The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 10:6-7,
"The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you [Saul], and you will prophesy with them [a procession of prophets]; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you."
As Samuel anointed Saul as Israel's first human king he told him of some of the events that would attend his coronation. One of them would be the amazing thing that the Lord's Spirit would "come powerfully" upon him.
Later, in verses 9-10 we read, "As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying."
God changed Saul's heart! The "Spirit of God came powerfully upon him"! This, to me is an amazing thing. Just how did the Holy Spirit come upon Saul? Was it such that now Saul was something of a marionette, without the free will to make his own choices? Or, did Saul retain his own volition to pursue what he thought best?
The answer lies in Samuel's words, "do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you." God's Spirit would now be upon Saul, and with the empowerment and abilities this provided Saul, Saul was nonetheless to make his decisions and order his life just as Samuel directed.
What we find is that although Saul had benefit of the Holy Spirit now residing within him, and even gifting him with the ability to prophecy, Saul was not a man who personally placed his faith and trust in God. We see this time and again in the accounts of Saul where he ordered his life, not on the basis of faith in God, but on the basis of the circumstances he found himself in. Saul was a man who allowed his life to be dictated by his circumstances. This would lead to God replacing Saul with David to lead the nation. "'You [King Saul] have done a foolish thing,' Samuel said. 'You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command.'" 1 Samuel 13:13-14.
Perhaps this helps us a bit in understanding of both the inviolability our Creator, in his transcendent sovereignty, has established in regard to our own free wills he himself has given us, as well as how having the Holy Spirit coming upon us effects that inviolability. I can't think of a better example in all of Scripture that illustrates for us the juxtaposition of God's sovereignty in our lives and the free will he has bequeathed to us.
Although God may bring things into our lives to effect his purposes, a careful reading of the Scriptures reveals he has never intended us to be his marionettes.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you [Saul], and you will prophesy with them [a procession of prophets]; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you."
As Samuel anointed Saul as Israel's first human king he told him of some of the events that would attend his coronation. One of them would be the amazing thing that the Lord's Spirit would "come powerfully" upon him.
Later, in verses 9-10 we read, "As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying."
God changed Saul's heart! The "Spirit of God came powerfully upon him"! This, to me is an amazing thing. Just how did the Holy Spirit come upon Saul? Was it such that now Saul was something of a marionette, without the free will to make his own choices? Or, did Saul retain his own volition to pursue what he thought best?
The answer lies in Samuel's words, "do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you." God's Spirit would now be upon Saul, and with the empowerment and abilities this provided Saul, Saul was nonetheless to make his decisions and order his life just as Samuel directed.
What we find is that although Saul had benefit of the Holy Spirit now residing within him, and even gifting him with the ability to prophecy, Saul was not a man who personally placed his faith and trust in God. We see this time and again in the accounts of Saul where he ordered his life, not on the basis of faith in God, but on the basis of the circumstances he found himself in. Saul was a man who allowed his life to be dictated by his circumstances. This would lead to God replacing Saul with David to lead the nation. "'You [King Saul] have done a foolish thing,' Samuel said. 'You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command.'" 1 Samuel 13:13-14.
Perhaps this helps us a bit in understanding of both the inviolability our Creator, in his transcendent sovereignty, has established in regard to our own free wills he himself has given us, as well as how having the Holy Spirit coming upon us effects that inviolability. I can't think of a better example in all of Scripture that illustrates for us the juxtaposition of God's sovereignty in our lives and the free will he has bequeathed to us.
Although God may bring things into our lives to effect his purposes, a careful reading of the Scriptures reveals he has never intended us to be his marionettes.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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