Wed.’s Devo -Saul’s Disobedience

Read: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 15:8-10 Samuel gave Saul a message from the Lord. God wanted to settle his accounts with the Amelekites because they attacked Israel when they came out of Egypt. Saul was to attack them and completely destroy them because they were so wicked. *** Saul and his army did, but they kept the best of the animals and they captured the king, Agag. God was not pleased and told Samuel he was sorry he ever made Saul the king. *** Samuel found Saul and asked him why he didn’t kill the animals like he had told him to. Saul pulled a fast one and told Samuel he had kept the best animals to sacrifice to the Lord. He had obeyed the Lord in his own way. Samuel told him that obedience was better than sacrifices. *** Then, the real answer came out. Saul let them keep the animals because he was afraid of his own people and losing their favor. Saul begged Samuel to come back with him to sacrifice to the Lord so the people would see that Samuel honored him. Samuel refused and when Saul tried to make him stay he tore the hem of his robe. Samuel said that the Lord had torn the kingdom from him that day and chosen someone better than him. *** Saul still begged Samuel to return with him to sacrifice so the people could see that Samuel honored him. I think that by that time, Samuel felt sorry for Saul and returned with him. *** Samuel took Agag and cut him into pieces - he did what Saul should have done. Samuel went back to Ramah and mourned for Saul. *** God came to Samuel and told him to stop mourning over Saul and get up and go anoint the next king. He was to find a man named Jesse and anoint one of his sons. He was to call a sacrifice and ask Jesse to come and bring his sons. *** Jesse came and when Samuel looked through all his sons, he realized though some of them looked the part, none of them were the one God had chosen. He finally asked Jesse if he had another son. Jesse had one more who was the youngest. He was out in the field watching the sheep. When he arrived, the Lord said, he was the one. Jesse anointed David with oil and the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that time on. *** Meanwhile, the Spirit of the Lord left Saul leaving him tormented by spirits. His advisors looked for someone who could come in with a musical instrument and calm him down when he had his episodes of insanity. David was chosen to do this because he could play the harp so well. His music was able to calm Saul down. How ironic that the very one who would drive him crazy later was able to calm him down now. *** In John, it was the day after the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. They call this day Simbat Torah where they celebrate the Torah. They begin at the beginning reading in Genesis. The Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus who was caught in the act of adultery. The law in Leviticus 20:10 says that the man and woman were to be put to death. They just brought the woman showing again that they didn’t know the law. *** They were trying to trap him but he stooped and wrote in the dust with his finger. He stood up and said, let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone. Then he stooped and wrote in the dust again. *** When they HEARD what he said, they begin to leave from the oldest to the youngest. It never says they read what he wrote or if he even wrote anything to them. In Jeremiah, it says “O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.” (Jeremiah 17:13) *** I don’t know if he wrote names of people who were cursed in history or their names or this verse, or something else, but it was what he said that made them turn away. The oldest left first because he had more sins than the youngest, plus, he had more wisdom to know when he had been whipped. *** Then, the only one without sin who could have accused the woman asked the woman where her accusers were. There were none. Jesus told her that he didn’t accuse her either. He did tell her to go and sin no more. *** Lord, may we always remember that there is a day of judgement coming and all be judged or rewarded. Thank you, Jesus that because of you, we will be rewarded but there are many who will be judged if they don’t hear the truth through us. May we be diligent to share the hope that is in us.