1 Samuel 12:1-13:23, John 7:1-30, Psalm 108:1-13, Proverbs 15:4
Today is the 12th day of May, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian, it is fantastic to be here with you around the Global Campfire today, come on in and find a place, it’s cozy here, we’re altogether ready to take the next step forward and excited to do it. Our next step forward will lead us back into the book of First Samuel. And we have just met Saul and we have seen a bit of Saul’s story and we have come to the coronation of Saul, and we found that when he was chosen to be King, he was hiding. He has become king and we’ve seen him lead Israel into a battle and be victorious, freeing a city called Jabesh Gilead, and this really solidifies his leadership. The people sort of coalesce around Saul after this. But we will see that Saul has, has the fear of man. He has a strong sense of inferiority, and it leads him and all kinds of erratic ways, and that will happen over the next few days, but we’re here now. Saul has just become king, let’s dive in, First Samuel 12 and 13 today.
Commentary:
Okay, let’s go back alongside Saul and Samuel and the children of Israel in the book of First Samuel. Saul is Israel’s king at this point, we saw his coronation, we saw him hide from is coronation, we saw the beginning glimpses that Saul was more worried about how he looked and what people were thinking about him than anything else. Now when that’s dominant then that’s going to inform the way that we look at the world and the things that we decide, and those things are going to be colored. And in today’s reading, we you that surface again, only it’s a big deal in today’s reading. So, Israel has the king, that they wanted. And Samuel has gone before the king, clearing his accounts saying, look I’m old and speak to me now, if I’ve done anything wrong to anybody speak to me now. And they all say, you’ve never done anything. And so, Samuel confronts the people saying you wanted this king, this is not the way that it was supposed to go. But if you obey God, if you obey the Lord and His commandments, things will be fine. And so, some time goes by, Saul’s son Jonathan, so, the Prince of Israel stirs up some conflict with the Philistines. The Philistines bring their whole army to come and just crush Israel. Israel has mustered its army and they are waiting for Samuel to come, so that they might obey the Lord’s instructions. And Samuels not coming. And they are outnumbered and they’re waiting a week, and the people who have come to be the Army begin to peel away, go home. People begin to abandon Saul, they’re leaving his army, is leaving him. This looks bad, not only for the situation but upon Saul. And so, he makes a decisive leadership decision in front of his people, so that they can see this, it’s just that he is disobeying the command of the Lord by doing this. And he offers sacrifices to the Lord and then Samuel shows up. So, Saul is watching what it looks like, he’s feeling the inferiority of leadership here, and he’s looking at the circumstances, and rather than trusting and obeying God, he takes matters into his own hands and that is a mirror, that is our stories at different times and seasons of our lives. Where we’re waiting for the Lord, where we’re being obedient to the Lord, but we see the circumstances mounting against us as if there were a horde of an army down below going to come swoop in upon us and we take matters into our own hands, for whatever reason. But so often those reasons look like what it’s gonna make us look like. So, Samuel shows up and says what have you done? And Saul’s like, I saw everybody leaving and they were departing from me and abandoning me, and you didn’t come when you said. And the Philistines are ready for battle and their whole armies there. And so, I thought we should probably ask for the Lord’s help. So, I thought I should just go ahead and do this and it’s just like all of the excuses that, that anybody does in this kind of situation. But Samuels like man what you did, it was a really big, big leadership mistake. You knew to obey the commandments of the Lord, you knew not to do this, and you did it willingly anyway, because your eyes are on the circumstances and your eyes are on how you look at what your image is and watching the people leave. And so, this is the end of of it all. Had you obeyed, your kingdom would’ve lasted and gone on and on and on, but as it is, your kingdom will not endure, God has selected someone else, who will be loyal and faithful to Him. And of course, most of us know that we’re talking about King David here, who will ascend to the throne after Saul. But so often, we just think that happens really rather quickly. Saul is just a weak king, he doesn’t last that long. But as we learned, Saul reigns for 40 years. And so, this doesn’t just happen overnight, and the intertwining of Saul’s life and David’s life is…is coming, but we will see Saul’s behavior get more and more erratic in his decision-making, and his thought processes, as the days go forward.
Prayer:
Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for another day, another step to step forward together into and through the Scriptures. And we thank You for…for First Samuel and what we can learn here. We are all guilty of looking at our circumstances and looking at our image, looking at all of the things that are going on, and rather than waiting upon You and obeying You, we’ve taken matters into our own hands, to our own peril, many times. So, we get what’s going on here. And as we move forward through the days ahead and watch, kind of the disintegration in Saul’s leadership and in his reign as king, help us to see that we’re being shown a path. Saul is following a path ruled by certain things in his life. And we get to see where that pathway goes, that we might treat it with caution and not walk the same way. Come, Holy Spirit. Let us learn what we need to learn and see what we need to see and hear what we need to hear, lead us into all truth, we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Prayer and Encouragements:
The blessings of the Lord be upon every single one of you my dear Daily Audio Bible family members. This is He Knows My Name. I called over a month ago and I cried out for prayers because I was dealing with anger issues, anger against my husband, against my, our daughters, my daughters’ biological father. And I am really grateful for all the prayers that came in and the advice, the counsel. I probable listened to each one of them twice. And I’m so glad to say that I am no longer in the place, that angry place. Not at my husband, not at my daughter’s father. My daughter’s father, he has still not reached out to her. Her 11th birthday was last weekend. Not even a happy birthday message from him. She watches his status every now and then and see’s that he’s posting so he’s alive and well. But I’m glad that it’s not affecting me and I’m trying to be there for her as much as possible. My husband is an amazing father to her. I thank God for that. But online, I’m not in that place anymore. And I thank you so much and I thank God for getting me out of there. I wish to plead, cause I know that your prayers, prayers work. And this prayer community is very powerful. I wish to bring my friend to you; her name is Eve. Her name is Yvette, but you can call her Eve. She has had 4 miscarriages and she has actually been pregnant to full term once and given birth and the baby died. They have lost two, among these miscarriages have been twins and single pregnancies. She’s in a really dark place, she’s in a really bad place. She’s a believer and she prays for me every single day. I pray for her too. Please, can you join me to pray for Yvette. Please, family.
Thank you, Father, for this day. Thank you for your love, your mercy, your grace, your goodness and your kindness. Lord, so many things happened in this world, in our lives that our little minds can’t begin to fathom. Like, it’s beyond us Father. But it’s not beyond You. And Lord, today I’m grateful that the call aired for, from Junk to Treasure. For prayer for Junk to Treasure and her son and her family. I’m glad it aired today or I’m grateful that it aired today so more of us could hear it. And Father, our hearts ache. But it’s not beyond repair. The pain is not beyond repair. Only because we trust in You. And we know that You are a good, loving, kind, all wise, all-knowing Father. Help Lord. We need Your help. Like only you can help.
This is Laura in Colorado and I just wanted to lift up our sweet sister Lisa, battling cancer. God, I just come before You this morning and I lift up Lisa and I just thank You for her and I thank You for her life and for the shining example that she has been even before this community. As she has walked and trusted You. Even in the hardest of times. And God, we just come around her again and we lift her up. We ask God, that You would be so close. That You would be a comforter in every moment. You know every day that You have marked out and appointed for our dear friend. And God, we ask that each day that it would be lived to the fullest. We ask that each day that Your Holy Spirit, would just breathe new life into her. We ask God, that every encounter that she has would just be a Devine appointment from You. And God, we just ask for wisdom as she’s trying to make decisions about many things. That You would be so close to her and that she would be continue to be this beautiful example of what it means to walk in relationship with You, God. I just ask that You just give her even small delights in her day. That she would know that she’s not missing anything. And that she is just fully seen by You. And that You have granted her this path, but she is not walking it alone. And that You are fully aware …
Hi, this is Donna from California. Father God, I and we lift up your daughter, From Junk to Treasure. Lord, she has already had so many trials and this latest one, which was the first prayer request on her behalf this morning, May 6th. It’s just heart breaking. It’s just things like this, oh, just the question why. But Lord, we know that with You, this wife and this little baby are with You. And we just lift up From Junk to Treasure and her son and all of their family who are grieving. We are grieving right along with them. But the depths of what they’re going through Lord, this season, it’s going to be a hard one. There are just no words, but we do know that You are good. And that You care for the broken hearted. Lord, I have no words, we have no words to express grief like this. Please keep Junk to Treasure’s eyes fixed on You. And just come along and be with her and her son at this most difficult time. We love you Junk to Treasure. And God loves you. God loves you.
Hello Daily Audio Bible, this is Duane from Wisconsin. All praise and glory to our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today is May 6th, and I just heard that Junk to Treasure’s daughter in law and her grandson, her daughter in law’s son, passed away in car accident. I come before You Lord, that You be with Junk To Treasure. She’s been such a blessing to us and has called in so many times to lift us up. We now ask Lord, that You would lift her up, be with her son through this time. Walk them through this valley. Give them comfort during this time. Give them peace. Give them understanding if it is Your will. Let them draw closer to You. We ask that friends and family come around them, to support them to be there and hold them up, to hold their hand, to hug them. To cry with them, to mourn. Lord, we ask, we ask for this for peace Lord, peace, understanding. We always want to ask why. So, give us peace, give them peace, Lord. And let them feel your presence with them through this time. In Jesus name we pray. Amen and God bless.
This message is for Junk to Treasure. Darling one, I come along side you in Shiva, as in Job 2:12-13. With sympathy and comfort. I sit alongside you and I will sit with you quietly. I love you. May the Lord collect every tear in a jar and comfort you in your lament. God bless you and keep you darling one. With love.