PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: 1 Samuel 15-16
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“The Lord regretted that he had made Saul king.” (1 Samuel 15:35)
These words seem odd to me – does God have regrets (‘nacham’)?
Apparently not, for in v.29 it says that God does not ‘nacham’.
“God is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” (1 Samuel 15:29)
These are the same words; so does God regret/change his mind or not?
As I see it, God is not human like us.
But the OT authors saw God through a limited human perspective.
As Paul says, they saw shadows; the reality is Jesus (Colossians 2:17).
God is not human, but God does become a human in Jesus.
In Jesus we see the clearest, the best revelation of God.
We see a God that cares, that suffers, that shows mercy.
I struggle with some of the ways God is described in the OT.
“Totally destroy” (15:3) sounds more human than God-like.
It helps me to remember that they saw things dimly, in shadows.
I choose to hold these OT stories loosely, and to hold Jesus firmly!
PRAYER
Lord, thank you that you do not totally destroy, but that you totally suffer, die, show mercy and forgive.
“to sacrifice to the Lord your God,…To obey is better than sacrifice,…or rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry” We on our own can get in the way! Our will stands in the way of following God’s will – whatever excuses we use – like King Saul trying to save some animals to sacrifice – and not to God but specifically says Samuel’s God. Saul knew better – he had experienced God’s presence – so his fear of what others would say or do should not have compromised him. I know I’ve been guilty of the same – not trusting enough. O Lord forgive my weakness – help me find strength in you to trust you more fully each day – especially when things seem to go against my willfulness!
What do I really see?
We look at the appearance of people for that is what we first see. However, our appearance does not define us. Our hearts do. We are know by what we do, our actions for they speak louder than words. God sees our hearts and desires that we/I serve Him. My excuses of not following His Word are self serving. I need to stay true to His Word at all times. His way is first, not my way. All for Jesus.
1 All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my being’s ransomed pow’rs,
all my thoughts and words and doings,
all my days and all my hours.
2 Let my hands perform his bidding,
let my feet run in his ways;
let my eyes see Jesus only,
let my lips speak forth his praise.
3 Worldlings prize their gems of beauty,
cling to gilded toys of dust,
boast of wealth and fame and pleasure;
only Jesus will I trust.
4 Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside;
so enchained my spirit’s vision,
looking at the Crucified.
5 O what wonder! How amazing!
Jesus, glorious King of kings,
deigns to call me his beloved,
lets me rest beneath his wings.