Hi, my name is Dale. My wife Cathy and I are part of the Elder Team and also on the Mission Team. We have had the privilege of traveling to India several times to visit the children at Asha in Delhi and Kolkata whom Riverside sponsor.
The passages you are going to read today are 1 Samuel 3:19-21, 1 Samuel 8:1- 9, 1 Samuel 9:15-17, and 1 Samuel 15:1-26.
These passages tell the story of Israel once again wanting to do things their own way instead of God’s way. Samuel, a prophet of God, is approached by the Elders of Israel demanding that they have a king like all of the other nations. This troubles Samuel greatly, so he prays to the Lord. The Lord tells him to listen to their demands but to warn them of what a king will ultimately require of them. Samuel warns them that eventually the king will demand all of their possessions that he desires, and will make them his slaves. Despite hearing this, the Elders refuse to listen. Ultimately the Lord tells Samuel to grant them their demand.
Later God tells Samuel that Saul is the man who should govern his people. Saul becomes king and is commanded to attack the Amalekites for what they have done to Israel. He is told to destroy the whole city and to spare nothing. Saul disobeys God and instead of destroying everything, he destroys only those things that are despised and weak, and keeps the things that are good for himself. When confronted by Samuel, Saul first denies that he disobeyed, and then points the blame to others, leading to rejection by God.
These passage show that even though God our Heavenly King knows what is best, he gives us free will to choose our own path. We will bear the consequences of those choices.
Now do the Know, Be, Do method of studying the chapter.
- KNOW (What does the text say about God?)
- BE (What does the text say about us?)
- DO (What is the text calling me/us to do?)