1 Samuel 28:3-6 - Now Samuel
was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his
own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits,
and the wizards, out of the land. And
the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in
Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in
Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host
of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered
him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
Saul found himself staring in many eyes of the mighty army
of the Philistines. It was a fearful sight….an army of warriors so enormous
that Saul cowered in fear. He couldn’t ask Samuel what to do…for he had
died…and God would not answer him…not by his dreams….prophets ...or even if he
used the urim himself. Frustrated….scared
and wishing he hadn’t banned all the
wizards and mediums from Israel…he broke his own rule about using wizards and
witchcraft… and sought out a woman to use her dark powers to raise the spirit
of Samuel.
He did not feel any better about his situation after he
spoke with Samuel…for Samuel only repeated what he had told Saul while he was
still alive…and added to it a message of death….for Saul and his sons. Samuel
reminded him of how God had given his kingdom to David many years before….because
he had not followed all of God’s laws. He told Saul that his days would end on
the next day…and that his sons would also die with him.
It was so easy for Saul to revert back to the use of
wizardry and mediums. He had banned them
from his kingdom for a time…but sought one out quickly when God was silent. His heart had good intentions… but no real resolve
to carry through with the commitment he had made. His mouth had spoken wise
words …but his heart had never really committed the promise to God. And
breaking his rule….using evil to find out what to do… did not help him one
bit…it just confirmed his fears even deeper into his soul. The problem Saul faced really had nothing to
do with the evil powers he sought out to get his answers….the problem for Saul
in this moment was realizing he had made a promise to God that he simply did
not mean in his heart.
I sure understand Saul’s problem here….for I am guilty of
making promises every day that I have failed to carry through with. I make well
intentioned promises every day…then realize later… that to keep them would
require more of my heart than I have asked God to help me give. I really cannot
brag that I have truly kept any of my promises to God completely. But that is the great thing about God… for I
can realize in this moment that I can do better…if I ask him to help me….than
let his power carry me farther than I ever could on my own. If I place God’s word in my heart…and
meditate on it day and night…then my life will be more acceptable in his
sight…and he will give me the strength to completely change my heart…so his
rules won’t just be a rule or promise to keep…they will become the very heart
of what I believe will keep me close to his will for my life.
Father…I thank you for your great love…that forgives me for my
many failings. I thank you that your mercy
and love can wash me clean of all my past sin…and help me to change my
heart. Help me this morning to search my
heart for your presence…..then examine every action I intend to make today. Let my heart be so full of your love …that I
think like you think...and consider your ways in all that I do. Give me a complete heart transplant if you
need to…so I can begin to walk completely in your will for my life. Amen.
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