Gifted by the Holy Spirit while in the pursuit of sin and rebellion - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 19:23-24,

"So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel's presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, 'Is Saul also among the prophets?'"

The Lord decided to remove Saul as king over Israel due to his faithless focus on circumstances rather than the Lord. The Lord chose David to succeed him on the throne and Saul sought to kill him. David fled to tell Samuel and the two went to Naioth.

The above verses follow three previous attempts by Saul in sending men to capture David at Naioth. On each occasion the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men and they began to prophesy with Samuel and the prophets together with him. So, Saul himself went and he too began to prophesy as he went to Naioth.

Here is what I find to be a fascinating employment of a special ability the Lord gave as he protected his chosen successor to the throne. Saul went to kill and wound up having the Holy Spirit come upon him in a way that caused him to prophesy.

What did Saul and his men prophesy about? We are not told. However, I can't help but think it may have been along the lines of what God was doing in deposing Saul and choosing David as his successor. Just speculation here...

What is not speculation, however, is the use of a very distinct spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit to a man (and others) rejected by God and on his way to do evil against his chosen one. The use of this gift of prophecy by God was to facilitate David's escape from Saul.

The assumption today that anyone who has a special "spiritual gift", a special enablement from the Holy Spirit, must be "in good" with God is not necessarily well-founded. God does the amazing, and at times, the very unusual, and he doesn't check in with us first to see what we think about it or if it agrees with our preconceived theology. God simply does what he wants in the way he wants. 

Folks who neglect the Old Testament Scriptures like these deprive themselves of learning of the rich heritage Israel and we have with the Lord, as well as the many fascinating things he reveals of himself in them.

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

Faith made David the "better man" - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 18:14,

"In everything he [David] did he had great success, because the Lord was with him."

The Lord blessed David with success. We are told, "Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul's officers as well." Verse 5. Also, "The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known." Verse 30.

We see the Lord's hand on David, bringing him success in all he did because, unlike Saul, David was a man of faith. Saul's shortcoming was that he made his choices based on the observable circumstances he found himself in, as opposed to trusting in God. In 1 Samuel 13:11 we read Saul telling Samuel, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash..." and so made a deplorable decision demonstrating a complete lack of trust in God.

God's response to Saul was, "the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people" (to replace King Saul). This man to replace Saul was David, a man of whom the Lord said, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you [Saul] today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you." 1 Samuel 15:28.

Listen to David's perspective on things, expressed when he went to challenge Goliath, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

The stark difference between Israel's first king and her second one was that Saul was not a man of faith, unlike David. What made David better than Saul was his faith and trust in God. This faith did not make him a perfect man, as his life would go on to show his shortcomings with his adultery with Bathsheba, murdering her husband, etc.

Faith and faith alone is what made David "better than" Saul. It was this faith the Lord found in him that brought his hand of success in all he did.

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

Living life in faith on God's promises - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 17:47,

"All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you [Philistines] into our hands."

This statement was made by David to Goliath just prior to killing him. Goliath was the Philistine who challenged Israel's forces. He had threatened King Saul and his forces daily as they shrank in fear of him.

David's words, "All those gathered here will know..." were important words for King Saul, as well as for us today. In Saul's instance, he repeatedly took his eyes off the Lord and acted in a manner that betrayed his lack of faith in him. "On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified." Verse 11. Often, in Saul's reign as Israel's first king, we see him fearful of the circumstances that surrounded him, exhibiting no confidence in God's ability to take care of him and the nation.

Paul holds up another man, Abraham, as our example of the kind of faith God looks for in each of us. This is the faith we see in David's life as well. This faith is manifested when we make choices that reflect we are fully convinced that God has the power to do all he promises, "Without weakening in his faith, he [Abraham] faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.'" Romans 4:19-22.  

This is exactly the kind of faith Saul lacked that led to his rejection as Israel's king by God. Saul made his choices in life based on the circumstances he found himself in rather than on the promises of God. We see this repeatedly in 1 Samuel.

The Scriptures are consistent in its claims that success in life is all about our faith in God and his power to do what he has promised!

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

God looks at other things - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 16:7,

"Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

This is the Lord's statement to Samuel when he was reviewing Jesse's sons to see who the Lord would pick to replace King Saul. The Lord's choice was David, the son no one considered.

We all tend to look at things in others the Lord does not. God does not choose what mankind tends to look at. I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."

It is not our beauty, our intelligence, our spiritual aptitude, our wealth, our standing in the community, our power, our ability to persuade, who we know or what we have that God seeks in us. The wonderful things that God the Father looks for in us are the things that his Son imbues us with when we embrace him in faith. Note the next verse, "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."

How thankful I am that God has made it so... else, where would I be?

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

Our unchanging God has regrets - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 15:29,

"He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind."

This statement Samuel made to King Saul points to the unchanging nature of God. God does not change and he does not change his mind.

This is an obscure idea to a culture such as ours. Reflecting our own sinful nature, our culture shifts and changes all the time. When I was growing up, homosexuals were considered perverts that children needed to be protected from. Today, it is seen as an honorable thing to hand foster children over to them, or allow them to adopt children. When I was growing up, murdering an unborn child was acknowledged for what it was. Today, we take pride in allowing women to do such a thing.

Our current president has "evolved" on the issue of same sex marriage. Unlike our president, God does not "evolve" on anything. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8. What we learn of God never changes and is always true on any day.

I can't image what our existence would be like if God changed all the time! What would it be like to wake up some morning to hear God say, "I've had second thoughts on this atonement my Son wrought. In thinking it over, you all will have to pay for your own sins!" I thank God he never changes!

That said, another verse from this chapter is quite a surprise to the theology of many. God can regret some of the things he does. Shocking, isn't it? "I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." 1 Samuel 15:11. The regret God expressed was that he chose Saul to be Israel's first king and it was Saul's performance that brought this regret. Did God not know Saul would be a disappointment? Certainly. "... I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'" Isaiah 46:9b-10.

God's regret is not that he makes a poor choice from not knowing what will happen. His regrets flow from the bad choices sinful mankind makes. Another example of this was God's regret at creating mankind at all, just before he destroyed the world in Noah's day, "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth,and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled." Genesis 6:5-6.

Fascinating that our unchanging God has regrets!

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 way of faith - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 14:15,

"Then panic struck the whole [Philistine] army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God."

The Philistines where completely routed that day by the men of Israel, in a fight begun by Saul's son, Johnathon, together with his armor-bearer. The fight started with Johnathon but it eventually engaged Saul and the fighting men together with him.

In the above verse we read that God had sent the Philistines into a panic which resulted with them being "in total confusion, striking each other with their swords", verse 20. It was this act of God that made possible Israel's victory over the Philistines, who had the weaponless Israelites (see 14:19-22) hopelessly out-manned and "out-gunned."

Johnathon knew the Lord's help would make all the difference and counted on him to save the day. The circumstances looked very much like the Israelites were at the complete domination of the Philistines.

But... when God is on our side, it does not matter what the circumstances look like. This is the way of faith.

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

Driven by circumstances, not faith - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 13:11-14,

"What have you done?' asked Samuel. Saul replied, 'When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, "Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor." So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.' 'You 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.'"

As the Philistines prepared to attack Israel, King Saul was apparently told by the Lord to sit tight until Samuel arrived to make a burnt offering. When Samuel did not arrive as expected, Saul, instead of trusting in what God told him to do, made the offerings himself, displaying a lack of faith in the direction the Lord had given him. Also, Saul, as Israel's first king, was a Benjamite, and not a priest, and hardly qualified to approach the Lord in this manner.

Saul's stated motivation sounded good, in that he felt compelled to provide the offering himself because Samuel had not arrived and Saul had not yet "sought the Lord's favor". However, it was the military movements of the Philistines Saul had is eye on, as well as his own men who were scattering. Saul had taken his eyes off the Lord, and instead, allowed his circumstances to dictate his actions rather than follow the Lord's direction.

Samuel told Saul, "...  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." What kind of man was the Lord seeking? A man after his own heart, and that would have to be someone who was a man of faith. We will see that the man the Lord chose to replace Saul was David, a man of great faith.

The Lord looks for those who will embrace him in faith. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Joshua and Samuel all demonstrated their faith in the Lord and it will be by faith and faith alone that anyone can enter into God's family today. You can be a card-carrying red-blooded conservative American who does all the right things, and it won't help a whit when it comes to gaining a position in God's good graces... it is faith alone, not our accomplishments, not our successes in life, not all the good things we have done (as well as shunning all the bad things others do) that brings us into God's favor.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9.

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