The Chapter-A-Day thread. (3)

[brinny]

Ruth 3:
Ruth boldly makes a claim.

Now this is one of the most interesting chapters in the Bible, in that Naomi, knowing what the Mosaic laws were, directs Ruth to follow one of them, and that is, to sorta' put a "claim" on a kindred man of Naomi's. And the kindred man targeted is:

Boaz.

His reaction is priceless.

He was a very very wise and compassionate and righteous man of God, as demonstrated by his response.

"And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do. And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman." ~Ru 3:5-11

 

[brinny]

Ruth 4:

God un-folds a future and a hope.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jer 29:11

Here we come to the last chapter of this wunnerful book of Ruth. So Boaz is going to do what is necessary to be a kinsman redeemer for Ruth. But first he had to sorta' "clear the way", legitimately, by making sure that no other kinsman wanted to be the kinsman redeemer. Come to find out, there were no "takers". And it came to pass that it was confirmed that Boaz would be the redeemer kinsman for Ruth, and there were witnesses who testified and confirmed it.

So Ruth becomes Boaz's wife, and not only did Ruth have a solid and blessed "future and hope", but Naomi did as well.

And Ruth gives birth to a male child, and they name him Obed. And Obed is the very descendant of Jesus, the Messiah.

Now how BLESSED a future and a hope is THAT???!!!

Precious.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 1:

God hears Hannah.

"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;" ~Psalm 30:11

Now we begin the 9th book of the Old Testament, the book of I Samuel. Here we have a man named Elkanah. Elkinah has two wives. The first wife mentioned is Hannah, and the second wife is Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Peninnah cause great grief to Hannah, and taunted her and mocked her because she had no children. It is written here in verses 6-7 that Peninnah was her "adversary" and provoked her sore to cause her misery, and to grieve and to cry so hard that she wouldn't eat.:

"And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat." ~ I Samuel 1:6-7

There came a time when Hannah was at the Temple, pouring out her heart to God, and Eli the Priest happened to be there, and he saw her praying silently, with only her lips moving.

Now here's a little tidbit: things were so bad, even in the Temple, with people behaving abominably, even in the Temple, that Eli assumed that there was yet someone else who had gotten drunk and had the audacity to come into the Temple.

So he's already judged Hannah to be amongst them. But Eli needed to pay more attention to his own sons, which is where most of it originated from. But that's another story, that we'll come back to.

So Eli says this to Hannah:

"And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee." ~I Samuel 1:14

This poor woman is ALREADY grieved, and even in her praying to God, she is accused of being wicked, and a daughter of Belial, by of all people, a Priest.

So she responds:

"And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto." ~I Samuel 1:15-16

Poor Hannah.

There IS good news for Hannah, however. God HEARS her and He grants her her heart's desire. In return she dedicates her precious one to the Lord, for service. Now this must've been excruciatingly difficult, especially since her child was such a long time coming and she had endured the taunts and hatred of her husband's other wife for so many years, as child after child was born to her, and Hannah remained childless.

Nevertheless, Hannah's decision gives us a glimpse into the heart of this Godly woman.

In due time, she gives birth to a son.

"Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord." ~I Samuel 1:20

His name was Samuel.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 2:

God shuts the taunters mouth.

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) availeth much." ~James 5:16

Here we open with a prayer from Hannah. God has answered her prayer. He has been the LIFTER of her head, and has caused her to rejoice, in the presence of her enemies, which in particular, refers to Peninnah, her adversary. God's answer to Hannah has, in essence, shut the mouth of her adversary.

We don't know much about Peninnah, except how she is described, and that is as an adversary to Hannah. She has, essentially, kicked Hannah repeatedly, when she was at her lowest.

God Himself vindicated Hannah and shut the mocking and prideful mouth of her adversary:

"Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed." ~I Samuel 2:3

In addition, God blessed Hannah with 3 more sons and 2 daughters. In the meantime, Samuel has been taken to Eli, the High Priest, as Hannah had promised, for she had dedicated him to the service of the Lord.

"And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD." ~I Samuel 2:21

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 3:

Samuel is called to be a Prophet/Priest.
(AKA God's judgment against Eli)

Now Eli is growing old. In the meantime, Samuel had grown not only in stature, but in the serving of the Lord. Samuel did not know the Lord yet, however, God changed that, for we have here in verses 4-10, that God not only called out to Samuel, but in verse 10 He "introduces" Himself to Samuel:

"That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." ~I Samuel 3:4-10

Now what God says to Samuel is something very difficult, because it is a judgment against Eli. And of course Eli asks Samuel what the Lord said.

And Samuel tells him.

Thus began Samuel's tenure as a Prophet and a Priest.

And thus began Eli's judgment as stated by Samuel who obeyed God's direction in telling Eli.

Hint: Eli KNEW he was and had been dead wrong in how he allowed his sons (called sons of Belial -which means "sons of Satan") to be absolutely abhorrent and abominable to God. In other words, Eli "allowed" it. He had NO fear of God, and as God said, Eli feared/honored put his "sons" ABOVE God. In essence, it's "worshiping" his sons, rather than God.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 4:

God's judgement comes to pass.

Eli: What a tragic figure of a father, Prophet, and High Priest.

Now Eli has gotten old, could barely see, and was overweight, which was going to have tragic consequences.

Ok, so the Philistines were beating Israel something fierce, and they worked their way to where Eli's sons were in the Temple, with the Ark of the Covenant, and killed Eli's two sons and stole the Ark of the Covenant. A witness to what happened, ran to Eli and told him.

Eli, upon hearing that, was so taken aback that he literally fell backwards from where he was sitting, and in doing so, broke his neck, because he was so heavy. And he died.

"And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years." ~I Samuel 4:17-18

Tragic.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 5:

God's humor.

Ok, so the Philistines have gotten the Ark of God. Now here's the thing....they did not know what they were in for. So God "messes with them". And it's hilarious, because God is smashing up THEIR god, Dagon, EACH time they put the Ark of God in their "temple", the house of Dagon.

Look at verse 2:

"When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon." ~I Samuel 5:2

And here's what happened:

"And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day." ~I Samuel 5:3-5

In essence, God had their god, Dagon, "bowing before Him, and in "pieces". Now this freaked them out so much that they were desperate to get rid of the Ark of God, but no other city would dare take it, for fear of the curse of the living God on them if they did.

What a dilemma, eh?

 

[quietbloke]

Thankyou for these interesting Bible comments daily.

 

[brinny]

Thankyou for these interesting Bible comments daily.

You are most welcome. It's almost like a movie un-folding before me when i delve into these Old Testament books, which i had avoided previously.

God bless you for your words of encouragement.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 6:

The hot potato.

Now the Ark of God was in the land of the Philistines for seven months. And during this time, the Ark of God was like a "hot potato", for NO ONE wanted it, NOWHERE in the land of the Philistines. They became terrified of it, and what came to mind for them was when God cursed Egypt. They became desperate to send it somewhere. Anywhere.

So they "sent" it away, to Bethshemesh. And the men of Bethshemesh rejoiced in seeing it. However, how quickly and carelessly they disobeyed and insulted the living God, for they foolishly did this:

"And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter." ~I Samuel 6:19

And as they lamented, they said:

"And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us?" ~I Samuel 6:20

The problem is, they SHOULD'VE already KNOWN this.

And so the Ark of God had become a "hot potato" to the men of Bethshemesh also, and this is what they did:

"And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and fetch it up to you." ~I Samuel 6:21

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 7:

The call to repentance.

Now for 20 years, Israel worshiped other gods. They were in idolatry, and they faced defeat after defeat, with their enemies triumphing over them. Israel became weary and discouraged enough to see their utter idolatry and sin. And they lamented.

Samuel speaks to them, and he says that if they will turn to the living God with all their hearts and then put away Baalim and Ashtaroth from among them, and prepare their hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, THEN will He deliver them out of the hand of the Philistines.

And so they did, and Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord.

And Samuel prayed for all of Israel in Mitzpeh.

Now the Philistines, being all puffed up with their baaaad selves, cuz they were so used to just beating on and bullying the Israelites, that they were gonna go after the Israelites again. And the Israelites were SCARED. They cried out to Samuel to pray to God for them, and Samuel did. He offered up a sacrifice to God, and he prayed.

And God heard him:

"And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel." ~I Samuel 7:9-10

And for good measure, God prompted the Israelites to pursue any Philistines left:

"And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar. Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." ~I Samuel 7:11-12

And for the sake of Samuel, the Philistines were subdued for all the days of Samuel.

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 8:

Be careful what you ask for.

Now Samuel was a great judge. However, when he was old, he appoints his two sons, Joel and Abiah, judges in Israel, specifically in Beersheba. This was a grave grave error, and indicated, just as Eli was, that Samuel was not only a father who put his sons above God, but he was flawed as a judge. He did not seek God's counsel or guidance in appointing his sons as judges, and he turned a blind eye to their utter wickedness and abominations.

Because of Samuel's sons, the people came to Samuel and demanded a king. Samuel went to God about this, and God responded:

"And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." ~I Samuel 8:7

Uh-oh. The people have just cursed themselves. For in essence, they were declaring that the living God is NOT their King. They were "de-throning" the living God, so to speak.

This is the very thing that Lucifer intended in his heart when he wanted to be "as God", and why he became Satan, which means "adversary".

This is baaaaaaaad news.

God granted their request. Just like He granted the request of the Israelites in the desert when they spurned God's manna, and demanded quail.

The quail became a curse.

Be careful what you ask for.

You might just get it.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 9:

Thus enters Saul.

So God tells Samuel a day before meeting Saul, that Saul would be king and reign over Israel.

And Samuel prepares Saul for his anointing of him to be king.

And so it begins. God is getting ready to "send quail" to the Israelites, so to speak.

And much to their chagrin. They just don't know it yet.

Be careful what you ask for.

(Stay tuned).

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 10:
O dear, what have we done?
(The Drama Queen AKA False Humility).

So Samuel anoints Saul as king. However, underneath it all, was the curse of God (that the Israelites had brought on themselves), just a'brewing.

In addition, Saul demonstrates the sickening trait of "false modesty/"false humility"" when he "runs and hides" and "makes" the people come "looking for him". He's a daggone "drama queen". This alone indicates how utterly "unfit" his heart was, for it should've been about GOD that he should've been thinking of and honoring, and not on himself. This right here, was a baaaaad sign and an indicator of what was to come.

Narcissist much?

"And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands. And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff." ~I Samuel 10: 19-22

Famous last words:

Be careful what you ask for.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 11:

Balaam's Donkey.

So big bad ol' men, the Ammonites, via Nahash, their leader, encamped against Jabeshgilead, and the men of Jabeshgilead got skeered, and offered to "serve" the Ammonites (become their slaves) if they don't kill them. And Nahash said he would agree providing he put out their right eyes, as a "reproach" against Israel (to put them to "humiliation" and "shame").

And the men of Jabeshgilead responded:

"And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee." ~I Samuel 11:3

And messengers went to Gibeah where Saul was and told him about Nahash and the Ammonites.

And it is written:

"And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly." ~I Samuel 11:6

And Saul pulverizes the Ammonites because God was with him.

Now just hold yer horses. Yes, the Spirit of God came upon Saul.

But so did the Spirit of God come upon Balaam's donkey (when the donkey "spoke").

Stay tuned.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 12:

Samuel's "blind spot".

Samuel was a Godly man and prophet and judge, as indicated in this chapter, as he continually prayed for the people of Israel. YET, he was negligent and had an absolute blind spot when it came to his sons, and their wickedness, which prompted the Israelites to demand a king in the first place. In other words, Samuel's sons' absolute wickedness and corruption, that Samuel was "blind to", and that he put them in positions that he didn't seek God's counsel on, didn't remove them from, and KEPT them there. Here in verse 2 he is, in essence, pleading for the Israelites to "accept" his sons? Just as Eli did, Samuel is putting his sons and their wickedness ABOVE God:

"And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day." ~I Samuel 12:2

He's STILL blind as a bat when it comes to his sons. No, HE didn't sin against the people, but his SONS did. IN that regard, he was as bad a father as Eli was, and it marred his standing as a "man of God", even if God did NOT judge Samuel the same way He did with Eli.

In addition, Samuel was partially "blind as a bat" with Saul, in many ways.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 13:

The man behind the green curtain.
(AKA The Slug King.)

Soooooo the Philistines have had Israel under their control through the second year of Saul's reign as king. They even had confiscated all of Israel's weapons, including even their farm equipment. Then one day, Saul deems it time to smite the Philistines, and end their control over Israel.

Now Jonathan, Saul's son is mentioned, as it is written that Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines, in Geba. Now a garrison is a stronghold, or a military post, especially one that is permanently established when a country is conquered. In other words, Jonathan's strategy was to take out the "strong hold" of the Philistines.

And he did.

However, here's what his own father, Saul the king, did. He claimed "victory" as if HE had taken out the garrison of the Philistines, even though all of the army, and of course Jonathan, knew differently.

"And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal." ~I Samuel 13:3-4

If that wasn't bad enough:

"And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him." ~I Samuel 13:9-10

And Samuel chastises Saul for such disobedience, which was a seriously wicked offense against the living God and indicated a heart that had no "fear of the Lord":

"And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee." ~I Samuel 13:13-14

What is most notable here is not just the blatant disregard and disobedience of Saul, but the "presumption" that he would sacrifice to the living God, instead of Samuel, God's chosen prophet.

He insulted and "dismissed" God, then he lied about it.

In addition, he blatantly lied about his "victory", claiming for himself, what Jonathan his son had done.

The man behind the green curtain is beginning to be exposed, along with his shams, and pretense, "feigned" false humility, pride, and jealousy.

It gets better.

Stay tuned.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 14:

Saul's deadly jealousy

So here we have some more detail of Jonathan's God-given genius and strategy on his great conquest over the stronghold of the Philistines, which was a God-ordained and given, bona-fide miracle.

In the meantime Saul makes an oath, a declaration if you will, that anyone who eats anything before "his" enemies were avenged will be accursed. This was a horrendous thing to do, since his army (especially those who were with Jonathan) had fought the good fight so valiantly, and they needed to at LEAST "eat". Hello!

Now in the meantime, Jonathan had been out fighting, and did not hear the oath, and after his conquest, he of course, ate some honey. And it immediately strengthened him. However, he is not aware of the pure devilment awaiting for him later, when he rejoins his father Saul.

So Jonathan joins his father Saul, and Saul basically says that yes, Jonathan must die, because he ate the honey.

However, neither the army nor the people allowed it. They, in essence, saved Jonathan's life, rescuing Jonathan from his own father. They also knew that it was Jonathan who had had the victory at the garrison of the Philistines, and not Saul.

The bottom line is, that Saul's own heart is revealed in all of this.

"Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan told him, and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand, and, lo, I must die. And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan. And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not." ~I Samuel 14:43-45

What was the bottom line in all of this?

Saul was jealous of his own son.

Enough to kill him.

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 15:

The root of Saul's evil.
(AKA It's all about me me me.)

Now God gives Saul a specific command, through Samuel, to bring judgment on the Amalekites, smiting from first to last, sparing not one.

Yet, one mo' time, Saul does his "own thing". He disregards what God commanded him to do. In doing so, he not only blatantly disregarded and dismissed God's command, but demonstrated an absolute disregard of the "fear of the Lord", and then "lied" about it all to Samuel, who confronted him, saying this:

"And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king." ~I Samuel 15:22-23

Now Saul says in essence, ok i have sinned, and i have given the cursory and meaningless "sorry" almost flippantly and dismissively, and ok, i have been rejected by God as king over Israel, but let's just keep it to ourselves, ok Samuel? Cuz after all, it's not about GOD, it's about me me me. Are you with me on this Samuel? C'mon you gotta make me look GOOD in front of the people, mon.

Narcissist much?

"And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel." ~I Samuel 15:24-26

Here's Samuel's "blind eye" showing itself towards Saul, as he does as Saul requested, even as any "worship" from Saul towards God is insulting and a farce:

"Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD." ~I Samuel 15:30-31

In addition, Samuel, is forced to finish the job that Saul, in his disobedience, didn't:

"Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal." ~I Samuel 15:32-33

The problem, bottom line:

Rebellion: Self Worship.

Key symptoms of satanic influence:
-Lack of reverence/no fear of God.
-Lack of humility/arrogance/pompousness.
-Rebellion/willfulness-not bowing down to God's will.

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. " ~I Samuel 15:23

"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." ~Pro 29:1

 

[brinny]

I Samuel 16:

Samuel's Achille's Heel.
AKA Samuel's blind spot(s).

Now Samuel is mourning that Saul has been rejected by God as king, NOT mourning over Saul's blatant and downright evil and his sinning blatantly in God's face and then lying about it, or even that Saul was going to kill his own son, Jonathan. Or even that he knew the evil treachery of Saul as he had stated in his very own words, to God, that Saul would kill him, in a heartbeat. The question is, WHY would he WANT Saul to be king? Why would he "mourn" that Saul is no longer king? He KNEW how utterly wicked and evil Saul's heart was to its very core, and how murderous he was and that he did not have any regard for God, and that he was the epitome of deception and a stone-cold liar. And he WANTS him to be KING???!!! THIS is the stickler in SAMUEL'S own heart, his stumbling block.

Right here, Samuel's loyalty was split between God and Saul, the same way he put his sons before God, before Saul came into the picture. In addition, he was putting Saul above God AND the people of Israel. If it was HIS choice, he would've NEVER removed Saul as king. His "attachment" to Saul was his "blind spot", his "Achille's heel" if you will. And not only towards Saul, but his sons as well, who were utterly wicked and who he continued turning a "blind eye" to.

"And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD." ~I Samuel 16:1-2

In the meantime, God sends Samuel to Jesse to anoint God's chosen one to be king, and that chosen one is David.

Here's the bottom line. God does not look on the outer appearance, but on the "heart".

The bottom line for Samuel?

Samuel looked on the outer appearance, amongst other things.

Samuel "obeyed" God, yet he turned a "blind eye" to those who didn't.

This was Samuel's "blind spot", his "Achilles heel".