RTW April 11
Faith Out Our Flesh
So they asked the LORD, “Where is he?” And the LORD replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.”
1 Samuel 10:22
My Takeaways
Something Old
Saul was tall, dark, handsome, wealthy, and from an influential family. He was the perfect candidate for political office. Exactly what the people would want.
He was….
Chosen and anointed by God.
Filled with the Holy Spirit.
Supported by a great man of God.
Yet he hid. (1 Samuel 10:22)
I wonder if his flesh dedicated his faith. He remembered who he was rather than focusing on who God had appointed him to be.
When we start repeating the “I’m only” statements:
- We have to believe who God says we are, and who He calls us to be.
- We have to tell Satan who God says we are, and who we are called to be.
- We have to walk out our calling in confident faith, faking it until we feel it. (Our feelings will catch up with our faith.)
Something New
Saul means “asked of God.” They asked for a king and God “asked of” Saul.
Something to do
There was so much that stood out to me in today’s reading.
– I noted all the times God spoke to Samuel and revealed things to him and how Samuel called on God and God answered. A reminder and encouragement to me to seek and listen for god’s voice.
– Saul set out to look for lost donkeys and ended up becoming king! Sometimes I can feel like I’m just on a wild donkey chase…an inconvenience…when God is using that to put me in the place I need to be in to fulfill his grander plan.
– it was the Spirit of the Lord who changed Saul and gave him a new heart. I was reminded to surrender to the Holy Spirits work in my life to continue to change me and give me a new heart. He does the work but I must surrender to Him.
– Finally, I had the question of why Saul hid. I read this quote in Guziks commentary that gave an interesting perspective…
“Spurgeon, in his sermon Hiding Among the Stuff, showed how both believers and unbelievers hide, avoiding their crown: “There may be some of you here present, who may be doing precisely what Saul did, only you are doing it more foolishly than he did. He did but hide away from an earthly crown, but you hide from a heavenly one.” (Spurgeon)”
There was so much in today’s reading! My takeaway is from the last verses of today’s reading in I Samuel 12 where Samuel is giving his farewell address.
~Be faithful in prayer.
~Continue to read and study God’s Word so that I will know what is good and right.
~Fear the LORD and faithfully serve Him. ( I am currently doing an 8-day study of Malachi and yesterday’s lesson was on the importance of having awe and reverence for God. So, today’s reading here reinforced that for me.)