BIBLE READING FOR 2DAY Wednesday 12/11/14 1 Samuel 13 New Living Translation (NLT) 1 Samuel 13 Continued War with Philistia 1 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years. 2 Saul selected 3,000 special troops from the army of Israel and sent the rest of the men home. He took 2,000 of the chosen men with him to Micmash and the hill country of Bethel. The other 1,000 went with Sauls son Jonathan to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. 3 Soon after this, Jonathan attacked and defeated the garrison of Philistines at Geba. The news spread quickly among the Philistines. So Saul blew the rams horn throughout the land, saying, Hebrews, hear this! Rise up in revolt! 4 All Israel heard the news that Saul had destroyed the Philistine garrison at Geba and that the Philistines now hated the Israelites more than ever. So the entire Israelite army was summoned to join Saul at Gilgal. 5 The Philistines mustered a mighty army of 3,000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and as many warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore! They camped at Micmash east of Beth-aven. 6 The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. 7 Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Sauls Disobedience and Samuels Rebuke Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. 8 Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didnt come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. 9 So he demanded, Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings! And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. 10 Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, 11 but Samuel said, What is this you have done? Saul replied, I saw my men scattering from me, and you didnt arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. 12 So I said, The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I havent even asked for the Lords help! So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came. 13 How foolish! Samuel exclaimed. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lords command. Israels Military Disadvantage 15 Samuel then left Gilgal and went on his way, but the rest of the troops went with Saul to meet the army. They went up from Gilgal to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. When Saul counted the men who were still with him, he found only 600 were left! 16 Saul and Jonathan and the troops with them were staying at Geba in the land of Benjamin. The Philistines set up their camp at Micmash. 17 Three raiding parties soon left the camp of the Philistines. One went north toward Ophrah in the land of Shual, 18 another went west to Beth-horon, and the third moved toward the border above the valley of Zeboim near the wilderness. 19 There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldnt allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews. 20 So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith. 21 (The charges were as follows: a quarter of an ounce of silver for sharpening a plowshare or a pick, and an eighth of an ounce for sharpening an ax, a sickle, or an ox goad.) 22 So on the day of the battle none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan. 23 The pass at Micmash had meanwhile been secured by a contingent of the Philistine army. LESSONS FOR 2DAY: Vs 3, 4: Jonathan attacked and destroyed the philistine outpost, but Saul took all the credit for it. Although this was normal in that culture, it didnt make his action right. Sauls growing pride started out small - taking credit for a battle that was won by his son. Left unchecked, his pide grew into an ugly obsession; thus, it destroyed him, tore his family apart, and threatened the well-being of the nation. Taking credit for the accomplishment of others indicates that pride is controlling your life. When you notice pride taking a foothold, take immediate steps to put it in check by giving credit to those who deserve it. Vs 6: When we forget who is on our side or see only our own resources, we tend to panic at the sight of the opposition. The Israelites became terrified and hid when they saw the mighty Philistine army. They forgot that God was on their side and that He couldnt be defeated. As you face problems and temptations, focus your attention on God and His resources, trusting Him to help you (Romans 8:31-37). Vs 9: Under pressure from the approaching Philistines, Saul took matters into his own hands, going against Gods laws (Deut 12:5-14) and Samuels specific instructions (1 Sam 10:8). He was doing a good thing (offering sacrifice to God), but he did it in the wrong way. Like Saul, our true spiritual character is revealed under pressure. The methods we use to accomplish our goals are as important as the attainment of those goals - THE END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS. These Lies Must Stop! This is the word of the LORD. We will succeed in Jesus’ name. Friends of God Fellowship: A full gospel church. Our vision is Restoring the ancient landmarks: Lifting up a standard: Raising kingdom builders. We believe the church has a major role in the restoration of Nigeria, and sponsored TheseLiesMustStop to uproot the lies and misconceptions being perpetuated in the present day church by boldly standing for the truth. We are located at 258 Ikorodu Road, Obanikoro Lagos. We meet 9am on Sundays. Please check the Facebook Page of TheseLiesMustStop for messages on the transformation of the church for the healing of Nigeria. Shalom
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 06:16:43 +0000