In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul makes his “final” mistake as King of Israel. I put “final” in quotes, because Saul would remain king over Israel for decades and would make many more mistakes and commit many more sins, but when he failed to carry out the LORD’s commands in his battle against the Amalekites, God determined to take the throne from Saul and his descendants. The clear message of 1 Samuel 15 is God prefers obedience more than sacrifice or more than anything else. One of my mentors, Dr. Dale Milligan said, “To love God is to trust Him enough to obey Him.” That quote helped me see obedience to God is not merely a religious requirement–although it can be that. Obedience to God is an act of love. When I trust God enough to do what He says, regardless of what it is, then He knows I love Him. And I know I love Him. The next time the LORD sets a challenge before us, may we trust Him enough to obey Him, and thus show him our love!
We could title 1 Samuel 16: Moving On! The LORD commanded Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the new king of Israel. In doing so, Samuel shows us that even a power prophet of God can rely on his own understanding, instead of the Holy Spirit and the LORD when carrying out the LORD’s work. Jesse had many sons, so Samuel asked Jesse to have them come before him. Samuel chose the oldest, who was also the tallest and most “king-like” in stature. (Saul had been a head taller than anyone in Israel, and look how that ended up!) As son after son came before Samuel, none of them measured up to God’s standard. Finally, Jesse sent for the youngest, David, who was out in the field watching the sheep. Jesse hadn’t even thought to include David in the list of candidates for king, but the LORD selected him immediately. The Holy Spirit came into David’s life when Samuel anointed him, and remained with him throughout his life.
In the remainder of the chapter, David ends up being called to serve King Saul as a “music therapist.” The Holy Spirit was replaced in Saul’s life with an evil spirit, and when he would be depressed or violent, he would call for David to come and play the harp, which would sooth him. Ironic, that the newly anointed king of Israel, would become a servant to the reigning king. Then again, the best way to learn to lead in the Kingdom of God is to learn to serve. Jesus told us He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
1 Samuel 17 offers us what may be the most familiar account of the Old Testament to many: the battle between David and Goliath. The salient points of the chapter are: 1) Goliath, a champion of the Philistines challenges the Israelites to send out one man against him in battle. The winner of the battle wins the “war” for his side, and the other side will capitulate in defeat and become servants of the winner. For 40 days Goliath went out every day and stood before the Israelite army, and for 40 days no one was willing to take on Goliath. Then Jesse sent David to bring supplies for two of his brothers who were serving in the army and for the king. 2) When David heard the challenge from Goliath, he was incensed that a pagan would challenge the armies of God, and saw it as a battle between the LORD and the pagan gods of the Philistines. 3) David offers to take on Goliath with only a sling and five smooth stones. 4) In desperation King Saul agrees. 5) David takes on Goliath and Goliath never stood a chance. 6) David’s victory brings him fame and favor among the people of Israel. It will also create a tremendous jealousy in King Saul, who will be at odds with David until the day Saul dies.
In Mark 3, we read once again of Jesus’ healing a man on the Sabbath. That simple act of love and power resulted in the Pharisees joining forces with the Herodians, fellow Jews who collaborated with Herod. Ordinarily these men would not have stood in the same room with each other, but because of their common interest in getting rid of Jesus before He caused so much of an uproar among the people that it caught the Romans’ attention, they joined forces in determining how to kill Him. While Mark’s Gospel is 16 chapters long, we find it took only until the third chapter for the beginning of the end to come for Jesus, in terms of the plot to kill Him being developed. In our lives, we must be certain we don’t unwittingly take the same approach as the Pharisees and the Herodians, which means we must make certain we don’t put what is good for us or what is expedient in front of putting Jesus first in all areas of our lives.