A man who was blind from birth was healed by Jesus. The Pharisees questioned him asking the manner in which he received his sight. His simple testimony was impossible to dispute. “I once was blind, but now I see.” We can learn from this man’s witness. We don’t have to be theologians to bear witness. Just tell others what Jesus has done for you!
When David burst onto the scene in Israel’s history, everything he did succeeded. All the people loved him, but King Saul was jealous. It’s hard for an older man who has labored for years to see such success come to one so young. For those of us who are closer to Saul’s age, how can we begin to mentor and bless the “Davids” of our generation, rather than belittle their youth? Who knows. Perhaps the Lord is with them. And so, shouldn’t we be with them too?
I am a life long student of God’s Word. Both my mother and my grandmother read the Word to me from birth, so that its stories have always been familiar to me. Yet, now as a man in my 5th decade, I still find something new in God’s Word every day. It’s more than an intellectual pursuit. My mother didn’t just read the Word to me, she delighted in the Word. And her obsession became mine. Do you know the joy of studying God’s Word?
Saul obeyed man instead of God. And the Lord rejected him as king. The desire to please people rather than God has led to the downfall of many. Even in Saul’s confession he begged Samuel to stay and “honor” him before the elders of Israel. He still worried about his image. But God is looking for a man who cares only what God thinks of him. God looks for one after His own heart.
This is what Jonathan, son of King Saul, said to his armor bearer before they routed a garrison of Philistines. I think God must love this kind of risk-taking faith. Perhaps the great missionary to India, William Carey, had Jonathan’s story in mind when he said, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”
Samuel was the last living judge of Israel and a forerunner of Christ in that he held all three titles of prophet, priest and judge (king). He was so aware of God’s calling on his life that he didn’t need the people to ask him to pray for them. For him, failing to pray and preach would be sin. This would not be the sin of commission, but omission. Are we sometimes so focused on what we shouldn’t be doing that we miss doing what we should?
Answering anger with anger leads to escalation of hostilities. The wise person knows how to turn down the heat of confrontation with soft words. What words will you choose today? Words that stir up anger and division, or words that calm and lead to unity?
This is one of seven “I AM” statements of Jesus that John recorded. John loved sevens (the number of completion). In the Greek, Jesus used the emphatic “ἐγώ εἰμι” (ego eimi), which might be translated “I, I am.” To Jewish ears, this was a clear reference to God’s name, “Yahweh” (I AM). As for calling Himself bread, the Jews considered bread the main sustenance of life and the major symbol of both their release from Egypt (Passover bread) and survival in the wilderness (manna). Jesus is the fulfillment of both the manna and the Passover bread. For God gave Jesus to us, so that those who believed and received Him would have eternal life.
Samuel called the Israelites to Mizpah for an assembly of repentance and recommitment, but the Philistines heard about their gathering and attacked. God fought for Israel and they overcame for the first time in a generation. There, Samuel set up a large stone to remind them of God’s help, calling it Ebenezer or “stone of help.” Samuel understood that we are a forgetful people and need reminders. Some of us journal, writing it down when God rescues. Some carry a chip to commemorate their years of sobriety. Others compose a song, like “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” singing: “Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.” Do you have an “Ebenezer” to remember what God as done for you?
After she heard that her husband was killed and the ark was captured by the Philistines, the daughter-in-law of Eli went into labor. With her last breath she named her newborn son “Ichabod,” meaning “no glory,” and died. The ark represented God’s presence and glory. How could Israel be the people of God without His presence? Yet today, many may as well have “Ichabod” written over their doors, for they practice a form of religion, but God’s Spirit is not present. Before I preach every Sunday, I pray, “God, if you don’t show up, nothing happens! Lord, be present. Show us your glory. Let Your Word speak to us afresh!”