Giving Honor and Respect To Authorities

# 116 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 9:22-24, “Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, 'Set it apart.'" 24 So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, "Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people." So Saul ate with Samuel that day. (1 Sam 9:22-24) Saul is given the highest place of prominence at this feast. The meal is quite ordinary except for one thing. The cook brings out the choicest cut of meat and puts it on Saul's plate. Saul gets the thigh and the shoulder. This portion of meat was usually reserved for the priest and his family as it says in Le 10:14 "The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your daughters with you; for they are your due and your sons' due, which are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel. This giving of this portion to Saul, who represents government, from Samuel, who represents Christ serves as a reminder to all of the two kingdoms. The kingdom of God, represented by Samuel, and the temporal kingdom of God-ordained authority represented by Saul. In this act of Samuel, God gives honor to authority in the eyes of men, and demands that we respect and honor the authorities He has placed over us, remembering that Saul would have no such honor, (no thigh, no shoulder) unless it was given to Him by Samuel. The authority of government is subservient to the authority of God and flows from Him. It is why Peter told the council in Acts 4:19, that they must obey God rather than men, and it's why Jesus said to Pilate in Joh 19:11"You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.” Honor and respect authority, it is the will of God.