpse of Jesus as He is:  "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. ¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God."  Let's seek our Saviour and fall in behind Him in formation, bowing our knees and hearts before our LORD who saves, helps and delivers.

A Good Lasting Impression

Yesterday a concrete footpath was poured by contractors near our house, and I was left shaking my head when I went to inspect the work.  Someone decided they would be the first to walk on the finished concrete before it was dry and left permanent impressions of their footsteps.  I wondered if the person who walked on the concrete realised it was still wet, and intentionally marring the finish was a twisted way to have fun.  Possibly the person was clueless about the concrete underfoot because of enjoyment of a funny podcast, an engaging conversation or the shock of hearing bad news.  As long as that concrete remains, the wandering footprints will always provoke questions about what that person was thinking--or if he or she was thinking at all.

I noticed other, more predictable markings on the fresh concrete:  names scrawled in the surface with the date.  I suspect these are the names of the neighbourhood kids who were hanging around the area after the work was finished.  There is no doubt in my mind those names were etched intentionally, for no one writes letters and numbers in the corner of wet concrete accidentally.  As I surveyed the labour of pouring the footpath outside my door, there are three distinct groups that made their own distinct impressions:  the workers who finished the concrete, the aimless wanderer, and the graffiti artists.  Intentionally or not, all these people made a permanent impression on the concrete that will last the lifetime of the concrete.

This observation led me to consider the impact the lives of human beings can have on one another, whether at work, play or just walking along.  Our brains indiscriminately remember things people said or did that impacted us.  We may have had one conversation with people or we might have not ever learned their names, but they managed to impact our life in some way.  Think of the fantastic and sobering opportunity God has given everyone to make a permanent impression on others for good, to make a lasting, positive mark on others as we live to glorify Jesus Christ.  Showing kindness, being generous, and continuing to love others as we pass through this life is a great blessing God has granted to His children.  At the same time, it is confronting the damage we can do without even knowing it.  We have passed by others with a carefree spring in our step and didn't realise we wounded them, and we would regret our actions if we only knew.

I don't want to have an "Oh well!" attitude about accidently trampling the hard work of others, caring only about what I'm doing or going.  I want my words and actions to be a stamp of grace and love that guides others to know Jesus Christ as Saviour.  Jesus is the enduring legacy of every Christian, and our lives are an opportunity for Him to make a positive, lasting impact on others.  It is a small thing for me to be famous or be remembered well, but how great it is that through our brief, obscure lives that the name of Jesus should be known and proclaimed.  We have a message of love and salvation that will outlive our lives on earth, and may the LORD Jesus use us to make a good lasting impression on others for His glory as we are passing through.

Thanks and Praise

"I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king's demand."

Daniel 2:23

Daniel and his fellow wise men were in dire need of divine revelation concerning king Nebuchadnezzar's dream, for their lives were on the line.  He and his Hebrew brethren sought God on the matter, and the LORD was merciful to reveal Nebuchadnezzar's dream and the interpretation to Daniel in a vision.  It is no wonder Daniel thanked and praised God for giving Him wisdom about the king's secret and thus spared his life and others who served king Nebuchadnezzar.  God's people ought always to thank and praise Him for answered prayer, yet genuine faith shines brighter when we experience pain, suffering, loss and still praise and bless our good God.

When the children of Israel languished in a time of war and trouble, Jeremiah recognised it was only by the mercy of the good God of Israel He preserved them at all.  God had caused grief and loss, yet God had compassion on them according to the riches of His mercy.  We see this same God fearing outlook in Job after he suffered the loss of his wealth and the death of his 10 children in a day.  Job 1:21-22 tells us,  "And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." ²² In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong."  Faith in God does not mean we avoid trials and troubles in this world:  it is the means God has provided for us to endure and experience joy, peace and rest in Him.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the Messiah as a Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.  From the moment sin entered the world, humankind has experienced grief and sorrow beyond human comprehension:  people God created in His own image were cut off from God and drowned in grief without knowledge of Him, the remedy for their ills, forgiveness of sin, or the sure hope of heaven in His presence.  We cannot fathom such grief and pain that the all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving God should see His creation struggle and die whilst rejecting Him.  The death of a loved one deeply impacts a relatively small circle of family and friends who heard of a tragic passing, yet God knows intimately the full depth of everyone's suffering like He personally experienced Himself.

God is so awesome and good His suffering Servant Jesus offers fullness of peace and joy, for while He is a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief He has not been overcome by them:  Jesus accomplished the ultimate victory over sin, death and sorrow by His death and resurrection He freely gives to all who trust in Him.  Born-again believers in the midst of pain can praise God from the heart, and this praise that springs from faith in Him is precious in His sight.  It is one thing to praise God when He has answered your prayer in the way you wanted, but genuine faith delights to praise our good God when He has remained silent or said "No."  In our troubles may we never charge God with wrong, for He remains good and glorious regardless how we feel.  In Him we have a living hope, and our future is bright with joy and peace.  With Daniel we can thank and praise God for giving us Jesus (Who is wisdom for us) and might made perfect in our weakness.

Called, Chosen and Faithful

"These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."

Revelation 17:14

Jesus is described as one day returning to earth with His saints in judgment over Satan, the antichrist and the world.  God's people, born again by faith in Jesus and given eternal life by Him, are "called, chosen and faithful."  It is good for us to realise this is not some sort of divine fate at work, but everyone who follows Jesus faithfully has been called and chosen by Him.  We love Him because He first loved us.

Judas Iscariot gives us great insight into this matter, for he was called by Jesus to follow Him.  Of the many disciples Jesus had, Judas was chosen to be one of His 12 apostles Jesus sent out.  We know Judas had responsibilities among the apostles to responsibly handle the money of the group, yet sadly he was a thief.  He was called and chosen but not faithful to Jesus, for he bargained with the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hand when he had opportunity for 30 pieces of silver.  His hypocrisy was shown in the Garden of Gethsemane by identifying Jesus with a kiss of greeting.

Judas teaches us that being called and chosen does not guarantee we will choose to be numbered among God's faithful servants.  He later regretted and lamented Jesus being arrested and sentenced to death, yet he did not sorrow in a godly manner that leads to repentance:  he sorrowed as the world does which leads to death (2 Cor. 7:9-11).  Judas died a violent death at his own hand, choosing to murder himself rather than humble himself in contrite repentance before God.  He was called and chosen, but he was not faithful.  Jesus said because of his sinful, unrepentant choices, it would be better for him to never have been born (Matt. 26:24, Mark 14:21).

The Strong's Concordance defines the Greek word translated "faithful" as "faithful, reliable, believing."  Genuine faith in God is practically expressed and demonstrated by obedience to God.  Jesus told His followers that if they loved Him they would do as He said.  This fits perfectly with loving God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind.  Jesus is God made flesh, and having been called and chosen we are to be faithful.  1 John 5:11-13 says, "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

By believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, we have life because He is our life.  Christians can know we are called and chosen because we are faithful to believe in Him and continue to do so.  We have the assurance of salvation and future judgment by the resurrection of Jesus.  Our confidence is not in ourselves or efforts to obey, but because of Who Jesus is and the new life He has provided through the Gospel.  Confidence in our calling and election is misplaced when God requires us to be faithful by His grace.