Sun.’s Devo - Scattering Seed

Read: 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27; John 6:22-42; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 14:34-35
Samuel’s sons didn’t turn out much differently than Eli’s. They took bribes and perverted justice. The people realized that Samuel was getting old and they didn’t want his sons to be their judge. Israel was being oppressed by the Philistines and they needed a military judge; they wanted a king.
Samuel took their request to the Lord and he told them to give them what they wanted because they were not rejecting Samuel, they were rejecting God. God told Samuel to warn them just what a king would do.
A king would impose a draft for soldiers and officers, force others to be his farmers, manufacturers, cooks, perfumers and impose taxes to pay for this operation. He would also take the best of their fields, a tenth of their harvests, their slaves, and the best of their cattle. He would demand a tenth of their flocks and eventually they would all become his slaves.
All the people could see was that this king would judge them and lead them in battle. So God gave them their first king - Saul. His name means “people’s choice” and that is what he was. He was from a wealthy, influential family and he was handsome and tall so he looked like a king. His father’s name was Kish which means “a snare”, and that summed up Saul. He became a snare to Israel.
He met Samuel when he was looking for his father's lost donkeys. Samuel told him that his donkeys had been found, he was the hope of Israel, and that he was to stay and have lunch with him. Tomorrow we will hear what Samuel told him.
In John, Jesus had sent his disciples across the sea in their only boat. Now, the people find Jesus across the sea also. They asked him how he got across and he told them that they didn’t come for him because they understood what he had done by feeding them but because they wanted to be fed again.
It was almost time for Passover and Unleavened Bread so Jesus explained to them that he was the bread sent down from heaven that they celebrated every year. He had multiplied himself to show them that he was enough for all of them. He was the hope of Israel. Of course, they didn’t get it but he told them so that after he was gone, they could remember. Jesus was scattering seed. It didn’t look like it was taking root but some of it would so he just kept scattering it.
Lord, help us to remember this when we feel like no one is listening to the truth. It is our job to tell the truth, it is the job of the Holy Spirit to change the heart.