Category Archives: Pastor Scott

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on May 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 16: At that very moment the Spirit of God left Saul.
Grace at work here
Over in Bethlehem a secret meeting between Samuel and David is taking place. With his brothers as witnesses, David is anointed king of Israel. This young man is God’s pick to replace Saul. Of course, Saul is unaware of all this. If he knew…well, David wouldn’t survive the day. However, in a strange way Saul knows something has happened. A spiritual light in his life is gone. In its place is a darkness that frightens him. It’s been some time since Saul’s failure with the Amalekites. It was back then that God rejected Saul as king of Israel. The interesting thing is that, according to this scripture, God’s Spirit has remained with Saul, even though God is in the process of replacing him. I can’t help but wonder why that is. Here are my two possible answers, and it really isn’t an “either/or” proposition. First, it might be that, in spite of the absolute language about Saul that the Lord’s willing to give him time and help to turn it around. The scripture tells us that Samuel grieves Saul’s failure. I can’t help but think that God does too. Maybe the Spirit of God has continued to tug at his heart even when it is almost certain that it’s too late. Second, it could be that God has continued to bless Saul for the sake of Israel. Failure or not, Saul has the power and authority in Israel. His days are numbered but as long as he remains in office God will help him — not for his sake, but for the sake of Israel. I’ve heard stories of ministers who had some secret, devastating sin going on. When it was made public people were amazed because of the power of their ministry with many lives being changed. Maybe we have a similar situation with Saul. God continues to bless his leadership and even provide personal strength for his own purposes. The sun’s setting and a new leader will take his place, but for now the Spirit of God remains with Saul. I like both scenarios. I like the idea that God gave Saul a “second chance” and I also like the idea that God took care of his people even through such an imperfect leader as is Saul. In either (or both) case(s), I see the grace of God at work.
Take Away: God is the God of Second Chances; also, the Lord cares for his people even through imperfect leaders.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , ,

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on May 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 16: God judges persons differently than humans do…God looks into the heart.
Would you like to super-size that order? No thanks.
Saul’s failure weighs on Samuel. However, the Lord says it’s time to get on with selecting Saul’s successor. This is potentially dangerous because Saul’s still in power and certainly doesn’t want Samuel anointing someone else as king. Still, Samuel obeys the Lord and heads out to the town of Bethlehem to find God’s choice for second king of Israel. There he finds the young man he’s sure is the right one. It’s Eliab, son of Jesse. Tall and good-looking, in fact, you might say “regal” in appearance. But Samuel is mistaken. God reminds him that this isn’t a beauty contest and that God’s more interested in what is in the heart than he is in outward appearance. Eliab might be a fine fellow but he isn’t to be the next king of Israel. The search continues as Jessie brings one son after another before the revered man of God. Finally, all but one son has been interviewed. Young David is all that’s left. When Saul was chosen we were told that he stood a head and shoulders above the other men. Now, as David is picked, he’s called the “runt” of the family. Thus we gain an insight into how God works. He uses big, nice looking people, but he also uses those that others tend to overlook. Why? It’s because God looks on the heart. I pray that the Lord will find in me a person he can use for his purposes.
Take Away: Since the Lord looks on the heart, let’s do all we can to keep our hearts right with the Lord.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , ,

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on May 7, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 15: Do you think all God wants are sacrifices — empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him!
Listening, obedience, relationship
Saul’s a failure in the eyes of God. His large army and military victories don’t impress the Lord. Now Saul blames the soldiers; something that doesn’t wash with the Almighty. Then, he says he’s going to sacrifice the animals in a worship service. Pitiful! Samuel has a word from the Lord for Saul. God isn’t interested in how many sacrifices Saul might make. Instead, he’s interested in obedience. Saul said “no” to God, now God’s saying “no” to him. Saul will continue in power for some time to come, but, in reality, his leadership has come to a whimpering end. Oswald Chambers says that the greatest hindrance to our relationship to the Lord is the service we do for him. “Look at all I’m doing for God” we declare, “Surely he can’t ask more of me than that.” He can and he does. Listening, obedience, and relationship: these things define God’s intentions for me. The Lord doesn’t put out a call for volunteer martyrs. He simply calls us to hear and obey. If that means sacrifice, fine. Otherwise, I listen to his voice and live my life in a relationship with him.
Take Away: We’re called to a daily, genuine relationship with the Lord – that’s what satisfies both us and him.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , , ,

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on May 6, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 15: Then God spoke to Samuel: “I’m sorry I ever made Saul king. He’s turned his back on me. He refuses to do what I tell him.”
Future knowledge
God has given Saul explicit orders. He’s to attack Amalek and utterly destroy all life. Saul leads his army into the battle and follows God’s command. Well, not quite. Agag, king of Amalek, is captured rather than killed. Also, some of the choice animals are brought back alive. Now, I’m troubled by all this killing and I’ve written about it before so I’m going to move on to another important feature of this passage. God says he’s “sorry” he made Saul king in the first place. Some say that this is just God speaking in human terms, that he isn’t “sorry” in the sense that he regrets having made Saul king. The reason that they believe this is because taking this statement at face value doesn’t fit their theology. They see time as somehow pre-existent and that God can see into the future. “God knows everything,” they say, “so he has to know the future.” I think that such logic contains a fatal error: that the future already exists as something to be known. If time is a “thing” then, no doubt, God knows all about it. But if time is simply a measure of the flow of events, and if human beings really have free will, then God don’t know the future. Before you drag me out to be stoned, let me add two things. First, God knows what he’s going to do. Throughout the Bible he says, “If you do this, I will do that — if you do that I will do this.” God knows, because he’s going to act, not because he’s looked into the future and seen what he’s going to do but, instead, because he’s God Almighty and if says he’s going to do something that thing is absolutely certain to happen. Second, God could know the exact future if he wanted to. I am not saying that he somehow “limits his vision.” Rather, that if God wanted to force events to flow in a specific way he has the power to do so. However, doing that in the lives of individuals would violate the free will he granted human beings. If you’re still with me, let me conclude by adding that God had every reason to believe Saul would be a terrific leader of Israel and to be disappointed when he isn’t. In fact, that’s what God believed would (or at least “could”) happen. Saul’s failure disappointed the Almighty but it didn’t ruin his plan. The Lord goes about replacing Saul with another king, giving Israel a second chance.
Take Away: The Lord may not pre-ordain what I’m going to do, but he can handle whatever I do.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , ,

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on May 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 14: Wherever he turned, he came up with a victory. He became invincible!
Thinking about leadership
Saul is a terrific military leader: brave, capable, and resourceful. My first instinct upon reading Samuel’s pronouncement of God’s rejection of Saul as king is to think that everything’s going to fall apart for him. It simply doesn’t happen. Saul builds a great army, extends his rule by taking more territory, and keeps the hated Philistines on the defense. For decades he successfully leads Israel. Whether I like it or not, sometimes godless people are very capable people. For instance, all it takes is watching the innovative, yet profane commercials during a Super Bowl to see that some of the brightest, most outstanding people in advertising are those who have anything but Christian values. So, as I read his story, I see that at on at least the public level, Saul has it all together. It’s at the private level that things are, indeed, falling apart. Without doubt, living for the Lord is the best way to live. Still, being a follower of Jesus doesn’t make one smarter or more capable. That ought to at least humble me and make me more dependent on the Lord. It may also make me think twice when I’m picking a professional to help me with my business or getting ready to pull the lever to vote in an important election.
Take Away: Some of the smartest, most capable people we know aren’t Christians – at least, not yet.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , ,

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on May 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 14: Saul did something really foolish that day.
Being spiritual about things
It’s war. Saul’s army is in battle with the hated Philistines. Saul’s son Jonathan leads the way. Single handedly he’s killed about 20 of the enemy. God’s working here, bringing confusion to the enemy army. In addition to the damage Saul’s army is doing them they seem to be at war with one another. It’s now that Saul does a “really foolish” thing. He commands his army to fast while they fight. His men are in hand-to-hand combat all day but eat nothing. When the battle ends at the end of the day they’re so hungry that they’re eating raw meat, meat with the blood still in it, which is contrary to God’s Law. The writer tells us that it’s all Saul’s fault. He’s in charge and they depend on his leadership. He’s let them down by adding to their burden in an attempt to make their effort seem “more spiritual.” It’s important that leaders be spiritually sensitive. We’re not to dress things up to make them seem more spiritual than they already are, but at the same time, we’re to take the lead in recognizing God’s work in even supposed “non-spiritual” efforts. Saul overplays his hand here and the result is near disaster. I pray that God will help me to be sensitive to spiritual things and to be a leader who “is” spiritually minded rather than a person who is foolishly, like Saul, merely “acting” spiritually minded.
Take Away: Spiritual leaders don’t play the role of someone who is spiritually minded; rather, they ARE spiritually minded.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , ,

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on May 3, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 13: God is out looking for your replacement right now.
The bigger they come…
On the surface, Saul’s failure seems minor. All he’s doing is offering his own sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel to do it for him. Beneath that, though, is a fault line that means catastrophe. Any king of Israel must rule only as a servant of God. Things are to be done God’s way. From the beginning of Saul’s story his position has been clearly defined. Samuel is the man chosen by God to provide spiritual leadership and that includes making ritual sacrifices. Saul has crossed that line, claiming authority that’s not his. Because of that God is rejecting him as king. Since he doesn’t accept God’s way of doing things another king will be found. I need to remember here that Saul isn’t making a mistake in this incident. Rather, he’s acting with full knowledge of what he’s doing. Simply put, he’s pushing God’s will to the side and taking what he thinks is a better course of action. While it’s true that God is testing him with the circumstance of Samuel’s late arrival it’s also true that he miserably fails the test. The Lord seeks another king because Saul, by his own decision, makes himself unworthy to be king. As I apply this to my life, I see that I must never forget that he is Lord. I’m not free to do whatever I want to do. While I know God is gracious and merciful, I also know that, in my own free will, I can push God too far. It doesn’t have to be that way, but I know that it remains a tragic possibility.
Take Away: If I’m to be God’s man I have to do things God’s way. He’ll have it no other way.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , , , ,

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on May 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 13: So I took things into my own hands.
Hurry up, Lord!
As we leave Samuel’s sermon in chapter 12 and move to chapter 13 there’s a leap of several years. In fact, the first words of the next chapter tell us that Saul has now reigned for many years. Apparently, he’s doing a good job. For decades there have been no stories of failure. Life continues, securely and peacefully. Also, we see that Samuel is doing what he said he would do and is faithfully praying for them and providing spiritual guidance. Saul handles the day to day running of the country and Samuel’s the spiritual leader. Then historic things begin to happen. Saul’s son, Jonathan, attacks the Philistines at Gibeah and there’s war. Outnumbered, Saul’s army flees and things are unraveling for Israel. The call goes out to Samuel to come and offer a sacrifice. God’s help is needed here! As Saul waits on Samuel his men are deserting, slipping away one after another. Finally, Saul decides he can wait no longer. Crossing the line that has existed between his authority and Samuel’s he offers his own sacrifice. Of course, it’s all a test. Will Saul follow God’s plan for how Israel is to function or will he abandon God’s approach when it seems necessary? His failure’s obvious. I can be pretty hard on Saul if I want to. God has been with him, always on his side, now he’s messed up (royally!). The trouble is that I have to admit that I can identify with Saul here. How good am I at waiting for God to move when I’m under pressure? Do I tend to take matters into my own hands? This is a spectacular failure for Saul. Is it anything less when I fail in the same way?
Take Away: Waiting for God to move may be our greatest test of faith.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , ,

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on May 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 12: And neither will I walk off and leave you. That would be a sin against God! I’m staying right here at my post….
Reflecting God
Samuel’s an old man but he has plenty of life left. If these people had trusted God with the future Samuel would have kept them on the right track for years to come. Then, at the right time, the Lord would have raised up another national and spiritual leader to guide them even as he gave them Samuel. It isn’t going to be that way though. They insisted on having a king and God has given them one. Still, there’s evidence of God’s grace here. The Lord won’t forsake them. If they and their king cooperate things will be just fine. Now, Samuel adds a personal note. Even as God promises to remain faithful, so does he. Really, Samuel can do nothing else. As God’s man his actions must reflect God’s character. It would be unthinkable for him to say, “I represent God, and God is going to stand by you; but as for me, I’m out of here!” People who represent God, those who claim to be his people, reflect God in all their lives. Samuel could have gotten his feelings hurt and just “handed them over to God” but he doesn’t do that. As a man of God I must allow my life to reflect his character even when people treat me unfairly or misunderstand me or hurt my feelings. It’s simply a part of being a man of God.
Take Away: The people of God reflect him in all they do and say – on both good days and bad.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , ,

Devotional on 1 Samuel

Posted on April 30, 2012 by | Leave a comment

1 Samuel 12: God, simply because of who he is, is not going to walk off and leave his people.
The big bang!
Talk about “multi-media!” As Samuel brings his farewell sermon, he tells them how displeased the Lord is with them over their insistence on having a king. Then, to illustrate that displeasure, Samuel prays up a thunderstorm! Now, that’s an “attention-getter!” The storm scares them to repentance and they plead with Samuel to pray for them. He promises his prayers and also assures them that God can work through the king arrangement. It may not be God’s first choice, but he can handle it as long as king and people cooperate with him. And, even though the Lord’s disappointed in their poor choices, he isn’t giving up on them. How does Samuel know this? He knows it because his knows God. “Because of who he is, he will be faithful to you.” Wow! What a relief! It’s great to know that my relationship with God isn’t performance- based. That doesn’t give me license to ignore God and do my own thing, but it does encourage me today. Even when I’m functioning at peak capacity I tend to mess up. I’m glad for this reminder that God doesn’t walk out on people who make poor decisions.
Take Away: The Lord can work through even our poor decisions if we walk humbly with him.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Pastor Scott

Tagged , , , ,