June13, Day 20; 1 Sam 2:12-1 Sam 2:15

In today's reading these things popped out at me. I must admit I'm not sure I received the full revelation of what God is telling me but I highlighted these passages:

1. If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, whil will intercede for him? (1 Sam 2: 25). It is dangerous stuff to stand opposing the Lord. What sin is truly against man and what is against God??
2. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The word of the Lord has not yet been revealed to Him. (1 Sam 3:7) How many of us don't yet know the Lord? So many people today play Christian... not everyone truly can hear the Lord because they've not opened their hearts to Jesus yet. Do my friends and family know Him? Am I doing my job to introduce them to Him?
3. The Lord contiued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through His word. (1 Sam 3:21) God still reveals himself to us through His word. I'm blessed to be hearing Him again in a whle new way as I read daily. However, just like Samuel, we must know Him first to receive the true revelation of His word.
4. But God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. (1 Sam 6:19) This is a warning to me that God is so Holy that on my own I cannot even approach him. He cannot tolerate our sin. Yet in the days of the ark, there was nothing to stand in atonement for the sins of the people other than the animal sacrifies. Today, we should never stop praising Jesus because HE is our atonement that enables me to see God every day without fear of death.
5. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the Lod was against the Philistines. (1 Sam 7:13b) When I read this passage, I sribbled in the margin of my bible, "one Godly man can still make a difference." This gives me hope in today's darkening world, that God will continue to reward faithfulness and perhaps use this faithfulness to bless even the wicked around him.
6. So Saul asked God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel's hand?" But God did not answer him that day. (1 Sam 14:37) This seems kind of harsh considering God chose Saul. Yet it reminds us that with our calling comes responsibility. God did answer Saul for quite some time... yet in this instance it follows a repeated pattern of irresponsibility. Saul was disobedient to God in several instances and therefore it was time for God to help Saul realize accountability for his actions. Where have I been disobedient and how is that hindering my ability to hear God answer???
7. Does the lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? (1 Sam 15:22) Saul was only focused on the action... and not the heart attitude. He was relying on a burnt offering to deliver some sort of magical power of deliverance. He was not even the one authorized to offer burnt sacrifices. Therefore it is only about action and not relationship. How am I acting Christian without having the depth of relationship that I need? How is the world caught up in religious traditions and completely missed the relationship with Christ? Look around... it is everywhere! Wake up oh sleeper!
8. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind. (1 Sam 15:29) And to this, I only have to say... THANK YOU! Thank you that in this world of uncertainty there is one thing that is always certain!!!
9. And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal. (1 Sam 15:33b) This is hard for me to interpret in modern terms. Surely it was out of righteous anger that Samuel acted. And was enacting judgement on Agag for the ungodly acts he'd committed. Yet in today's world this is totally unacceptable. However, there are a lot of ungodly and unrighteous acts going on in the world today... and even perhaps in my home from time to time. I should take this warning at minimum to put my "Agag's" to death before the Lord this day.