Sat.’s Devo - The Light That Leads to Life

Read: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Provers 15:8-10 Samuel went to Saul with a command from the Lord for him. God was ready to take vengeance on the Amelekites who attacked Israel when they first came out of Egypt. He was to completely destroy the entire nation and their animals. Saul mobilized his army of 210,000. First he warned the Kenites who lived around the Amelekites to flee if they didn’t want to be killed. The Kenites were the ones who tricked Israel into making a covenant of peace with them. They packed up and left. Instead of killing all the Amelekites, Saul captured the king, Agag and let him men keep anything of value along with the best of the cattle. Samuel found out what Saul had done and went looking for him. He was up on Mt. Carmel Samuel asked him why he had let the animals and the king live and his answer was he had kept the best animals to sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel told him that God was not impressed with sacrifices of disobedience. Killing all the people and leaving the king alive was like casting out the demons and leaving the principality. Agag’s name means “I will overtop.” He would have done just that if Samuel hadn’t killed him. Saul was desperate for Samuel’s approval and begged him to stay and go up and worship with him so the people could see that he had the honor of the prophet. Samuel pitied Saul and stayed for the sacrifice. When Samuel had finished, he returned the Ramah and never saw Saul again. After a while, the Lord spoke to Samuel and told him it was time to stop mourning for Saul and anoint the king God had chosen. He gave him instructions and told him to take a lamb for a sacrifice so Saul wouldn’t suspect anything. He called Jesse to the sacrifice and performed purification rites for Jesse and his sons. When Samuel saw Eliab, the oldest son he thought for sure he was the one God had chosen, but God told him not to look on the outside of man. Saul had looked like a king on the outside but he was not a king on the inside. When Samuel worked his way through all his sons, God hadn’t chosen any of them. Samuel was baffled and asked Jesse if he had any more sons. Jesse admitted he had another son, David. David was out tending sheep and hadn’t been invited or ritually made clean. When Samuel saw him, God said that he was the one. Samuel anointed him with oil and the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. The Spirit of the Lord left Saul and was replaced with a tormenting spirit. His advisors suggested they find a person who could play the harp to calm him down. They found David who came to the palace to play when Saul was upset. Saul so loved David that he made him his armor bearer and came and lived with Saul in the palace. In John, it was the day after the Feast of Tabernacles was over. This was a celebration day also called Simbat Torah where they would celebrate the Torah and begin reading the creation story in Genesis. They would also read the portion at the end of Deuteronomy. They brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery to Jesus to see what he would do. He asked them what Moses said to do and they said to stone her. In Deuteronomy at the end of the book it talks about what to do if a MAN is caught in the act of adultery. Deuteronomy 22:22, “If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.” Jesus stopped and wrote in the dust like the finger of God that wrote the law. I wonder if he wrote this verse. When they demanded an answer, he stood and said, “all right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” They started leaving the oldest to the youngest. When they were all gone, he stood and asked her where her accusers were. Then he told her to go and sin no more. During the Feast of Tabernacles they would light these huge bowls of oil that were 70 feet high. The young priests would climb the pole with oil and light the wicks at night. Being up on a hill, the light went out for miles and miles. They called Jerusalem “The light of the world” during this festival. Jesus told them that he was the light of the world and those who follow him won’t walk in darkness because they would have the light that leads to life. Lord, thank you for your light that illuminates our path and leads us to life.