Tag: saul

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Who abandoned who?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by cottonbro studio on pexels

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Samuel 28.

In the middle of a phone conversation, I realize I’m talking to myself. Either my phone has dropped the connection. I take connectivity for granted until I drive through a dead zone with little or no cell service.

King Saul experienced the same thing. When the enemy gathers for attack, Saul is shaking in his boots. It gets worse. “Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him” (1 Samuel 28:6). The prophet Samuel has died, so Saul tries everything he can think of, from prophets to dreams. Nothing. Crickets.

Saul turns to the occult. He finds a medium. When she conjures up the spirit of Samuel, the prophet wants to know, “Why are you bothering me?”

Saul replies, “God has abandoned me and no longer answers me” (18:15).

What did you expect, Saul? Samuel reminds him, “The Lord has done just as He spoke through me” (28:17). Remember, Saul? “You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel” (15:26).

You never listened to God before. And you’re not going to hear from him now, either. You got exactly what you wanted.

What hinders our prayers? Here’s a few things:

Insincere worship. “Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high” (Isaiah 58:4).

Unconfessed sin. “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18).

Wrong motives. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3).

Ignoring God’s word. If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).

Saul’s experience reminds me that if I feel like God has abandoned me, I need to consider how I’ve abandoned him.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The Spirit of the Lord and Saul’s Troubled Heart

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nathan Cowley on pexels

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Samuel 16.  

“Why are you in such a bad mood?”

Hey, it happens to all of us, right? We’re grumpy, sullen, grouchy, agitated, irritated, anxious, or depressed. Or all of the above.

It happens to people in the bible, too. “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him” (1 Samuel 16:14).

I’ve always struggle to understand what’s going on here. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord seems to come and go. And an “evil” (or harmful) spirit from the Lord doesn’t sound right at all.

Maybe it’s the writer’s way of describing someone who responds to the promises and the presence of God – or not. King Saul hasn’t exactly been on the same page as the Lord lately, so rather than living with assurance, he’s got nothing but fear, jealousy, and depression.

It’s kind of like your reaction to the return of Jesus. You might dread it or you might be excited about it. It just depends on your faith or your lack of it.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Sounds like disobedience to me

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Samuel 15.

On a recent early-morning walk through the neighborhood, I thought I heard a rooster. This isn’t farm country. This is suburbia. But I heard it again. I didn’t think we were allowed to have chickens in our yards. The rooster’s crow not only announces the sunrise (I’ll bet the neighbors love that), but also someone who ignores the city’s rules.

Saul’s task is to destroy Amalek and everything he has. God’s command is clear. Bring nothing home. Sounds simple.

After the campaign, Saul is feeling good about his efforts. “Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, ‘Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.’ But Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the bellowing of the oxen which I hear?'” (1 Samuel 15:13,14)

Barnyard sounds reveal Saul’s disobedience. He said he brought them home to sacrifice to the Lord. We can always find a way to justify disobedience, can’t we?

But that’s not what God wanted him to do, and “to obey is better than sacrifice” (15:22).

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Waiting just a little longer

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Dima Solomin on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Samuel 13.

What if I had waited just a few more hours?

We had no power because of the most recent hurricane. The electric company estimated our service wouldn’t be restored for another five days. Great. Life-threatening? No. Inconvenient? Very much so.

I headed out in the morning and filled up six two-gallon gas cans for the generator. I bought two more long extension cords to bring a little power into different parts of the house.

About 3:00 in the afternoon, the lights in the house lit up and the AC turned on.

What if I had waited just a few more hours?

King Saul found himself in a tight spot. The huge Philistine army is bearing down on him. His own army has dwindled to six hundred as more and more went home. It’s been seven days and Samuel hasn’t show up. Saul has to do something. He’s king. He’s the leader. Everyone is looking to him for direction.

So Saul offers up the pre-battle burnt offering himself. As soon as he does, Samuel shows up and asks, “What are you doing?”

Saul said, “The people were scattering, you didn’t come, the Philistines were on their way, so I did what I had to do” (1 Samuel 13:12).

Samuel says, “That was foolish and disobedient. Say goodbye to your kingdom. God is going to find someone else to rule his people” (13:13,14). God is going to find someone who trusts him.

I am much more like Saul than I like to admit. I’m patient, but I’m not that patient. I trust God, but I’m on a schedule. My souls waits for the Lord, but you’ll often catch me glancing at my watch.

Ultimately, the only one who can really take care of God’s people is Jesus, who is God himself. Ultimately, he’s the only one I can trust. Not me. Not my judgment. Not my capability. Only him.

Posted in bible, questions

Did a medium really conjure up the spirit of Samuel?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

jose-antonio-gallego-vazquez-431522-unsplash (1)
Photo by Jose Antonio Gallego Vázquez on Unsplash

Our men’s Thursday morning bible study was deep into our study of 1 Samuel when we got to the account of Saul finding a medium to conjure up the spirit of the prophet Samuel who had died (1 Samuel 28:3-19).

Saul is in a bad spot. The Philistines have gathered to attack. Saul has exhausted every way he knows to contact the Lord, to no avail. Now what? He tells his servants to find a medium, so he can contact the departed spirit of Samuel and find out what’s going to happen.

Even though Saul has eradicated all the mediums and “fortune-tellers” from the land, his servants find a medium in Endor. According to the text, she conjures up the spirit of Samuel, who gives Saul the bad news: Israel is going to lose the battle to the Philistines, and you and your sons will die.

Here’s my question: did the medium really get in contact with the spirit of Samuel? Is that even possible? What is really going on here?

First of all, this is not a permissible practice. In Deuteronomy 18:9-14 God commands his people not to do this. They are not to consult mediums or spiritualists (Leviticus 19::31).

But it seems that the medium had indeed summoned the spirit of Samuel. Saul recognized Samuel. And the spirit’s prediction came true: Israel was defeated and Saul was killed. So God allowed this to happen? It seems so.

Well, that opens up a can of worms. Are spirits real? Are mediums real? Is there validity to those who read palms and gaze into crystal balls? In just about every town I’ve ever been to you can find a fortune-teller who is able to afford a storefront from those who pay for this kind of information. Is this real? A scam? Just business?

Here are a few things I’ve learned and concluded:

  • The spirit world is real. Satan’s minions were ejected from heaven when they lost their battle to Michael and the angels. Jesus dealt with demons in his ministry. They may be on a short leash, but they are real.
  • God has a handle on our future. When I surveyed the class, asking, “Would you want to know the day of your death?” all answered, “No.” Who wants to live in the shadow of their death? It’s better not to ask.
  • God wants us to trust him. Nothing can separate us from his love, so what else do you need to know. Just enjoy the ride. You may be surprised. You may scream. You may throw up. You might just love it. But it’s worth it. You were made for this.

When it come to the occult, I am very quickly over my head. Not a place I want to be. I’ll trust God with my future, thank you very much.