OT DAY 434 - How God Rejected Saul as King (Please click here for English podcast)

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

         Praise the Lord!
          Sing to the Lord a new song,
             his praise in the assembly of the godly!

           

                    Psalm 149:1

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (1 Samuel 13:1-22)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Samuel 13&version=ESV

       
       8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 
                                                                 1   Samuel 13: 8-14

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

My Listening

          This is one of the most strange passages in the Bible. Just one chapter before Saul was enthroned as king, confirmed by God through Samuel. Then, today's chapter God rejected Saul as king and told him that he was going to fail soon because God was no more with him. 

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

    

           Here we move almost straight from Saul's confirmation as king to his rejection as king, and as there is more than one account of his becoming king, there is more than one account of his rejection as king. The thing that really matters about Saul is that he was David's predecessor, so a focus of the account of Saul is how he lost his position as king, and the first announcement of his rejection comes right at the beginning of the account of his reign.  

          

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.66.

         Who's fault is that? Saul, Samuel or … God does no mistake. And so as God's servant Samuel. It is Saul to take the role of a priest and prophet to offer sacrifice. Just like how Uzziah king of Judah did the same thing to take the role of a priest(2 Chronicles 26). God punished him right away that he had leprosy and then died.

          May be you think that God always give people chances, second chance, third chance, fourth chance and forever chance. No, God has a bottom line. And, we never know His bottom line. That's why the whole Old Testament is to teach people to fear God. When we fear God just like we fear a decisive and stern general, then we have a better chance to win the war with that total obedience.

          Do you want God to give you confirmation to do His Kingdom work? Or, would your work being rejected by God?  

Dear Lord Jesus, 

    Help us to listen and obey to your command so that we can receive your confirmation and not rejection.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

    1. Have you got God's confirmation or rejection lately?

2. How can you avoid yourself to do the similar thing as Saul and King Uzziah to take the role not belongs to you messing up God's plan?

    3. What have you got from Jesus today?

Today's Time with Abba daily reading:

Photos of my copying the Bible today using Time with Abba passages 

Photo of today 7:30a.m. Copying Bible to pray and 8a.m. Prayer Meeting

Elise To after a healing process of seven years resume to be our organist this morning. Praise the Lord!

Praise and Thanksgiving

Let's give thanks for God with us. Let us praise Him:

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

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