Insight Into ScriptureI found Chapter 28 very interesting. I would encourage you to read it. Saul broke his own rule by visiting a medium. Mediums at the time were used to circumvent YAHWEH, so needless to say, this was against YAHWEH's rules. But, Saul felt he had no other choice, since YAHWEH was not speaking to him.
The part that I found interesting is that the medium did contact Samuel, and Samuel did talk to Saul and predicted Saul's death. My thoughts are that is proves YAHWEH has control over all; Good, bad, and the satanic, HE controls EVERYTHING!
This is a picture of Mount Gilboa. It is on the southeastern side of the Jezreel Valley. This is where King Saul committed suicide after certain death by the Philistines. (1 Samuel 31) After Jonathan and King Saul were killed, David cursed Mount Gilboa: "O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings" (2 Sam 1:21).
Scripture Reading
David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. - 1 Samuel 30:6
3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me." But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. - 1 Samuel 31:3-6
Thought for the Day
King David had a wonderful relationship with YAHWEH. Again, so much,that YAHWEH called David; "A man after GOD's own heart." While we are reading about David I am going to be pointing out some of his characteristics. In the above passage notice that David was in fear of his life, the only place that he found peace was in the LORD.
In the second passage I really felt sorry for King Saul. After all, Saul was chosen by YAHWEH to be king, he did not ask for the job, YAHWEH saw something in Saul that the Israelites would identify with.
But, Saul did have free will. YAHWEH did not force Saul to make the wrong choices and be disobedient. Saul's disobedience cost him a relationship with YAHWEH (15:26-28) and his kingship. (16:14)
I am so glad that through YAHWEH's grace we can approach YAHWEH through Christ and be forgiven for our disobedience. But, even though we are forgiven we can still live a life of disobedience and sin. Any little sin that we commit starts to build a wall between us and Christ. We must strive very hard to live a life pleasing to Him. I have lived a cursed life that started with one little sin, and I am living a Blessed life right now. Living a holy life that is pleasing to Christ is the most amazing experience you will ever feel.
Closing Prayer
Dear Jesus
Thank You Father for your love and forgiveness. Father I pray that everyday I will strive to be closer to You and to be more like You and less like me. I pray Father that I will see Your many Divine appointments and that I will slow down and not be too busy for them. Thank You Father for Your words that teach me how to be more obedient.
I love You and I pray in Your Name,
Amen.
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Bible Trivia
What did Jesus, in His first recorded miracle, change into wine?
ANSWER:
water
THOUGHTS OF WATER TO WINE:
In looking for symbolisms, this story has many. One of the first I see is, Old and New Covenant between water to wine.
The water could be seen as symbolic to a relationship with God under the Old Covenant. The wine would then be relationship to God under the New Covenant.
Three short statements OLD/NEW COVENANT - WATER/WINE
1. Wine after water, New Covenant followed the Old Covenant.
2. Wine from water, New Covenant came out of the Old Covenant.
3. Wine better than water; the New Covenant better than Old Covenant.
The 3rd statement from above can be carried one step forward. The wine from the water was better than the wine that was served at the beginning of wedding. The significance of this is that the first served was always the best. It was even noted in the scripture: John 2:10. You see the wedding party surely thought that the wine they served first was the BEST. What man considers the BEST is not and will never be better than what Christ will deliver.
Could it be that this miracle signals the fulfillment of Old Testament hope. Could it be the first act of God pointing to the promised salvation? Christ came to change, transform and reform the old. He came to do a new thing, show the way that our sinful nature could be changed.
There are so many question that one could raise from this story and discuss such as: why Jesus referred to His mother as Woman, it is interesting that the waterpots used are connected with the Jewish Law, because they were used in ceremonial purification (law to grace), the wine ran out on the third day and that Jesus glory was manifested at this time vs 11, to note only a few points. Leaving these points open for discussion, there is a wedding coming that I will be a Bride of and Christ will be the Groom and nothing will run out at this wedding and even if it did simply being with Jesus none will care. It is so neat as I set here reading things that on earth are so important and can realize the only thing that is important is my relationship with Jesus. This is also my hope for all.
IN CHRIST
Ecc.3
Donna
1
I like the symbolism between the old and the new covenant.
Sorry that we have been offline for a bit. We are finally pretty much moved in. It take alot to move your family, plus move your business and try to keep it runnning!
1 Samuel 28
Why is God silent towards Saul? Does't God answer everyone who seeks Him? Not always, not when man is not walking in His wil. King Saul had rejected and continued rejecting what God had shown to be His will. Saul wasn't obeying God in what he already knew, God will not give more to him.
At the least, Saul knew that God did not want him to hunt David and much less kill him. Yet, Saul disregarded what he knew to be God's will in this matter. If we want God to continue to guide us, we must follow what He has already instructed us to do.
In Verse 6. The Lord answered him not
and we see the three methods by which supernatural intelligence was ordinarily given:- dreams, urims and prophets.....
it is interesting to see those that Saul had consulted.
I am giving a brief defination below of each mentioned in vs. 6:
1. Dreams.-The person prayed for instruction; and begged that God would answer by a significant dream.
2. Urim.-This was a kind of oracular answer given to the high priest when clothed with the ephod, on which were the Urim and Thummim. How these communicated the answer, is not well known.
3. Prophets.-Who were requested by the party concerned to consult the Lord on the subject in question, and to report his answer. The prophets at that time could only be those in the schools of the prophets, which Samuel had established at Naioth and Gibeah. These were the only successors of Samuel that we know of.
Now, I want to share something that I always think of when I read these passages, it is not a huge revelation but it keeps me grounded. In this I see how so many call on God and when he does not ANSWER when or how they want or He keeps silent, instead of being patient, trusting and remaining faithful to Him, man so quickly returns to their former ways of the world. Like they think that the world can offer something if God isn't, the sad thing is the world will offer and alot of people will take it and give God the credit and it is credit that God does not want or need.
The world has never and never will be able to offer any answers to life. Those can only come from God. It is better to stay still and wait than to move ahead of Him,
In vs 7 Saul shows us a classic example of this, to the point of turning back to sommething he himself had bannished from the land.
Verse 7. Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit. Saul knowing that the spiritist might be afraid and refuse to use her art if she knew who he was so Saul disguised himself that he might not be known by the woman. Don't those that have known sin in their life in some way try to disquise either who they are or at least the sin that is in them. Saul's disguise worked for a short period of time but no disguise will work not even for a short period with God it only deceives the person.
If Saul would have only repented and returned to what he knew to be God's instructions God would have in His time answered Sauls prayers. This is the same for us today. Thanks to God's Son Jesus Christ and His grace and love for us.
IN CHRIST
Ecc. 3
Donna
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