How do we learn?

I Samuel 28:3-20

 Vs. 5 - When Saul saw the army of the Philistine, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him. 

Saul was caught by his own offenses- abandoned by God; seemingly out of options.

How do we learn? Some slower than others but most life change, reverse- boosting lessons are wrought in the struggle with consequences and circumstance. Saul saw his enemies circling the wagons. These are the same guys he needed David’s help with before; the same army that rendered him powerless but for divine intervention, a shepherd. He was afraid and had burned all his bridges and needed one he could rebuild quickly. His options:

®    David – not likely, he’s been trying to kill him

®    Samuel – dead

®    Mediums and wizards – banished

®    The Lord, God almighty- not answering him

 So he did what any reasonable person in power would do; he ordered help. He managed his circumstances. “Go find me a woman who is a medium.” (Vs 7)

I think this little section of scripture is ironic. Look at the extremes Saul goes to in order to protect his identify, manage perception. (Vs 8) He dresses in disguise; goes at night and takes only people he can control (these guys were on the payroll). Saul is blinded to the obvious; if she is a medium, she will reveal the truth. Wasn't that what he was after, truth and guidance? He asks for Samuel and as before Saul’s heart and identity are revealed.  Samuel speaks the truth he had told him before, you have lost the kingdom because you disobeyed God, but he added, “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.” Dead.  Where was Samuel? Wherever that place was, Saul and his sons would be there in about 24 hours.

Look at God’s grace! Saul was a royal screw-up. He was stuck in a powerless cycle and chose not to get out of it. He had the tools. He picked every resource available but the one that could truly help. The step that required him to admit, confess and humble out before a righteous, just God. Saul wanted his power and position back and now added to his wish list, life not death.

Repentance and surrender may not have changed his circumstance- the consequences of his action but it would have given him what he truly longed for, peace. The peace that only comes through humility and surrender, the peace that only comes when we admit we are powerless. Saul had tried to manipulate and bully his way through his circumstance and like quicksand, only got more stuck. The rescuer must be a power from outside, bigger than us.

Read I Samuel 28: 3-20

Write down the word or phrase that sticks out or identify the character you connect with the most.

Read the passage again. What emotions rise up in you? Do not minimize them or run from them. Write them down.

Read the passage a third time. What’s your take away? What is God inviting you to hear from him? God’s voice is never condemning or belittling. He’s words will come in love and grace. If you hear condemnation, pray for ears to hear. God is loving, even in his correction. Listen closely for his heart for you.

Amazing Love, How can it be?

This book- God’s word, is his story that demonstrates his character and love, his heart to protect, provide, encourage, lead, direct, engage.  It is hard, often to understand the cultural dynamics of the Old Testament. This is a several thousand years old history of a culture foreign to our own. Sometimes we get caught up in what seems unfair to us, culturally and overlook God’s purpose and his heart.

Israel was God chosen nation. Israel is his chose nation. Their father, Abraham was NOT a man of faith in God UNTIL God engage him. He believed God and was accepted by God as righteous. He was accepted because he believed God’s words to him, from that belief, Abraham moves forward in obedience. In essence he did as God instructed and lead him. Israel was not a nation- God made them a nation and gave them a land with conditions, keeping his promise to Abraham. The Old Testament reveals the character of God and His ability and heart to keep His promises to His people. The Old Testament is a historical love story. God loves, God promises, God protects, Gods is righteous and just – the very character of God is laid open in this inspired historical record.

Watch for it as you read it. It is beautiful and often brutal. The good guys do not always come away untouched. There are consequences for choices. The justice of God goes both ways.  This is not a fairytale where the magic genie makes everything perfect. It is a real account of real people who made real choices. It is the account of a real God and how he interacts with real people.

Look for his provision and protection. Take notice of His character.  It is fundamental to the relationship He longs to have with you, so fundamental He wrote it down and it has remained for thousands of years unchanged.

Fundamental to one’s understanding of God is his unalterable character. God is the same, yesterday today, and forever. In a world where everything changes rapidly and frequently, this concept of eternal consistency is difficult to comprehend, but how comforting to know something the same stays; someone can be counted on. As God wooed and approached Abraham, He comes to each of us; longing to bring us into relationship; exampled in many lives like Moses, David, Noah, Abigail, Joshua and countless others. The connecting thread has not changed; God loves, God made a way to bridge the gap from us to him; God opens our eyes to accept His loving provision and in faith He moves us forward. It all flows from Him. Our provision, His ultimate demonstration of love and provision is the sacrificial gift of his only son, Jesus Christ; the perfect sacrifice, acceptable to a righteous unchanging God. He made the way. He loves so much – He has done the work- believe. The eyes to see, He has given you if you will accept the gift; this amazing gift of faith through God’s provision, His son. What Jesus did on the Cross, dying, out of love for his Father and sinful man, rising from the dead, because God brings the ultimate, eternal victory over death, and now seated by His Father, working on behalf of those who believe in His provision, His work, His way.

Amazing Love, How can it be?

If you would like to talk with me about this God of love, please email me at ebenezersofgrace@gmail.com

Play your position . . .

Since the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and taking vengeance with your own hand . . . I Samuel 25:26

God was protecting David from guilt, grief and shame, “pangs of conscience”, should he have chosen to take matters into his own hands.

My paraphrase. ..  Abigail is speaking (Vs 29), If anyone come against you, in this protection of God, God will deal with them and you (David) will be protected and found alive. I think it is interesting that it does not say he will not have to do battle, or that he will not be hurt, it says he will be found alive.

God has your back, David in this midst of this attack and slander, this situation you find yourself in. He will take care of your enemies. Let God be God. Do not take God’s job on yourself. Taking care of your enemies is God’s job. Stay in the bubble of protection.

I recently watched a Warehouse 13 episode where the warehouse was under attack and the regents had put a dome in place to protect it, a force field, invisible, of course. It kept the world safe from the artifacts within the warehouse but it also held whoever was in the warehouse captive, not allowing them to escape. Four of the main characters were trapped inside the warehouse with a nuclear bomb that had been activated. One character, the brilliant H.G.Wells, made a way by creating an interior force field but it had to be activated from outside it. Three could be saved; she had to be sacrificed, by her choice.

As I read this passage this morning, it reminded me of that episode. God’s protection in I Samuel 25:23-44 was both from without and within. He protected David from his enemy Nabal and he protected David from his own actions. David wanted to take Nabal out and make him pay for his offense and was fully prepared to do so, but God intervened in an unusual way. Abigail was Nabal’s wife and understood four things well. 

               1. Her husband was an idiot 

               2. God was with David. 

               3. Vengeance was God’s job. 

               4. There would be consequence for David should he take matters in his own hands.

Abigail spoke in humility and strength to the anointed “future” king but she spoke truth and David listened and stood down. Later we see that God took care of Nabal in two ways.  

               1. He took the joy of his evil away and 

               2. He took his life.  

Certainly David could have accomplished the latter on his own, but the heart work, the emotional victory could only be accomplished by God.

How does this passage speak to you? Are there places you are taking on jobs that belong to the Lord? That battle within you, is it God’s protection, his intervention from personal emotional harm?

Read 1 Samuel 25:23-44:

Listen for the word or phrase that sticks out to you? Write it down.

Read the passage again. This time pay attention to the emotion this brings up in you.  Sometimes, in passages like this one, I will see which character I relate with and put myself in the account. What do I feel, where am I standing, what is around me. Again, write it down.

Read the passage a third time and be still; listen for God to speak. What is God saying to you? To what is he inviting you? What is the invitation for you? Write it down as if God is addressing you. Vick,. .. .

A+B=C or does it?

Over a year ago, I returned to college for my degree in phychology. Currently I am enrolled in my second algebra class and since I never had high school algebra, I am learning and building on the fundamentals.  I am an infant in algebra. My foundational skills are just being set.

Sunday night at The Gathering, our bible study group, Jon used a fundamental algebraic expression as an example for maturity in Psalms 44.

A+B=C.  As we grow and mature in Christ, we build on the fundamental of our faith. Like Israel, we learn the character of God in some ways by applying this expression.  IF “A” is added to “B” then “C” will be the result. We learn about relationship with God in these terms because it is foundational to growing our faith in God. If we A and B then God will C. OR if God C’s and we B then A will be the result.  Israel counted on this cause and effect relationship.  Look at their time in the wilderness. God drilled this into them so they could come to trust his character and more importantly develop relationship.  Psalm 44 is an emotion producing passage.  Read it and see for yourself. What emotion does it bring up in you? I was numb. I was overwhelmed by the depths of despair expressed by the Psalmist;  followed by confusion and frustration. They had the fundamentals, A+B=C, they were operating from that place and now A+B doe not equal C.  Why would this not be true? What had they done? Why was God not playing fair? I think many of us remain stuck here and blame God for our circumstance or at least for not removing them. Many of us stay frozen in this place of basic algebra, never growing to expressions that are more complex and never fully experiencing God, as he desires.

God is God and as my oldest Grandson Noah say, “God is good all the time!” God’s goodness is often expressed in NOT removing difficult circumstances because he is growing us beyond basic algebra. God’s plan is and has always been relationship and fellowship, and for that to occur, we must grow in spiritual maturity, beyond the fundamentals. Jon further taught, our perspective needs to change on our circumstances. Instead of asking God to remove them and being stuck there, as we grow, we need to ask him to sustain us and grow us IN the circumstances. We need to begin to Notice God in the process and trust in his steadfast love for us. Look at how Psalm 44 ends.

Cory Ten Boon’s sister Betsy said this while dying in a German concentration camp, “No pit is so deep that God is not deeper still.”  As Noah says, “God is good all the time!” There are lessons to be learned in the circumstance. Look for God. His steadfast love never leaves or forsakes us.

Read Psalm 44.

              What word or phrase sticks out?  Write it down.

Read Psalm 44 again.

              What emotion rises up in you? Write it down in detail. Spend some time here.

Read it a third time.

              Listen for the Holy Spirit to speak/teach you here. What is your invitation from God? Write it         down. I               often write it as if God were speaking to me. For example, Vicki, I ……