The Blood of Abel Cries Out

# 225 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:33 “But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. (1 Sam 15:33) This is an example of justice being rendered. As the sword of Agag made women childless, so now his mother was being made childless by the sword. But let's not get caught up in the method of the sentence carried out against Agag, but rather let us consider the obvious. To say that God does not take kindly to the killing of children and the spilling of INNOCENT blood would be an understatement. We learn of His disdain for the slaughter of innocents early on in the book of Genesis when Cain slew his brother Abel: Ge 4:10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. Later in De 12:31, He warns the people against the practice of child sacrifice, calling it an abomination, "You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.” And in Pr 6:16 we read, “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. Many in the church are tired of hearing about the issue of abortion and have put it on the back burner. I caution against this since it made the list of things that God hates! We must talk about it! God has not changed His mind about the sanctity of life. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He hates the killing of innocents! We must all confess this national sin, begging God's mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. The blood of over 55 million unborn child cries out to the Lord for vengeance, how much longer will He wait before He brings judgment to the land?

This Is Not Some Superficially Sanitized Book

# 224 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD. 32 Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me." So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." 33 But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. (1 Sam 15:31-33) This is one of those times when you almost want to give a warning about the content of the material being read because of the graphic nature of the material, but this IS the Word of God and the Holy Spirit has included it here for a reason. One thing about the Bible, it tells it like it is, even when it's not very pretty. This is not some superficially sanitized book. It contains accounts of messy people in a messy world that need to be sanitized by the redemptive work of Christ. So, what's going on here? First Samuel tells Saul he won't return with him (v26) and now he does indeed return with him. Samuel has pronounced an irrevocable judgment against Saul. The kingdom will be stripped away from him, but it has not been stripped away yet, the new king David) has not been anointed. So Samuel returns with Saul for the sake of order and for the sake of the people. Saul is still their king. But Samuel also has some unfinished business to take care of with King Agag. Since Saul failed to do his duty in this regard Samuel would now take care of it. King Agag is not happy to see Samuel and he approaches him as if walking on eggs, and says in effect, “Hey Samuel, let's let bygones be bygones.”. But Samuel says, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." and he hacked Agag to pieces. This seems unnecessarily brutal to you and I, but it was done for effect, that you and I might know the horrific judgment of hell that awaits any and all unrepentant sinners. Samuel is a type of Christ and when Jesus returns He will deal with the unrepentant, casting their souls to hell, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth forever! Friend, this is a reality that we need to grasp in order to give us a sense of urgency, as we seek to be fishers of men. With this gruesome scripture ringing in my ears, I can't help but think about the abortionist here. Those who today, engage in making women childless by the sword. I have no idea of what their final judgment will be, but the picture of Agag given to us here is very frightening. Pray for those involved in the killing industry of abortion. Pray also for those who have rejected Christ, for unless they repent, their end is as gruesome as Agag's. And above all, never forget beloved, if you have participated in this act, there is no sin, that Jesus did not pay for on Calvary and He promises forgiveness and eternal life to all who come to Him with a contrite heart. Come to Jesus. He forgives and heals.

Do I Seek To Please Men?

# 223 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:30 Then he said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God." (1 Sam 15:30) Saul's use of the word “yet” makes his confession of sin ring hollow. He was not so much concerned with God's honor as he was with his own. Oh that we would love God so much that all our actions and words would be aimed at receiving the praises of God, rather than the praises of men. Listen to the words of Jesus in Joh 5:44 "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? And in Joh 12:43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. I confess that I love hearing the praises of men. I think we all have a part in us that yearns for recognition and affirmation from our fellow human beings. The problem, according to these verses is when we get so enamored with seeking our own honor we neglect to seek the honor that comes from God. Or when we love the praise of men, more than the praise of God. There ought to be a yearning in our heart to hear the words of Mt 25:21 "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' It's not that our stewardship of God's grace earns our salvation, it's just a simple matter of demonstrating our love toward God in grateful appreciation for what He has done for us. Therefore we seek to honor Him by the way we speak and live. The problem we often run into is that which pleases God does not please our fellow man. The Apostle Paul ran into this problem as he sought to preach the gospel. His message was not always well received, but he said in Ga 1:10, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Father, help us to seek to be God-pleasers, rather than man-pleasers.

God's Word Is Certain

# 222 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent." ( 1 Sam 15:27-29) Saul in a final act of desperation seeks to keep Samuel by his side by grabbing his robe, but the robe rips. Samuel uses the ripping of his robe as an object lesson for Saul. Today was the last straw for Saul, and his kingship has been torn away from him and given to another. Saul of course would continue as king for a while, but God was telling him that the day was coming just as sure as He is the Strength of Israel. Nothing could stop it. His decision was final, irrevocable. The Strength of Israel is an interesting term, and commentators have come up with all sorts of definitions. It comes from a Hebrew word for glitter, and thus many define this Strength as Glory. Zodhiates defines it as a goal, splendor, glory. I like to think of it as a constant bright light in the distance which one shoots for as a destination. The goal, the glory doesn't move, it remains firm constant, like a navigational star. Just as the truth of God's Word is constant and helps us navigate through life. Never forget this truth speaking strength of God. It is vital to your hope! Listen to what the Scriptures say: Nu 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Eze 24:14 I, the LORD, have spoken it; It shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not hold back, Nor will I spare, Nor will I relent; Tit 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, God's Word is certain, and through trust in His Word, which speaks of salvation through faith in Jesus, you can be certain of a bodily resurrection and eternal life.

The Nicey Nicey Road To Hell

# 221 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 "Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD." 26 But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel." At first glance, Saul's confession of sin seems more than adequate, but is it? Notice how he blames the people for his actions. True confession, doesn't seek arguments to justify our sins. When David was confronted by Nathan with his sin concerning Bathsheeba, he didn't use excuses. He simply said, ”I have sinned against the Lord.” Saul then asks Samuel to return with him. This is the equivalent of saying, “let the people see that you are still hanging out with me, that way I will still look good in the eyes of the people.” But Samuel says, “I will not hang out with you! I will not give the impression that all is well, when it isn't.” The Lord has rejected you because you reject His Word!” This episode in Samuel serves as a reminder to the church today, to practice proper church discipline with those who reject God's Word. We are not to let unrepentant sinners hang out in the congregation. It sends the message that all is well when it really isn't, and if you truly love that person, then you will seek to confront them using the principles found in Mt 18, praying for their restoration and reconciliation. This is a painful process to be sure, but a responsibility that Jesus has given to His church. He said in Joh 20:23 "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Samuel was informing Saul, that his sins were being retained, because he lacked true repentance. The question is, do we have enough love for the Body of Christ and our erring brother to do the same? Or will we continue down the road of nicey nicey that leads uncorrected sinners to hell?

Peer Pressure

# 220 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:24 “Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” (1 Sam 15:24) Saul has just been informed that God is stripping him of his kingship and in desperation he makes a confession of his sin. He agrees that he did not follow God's orders to utterly destroy the Amalekites. But his confession seems a little tainted as he tries to divert the blame to the people. We are often guilty of the same thing aren't we? We fear what others may think of us and join in with their sin rather than obey the voice of God. We fail to take a stand in the face of injustice. We fail to confront sin in our midst, because people may think we are prudish or intolerant. Our silence in these matters puts our stamp of approval on them. And as we read in Ro 1:32, “who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” The Bible has much to say about this matter of what we call “peer pressure.” Ex 23:2 "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; Pr 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe. Isa 51:12 "I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? Saul's problem, and often ours, is misplaced fear. We fear man more than we fear God. Jesus sought to set us straight in this matter in Lu 12:5 "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

Panting After God's Word

# 219 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." Samuel has named the sins of Saul. Rebellion, that desire to be your own authority, to pick and choose what you will believe and obey. Rebellion that is likened to witchcraft, a capital offense. Stubbornness, that persistent refusal to obey God, which is like iniquity, (panting after sin) and idolatry (panting after other gods) Now Samuel spells out the justice associated with his crime. Because Saul rejected the word of the Lord, God has rejected Saul as king. The word rejected means to melt, to run out as candle wax or lava. Because Saul ran out on God's Word, God would now run out on Saul. What a scary thought. Yet one we should pay very close attention to. 2Ti 2:12 says, “If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” To reign with Christ is to be a God-appointed king, but if we deny Him, He will deny us on that Last Day, and our kingship will be revoked. This incident with Saul is akin to what Jesus said in Mr 8:38, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Ashamed of what? Jesus and His Words. How we approach the Word of God really matters. Joh 12:48 says, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. Saul had a cafeteria style of Christianity. Stubbornly picking and choosing what he chose to believe and obey and it cost him his kingship. Isn't it time you and I got serious about God's Word? Isn't it time we earnestly asked God the Holy Spirit to rise up in us so that we would pant after God and His Word, rather than sin and idols?