Today's Treasure:
"Samuel said to Saul, 'Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?'
" 'I am in great distress,' Saul said. 'The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do' "
1 Samuel 28:15
Okay, this chapter made my head spin for quite a while!!! I think Beth did a fabulous job of explaining the chapter, but I would love to read more in-depth research on this one. I think I am going to make that a project of mine in the near future. If anyone out there has some commentary on this chapter...please share!!! I would love to hear it because I was thinking "what the heck is going on" for most of it. Then Beth opened my eyes to a few things, and it was easier to accept. At first, I could not believe that Samuel could ever be brought up by a medium. Then, when she explained that the medium was probably a fake and God was using the opportunity for Samuel to speak to Saul, I felt kind of stupid. So let's get on with it...
Psalm 115:3 is the perfect introduction and theme for our lesson today. Read this marvelous verse and paraphrase it on the line below.
God is sovereign and can do as He pleases!!!
Read 1 Samuel 28. Record the action Saul had previously taken according to verse 3. "Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land."
Which one of the following words best describes Saul's response when he saw the Philistine army?
Terror
When the Lord did not answer Saul by "dreams or Urim or prophets," what did he ask his attendants to do?
Find him a woman that is a medium
What did Saul want the woman from Endor to do for him?
Consult a certain spirit and bring him up (Samuel)
Why do you think the woman might have cried out at the top of her voice when she saw Samuel?
As Beth explains, probably because she was an imposter. She couldn't believe that a spirit actually came when she attempted to bring him up.
In what ways did the woman at Endor describe the man in the vision, convincing Saul it was Samuel?
He was old, and he was wearing a robe
According to the prophet Samuel, why did God refuse to answer Saul?
Because Saul did not carry ut the Lord's wrath on the Amalekites...remember back in 1 Samuel 15. Saul decided to keep the best of the livestock for a burnt offering...
What two prophecies did Samuel issue to Saul?
The army of Israel would be handed over to the Philistines, and Saul and his sons would die the next day. Okay, did all of you wonder about Jonathan like I did?
Does God seem a little unfair to you at first in His lack of response to Saul? Why or why not?
Are you kidding me? I have a very difficult time feeling any sympathy for this man. He has been given opportunity after opportunity to repent and confess his sins. He has been witness to the work of the Lord through David, and he still does not repent. He saw how the Lord blessed David in everything because David respected and loved Him. Yet, he still tried to kill the Lord's anointed. He even tried to kill his own son. No, I did not feel God was unfair. He gave Saul his chance(s).
Isaiah 59: 1 - 3 says:
"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things."
I think that just about sums it up for Saul, huh
In your opinion, what is the difference between can't and won't hear?
God knows the heart of the individual. That is the beautiful thing about the initimacy of the believer and God. However, he also knows if the heart is evil. He knows every hair on our head. Surely, He must know every aspect of our heart and spirit. God knows when we are truly repenting of sin and willing to trust in Him.
Have you ever experienced the silence of God only to realize He was waiting for you to confront an issue of sin?
Yes - I felt such a need to repent to God and the person I sinned against
Beth points out that Saul is an example of bad leadership. When we don't take God too seriously, others don't take our leadership too seriously. Stop and think about this for a minute. Think about all of the people you have worked for in your life or people that have attempted to lead you. Didn't you respect the people that had the characteristics of a Christ follower? If you think about what makes certain people good leaders, can't you equally compare this to how they live their lives outside of that position?
In Deuteronomy 18: 10 - 12 what does God's Word say about spiritists and mediums?
They are detestable to the Lord and because of them the Lord will drive out the nations.
It is important to note this part of the study. Saul was very aware of the Word of God. He followed the commands of the Lord early on. Then, his power and greed made him arrogant and sel-serving. Have you ever set out on a mission with God as the center of everything. Then, when it was convenient, you kind of put God to the side while you did what you wanted. How many times in our lives do we put God first when we really need him. Then, as we get back on our feet, we start to put Him aside so we can please the flesh. How about when we gossip, or see an R-rated movie?
Share a personal experience of a time when, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, you abstained from something only to return to it later?
Well, a while back I decided that I was going to spend one day a week without the telephone. I decided that it was a distraction for me, and that I needed to dedicate one day a week to listening to God and focusing on my duties as a wife and mother. Can you believe I actually had friends that would still call me on that day (knowing that it was the day I set aside for the Lord). They would get frustrated with me for not calling them back or leave messages that would "beep" on my machine. This forced an obvious distraction. I eventually became very frustrated and gave up. What I should have done was stand more firm to my calling.
Read James 4:17. How does this verse apply to Saul and us?
Saul knew the difference between right and wrong. He chose to do wrong. So it was sin!!! Keep this in mind everyone!!
Look back on 1 Samuel 15: 27. Why might that old robe have seemed familiar to Saul?
When Samuel confronted Saul about the Amalekites, he told Saul that God had taken Israel from him that day and given it to a neighbor. Saul reached for Samuel (in desperation) and tore his robe as Samuel left.
This chapter ends with Samuel telling Saul that Israel would fall to the Philistines and Saul and his sons would die the next day. Can you imagine. Saul is so tormented by the news that he refuses to eat until his men convince him to in order to keep up his strength.
I hope each of you took time to read this chapter. It is so interesting to me. I will update you with info I receive about this chapter in the near future...
Don't forget about the prayer vigil for Scott. Pray for Edith and my white blood cell counts. I am off to Duke in the morning. I just love knowing that all of you are praying for me.
I love you
Tiffany Pate
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