WHEN YOU’RE ANGRY OR DISAPPOINTED WITH GOD…

In I Samuel 15, the story of Israel's first king - Saul - is continued.

His beginning was tough; when they looked for him to crown him king, he was found hiding in a pile of baggage. After a significant victory in leading Israel to defeat the Ammonites, Saul rallied his forces to take on the Philistines. He became impatient waiting for Samuel to arrive and make a sacrifice, so Saul built an altar and was making the sacrifice when Samuel arrived! Shocked at Saul's actions, Samuel said to him: "That was a fool thing to do...God is out looking for your replacement right now." [I Samuel 13:13-14 All quotes from The Message Bible unless otherwise noted].

Thanks to Jonathan's (Saul's son) intervention and initiative, Saul and the Israelites are able to defeat the Philistines - in spite of a number of bad judgments and decisions by Saul!

Next, Samuel told King Saul to lead his men against the Amalekites with specific instructions to kill ["utterly destroy"] "men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys - the works" [I Samuel 15:3]. But Saul does not kill the king and he allows his men to keep the best of the sheep and the cattle.

That's when God spoke to Samuel saying, "I'm sorry I ever made Saul king. He's turned his back on me. He refuses to do what I tell him" [v.11].

OBSERVE SAMUEL’S RESPONSE: “Samuel was angry when he heard this. He prayed his anger and disappointment all through the night. Then He got up early in the morning to confront Saul…” [vs.11-12]

This frequently read-over and typically ignored passage is actually amazingly instructive for us to read and heed!

Although the context isn’t perfectly clear, it appears that Samuel is frustrated that God is giving up on Saul. As God’s spokesperson, Samuel has to carry God’s messages and deliver them! Confronting a king can be a dangerous thing to do!

But Samuel is wise! He spends an entire night praying through his feelings and fears. By morning, he seems to have settled the matter with God and goes to deliver a message to Saul that Saul definitely DOESN’T WANT TO HEAR!

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Have you been angry with God?

Have you felt that He’s let go of the wheel?

Have there been times when you felt that He left you abandoned?

Have you cried out to Him but felt like there was an iron shield between you and Him?

Has bitterness taken root in your mind and heart?

Have you given up and walked away?

Most of us have been there a time or two – some may feel that they’ve lived in this state for far too long!

HERE’S THE LESSON WE ALL NEED TO LEARN:

You can’t make up with someone without talking to them!

There it is!  It’s that simple! Samuel spent the night praying through his anger and disappointment!

When’s the last time you did something like that?

Remind yourself that God loves you and will not turn away from you.  Jesus paid the price for your sin to be forgiven!

Remember being told to put your name into John 3:16?  Do it now:

For God so loved _________ __________

that He gave His only begotten Son, that [if] _________ __________

believes in Him [s/he] shall not perish,

but _________ __________ [shall] have eternal life.

Don’t be angry with God!

Don’t allow the enemy of your soul to talk you into being disappointed with God!

Take your cue from Samuel and talk through the issues with God! He will NEVER hang up on you!

RECOGNIZING GOD’S VOICE!

I’ve read that an unborn baby learns to recognize the voice of it’s mother – and even possibly it’s father. I remember getting close to Deb’s tummy and talking to each of our kids before they were born.

When I was allowed to start sitting apart from my parents during worship, I learned the sound of my dad’s finger-snap.  I could distinguish it from the finger-snap sound of every other man in the church! If I missed his signal – or ignored it – he would come and take me to the basement. You don’t want to go to the basement with my dad! 

But let’s face it, recognizing the voice of an ‘unseen other’ is a challenge!

Growing up in the church – as I did [almost literally 🙄] – I became adept even as a child at sensing the presence of God! Even while I was quite young, I frequently had a sense of my sinfulness and responded by going to the altar to pray! I was blessed to grow up in a church where we frequently experienced the presence of God!

When I responded in such a way as a seventeen-year-old senior in high school, I received my ‘call’ to ministry! Clearly, I was learning to discern God’s voice! 

I also remember the first time that God showed me something special in His Word! I was reading the book of the Acts of the Apostles. When I came to the martyrdom of Stephen in chapter 7, I felt God helping me to realize that almost everywhere in scripture, Jesus was described as being “seated at the right hand of God”. However, in verse 55 it tells us that Stephen “being full of the Holy Spirit gazed into heaven – as he was being stoned to death – and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”  It was clear to me - in that precise moment - that Jesus was standing as a sign of welcoming to Stephen as he breathed his last breaths on earth and entered Heaven! I believed that God had directed my thinking in that moment to give me a personal insight into His Word!

Over my years as a pastor and teacher, I’ve heard many others tell similar stories of discerning God’s voice in a personal way!

Some of us were blessed to be born into homes where our thinking was directed toward God early in our lives! But fortunately God will speak to anyone who is willing to learn to discern His voice!

This process is described to us in a childlike way in the first three chapters of I Samuel.  You really need to read it for yourself to get the whole, wonderful story!

The gist of it is that Samuel is born to his mother after a direct appeal to God by a previously barren woman! In response to his birth, she dedicates him to the Lord and allows him to be raised in the temple area under the direct supervision of the high priest at that time – Eli.

Young Samuel actually slept in a bed in the Temple of God, where the Chest of God rested [3:3  -  All quotes from The Message Bible unless otherwise noted]. One night – as he slept – God called out to him: Samuel, Samuel!

Samuel answered, Yes? I’m here [v.4]. Then he ran to Eli saying, I heard you call. Here I am [v.5]. Eli hadn’t called Samuel. So he sent him back to his bed.

A second time, God called out to the young boy: Samuel, Samuel! [v.6].  Again, Samuel responded by running to Eli. Once again, Eli sent him back to his bed.

A third time, God called out: Samuel, Samuel!  And, of course, once again the boy ran to the high priest. This time, however, Eli realized that it must be God calling to the child. He sent Samuel back to bed with the instructions: Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, ‘Speak, GOD. I’m your servant, ready to listen.’

When God called again to Samuel, he responded as he had been taught by Eli, and God delivered a very special message to the boy that would directly impact the high priest and his family.

The point is that Samuel – like all of us – had to learn to discern the voice of God! 

AND HE DID!

Samuel grew up to be one of the greatest judges/prophets of the Old Testament! He anointed both Saul and David as the first kings over Israel! He ministered God’s instructions and grace to the people of Israel for many years.

But like all of us – HE HAD TO LEARN TO RECOGNIZE THE VOICE OF GOD!

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This same message applied to another great Old Testament prophet named Elijah.

Now Elijah did many mighty things at the hand of God! After one of his greatest contests with King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, Elijah killed hundreds of their prophets of Baal and Ashtorah. Then, he was suddenly overcome with fear and fled into the wilderness where God comforted him.

Eventually, God directed Elijah to go to the top of Mt. Carmel with the promise that He would speak to Elijah there.

When he arrived, there was a great hurricane of tremendous wind; but God did not speak through the hurricane.

Then came a great earthquake; but God did not speak through the earthquake.

Finally, a great fire swept across the mountain as Elijah watched from his cave. But God did not speak through the fire.

When everything finally settled down, God spoke to Elijah in a gentle and quiet whisper!

When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great coat and went to the mouth of the cave [I Kings 19.13] where God gave him specific instructions about his future ministry!

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Have you heard the voice of God?

Have you learned to discern His voice?

If, indeed, it is a still, quiet voice – do you ever quiet yourself enough to be able to  hear it?

TAKE NOTE!

God loves you!

When you begin to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit wants to direct your life too!

In spite of the fact that we have free will, we are not here simply to pursue our own agendas. We are here to serve the greater purposes of a kind and gracious God! You can be SURE that He will direct your path in a way that will positively impact others and encourage them to also serve God and His purposes.

Have you realized this yet?

GOD WANTS TO USE YOU TO IMPACT HIS WORLD WITH HIS GRACE AND PEACE!

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Now, go back to bed. And the next time God calls to you, say: SPEAK GOD! I’M YOUR SERVANT – READY TO LISTEN!

God only knows how your responsiveness and obedience might impact those in your sphere of influence!

TURNING TO A COUNSELOR

While reading I Samuel 1, I noticed an incident of pastoral counseling. 

Hannah is barren.  Her husband, Elkanah, loves her dearly.  However, Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, taunts Hannah relentlessly. 

Hannah is distraught.

On a yearly trip to worship God and make sacrifices, Hannah “slipped away quietly and entered the sanctuary."  Eli is on duty at the time. 

“Crushed in soul, Hannah prayed to GOD and cried and cried – inconsolably.  Then she made a vow” that if God answered her prayer for a son, she would dedicate the son to the Lord’s service! 

Now, her praying was silent – only her lips moved.  Eli was watching and assumed that she was drunk.  He began to reprimand her. 

She explained her situation, “Don’t for a minute think that I’m a bad woman.  It’s because I’m so desperately unhappy and in such pain that I’ve stayed here so long.” 

Eli answered her, “Go in peace.  And may the God of Israel give you what you have asked of him.”

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It’s a brief encounter between a suffering woman and a leader who has a pastor’s heart.  

She is hurting deeply and, in desperation, cries out to God. 

The pastor/counselor intervenes – even if out of a misunderstanding of the situation. 

She explains her plight to him.  He listens attentively and sees the depth of her pain. 

She tells him of the vow she’s just made.

He senses her sincerity. 

Having completely bared herself to him, he offers her consolation and the peace of God, adding his own prayer that her cry will be answered by Almighty God! 

Upon returning home, Elkanah sleeps with Hannah and she conceives a son.  Samuel [‘I asked God for him’] is born within the year.  She nurtures him for several years and then takes him to Eli to enter the service of God! 

Samuel becomes the last ‘Judge’ of Israel and a great prophet who anoints the first two kings of Israel:  Saul and David! 

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Over the years, since obtaining my counseling degree, I’ve been privileged to work with hundreds of couples, many families and individuals!  Some of those relationships were brief, others long-lasting.  Some of these relationships were beneficial, producing greater health, satisfaction and new direction. 

I wasn’t always able to connect with people.  I’ve consistently taught that there are many factors involved in connecting with a counselor.  If one isn’t able to help, don’t give up!  Try again with a different counselor!  They vary in skill, personality, approach, experience, and compassion – trying only one is potentially depriving yourself of the help you so desperately need! 

I’ve personally turned to counselors a number of times in my life and have been helped by their intervention. 

It can be very rewarding to gain a new perspective on your situation and be given previously unconsidered options for your problem or dilemma.  

Regaining a sense of understanding and balance in your life is vitally satisfying!  Peace is restored.  Joy is renewed.  Hope is re-ignited.  Prayers are answered.  Thanks be to God! 

DO NOT DECEIVE YOURSELVES

This title is Paul's advice to us from I Corinthians 3:18.  The slope of self-deception is slippery and all of us find ourselves sliding down it from time to time.  It's a human frailty to hold others to a higher standard than we hold ourselves to.  

Henrietta Mears writes:  

"Everyone has four faces - one the world knows, one our friends know, one we know ourselves, one God knows.  Paul describes this in I Corinthians 4.  There are three courts before which we stand:

People - 4:3

Our own conscience - 4:3

Jesus Christ - 4:4" 

There's a regression in these steps:

1. People in the world think I'm ok.
2. My friends think I'm a pretty good guy.
3. I know the truth and am aware of the evil thoughts that can consume me.
4. God knows the truth and whether or not I'm serious about being His man.

In facing this reality, Paul faces squarely what it means to be human and reminds us why we need confession as a part of our daily prayers.  

We have a natural tendency to let ourselves off the hook for those

• inappropriate thoughts
• feelings of jealousy and envy
• times when we simply say 'No' to God's leadings
• lustful imaginations
• longings for vengeance
• hateful attitudes
• etc.

We compare ourselves to others and think, "I'm not so bad."   

But the problem is:  We're not compared to others;  we're held against the standard of God's holiness!  

I know:  it doesn't seem fair!  It's an unattainable goal!  Only God is holy!  How can we be expected to meet such a goal?  I can't help these thoughts and feelings.  They're part of being human.  

I've lost the source for this quote:  "I may not be able to stop a thought from flying through my mind;  but I can prevent it from landing and making a nest."  

Keep in mind that God has made provision for our stubbornness and sinfulness:  it's called forgiveness.  All God requires is that we ask for it.  I John 1:9 begins with the words, If we confess our sin...

Clearing the slate daily is the best course of action!  Our problem - in the cluttered culture of the 21st century - is that this process takes deliberateness and time.  You can't very well do it on-the-run.  

So, we must find a few moments each day to get in His presence and allow Him to clean our conscience.  This may mean:

• eating lunch alone instead of with the crowd
• using the drive-time to work
• rising a few minutes earlier than usual
• pulling away from the television for a few minutes in the evening
• kneeling at our bed before climbing into it
• be creative - you can find your own moments for quiet introspection!

The Apostle Paul enjoyed knowing that God had cleaned his conscience:

Acts 20:26,27,33-34 (NASB)

Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.  For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God…I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.  You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.

Samuel also was proud that he had lived a clean life:

I Samuel 12:2-4 (NIV) 

As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”

“You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”

“He is witness,” they said.

These were not super-spiritual men;  they were mere human beings!  Just like us!  If they could do it - so can we!  

"Lord, I yield myself to thee, All I am or hope to be - Now and thru eternity, With thy Spirit fill me."  - Oswald J. Smith (1940)

 

SAMUEL'S SONS

I've always been intrigued by the biblical record of Samuel.  From his mother's pleading for a son to his miraculous birth to his strange rise to authority in Israel as the last judge and great prophet.  To read about him, look at the early chapters of I Samuel - a book that bears his name.

Here's a quick review:

• His mother was loved by her husband, but he also had another wife who was bearing him children, while Hannah was barren.
• During an annual trip to Shiloh, she cried out to God asking for a son and promising to give him to the Lord.
• Eli, the high priest, saw her lips moving as she prayed in her heart and accused her of being drunk.  She explained and he offered her hope that her prayer had been heard.
• She quickly became pregnant and was joyful.  
• After weaning the child, she presented him to Eli to serve in the temple explaining to Eli that he was the child she had prayed for.
• Eli's sons - priests under Eli's direction - were evil due to bullying, ritual abuse and sexual immorality.  Eli tried to restrain them, but they ignored him.
• God called young Samuel one night and gave him a judgment concerning Eli's failure to restrain his sons.
• Shortly after, Eli's sons and Eli died on the same day after a major battle with the Philistines.

I Samuel 3:19-21 (NIV) records:

The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

Samuel went on to anoint Saul as the first king of Israel.  Then, when Saul didn't please the Lord, Samuel followed the Lord's direction and anointed David - the youngest son of Jesse - as the next king of Israel.

As a testimony to his faithfulness, God saw to it that Samuel's 'Farewell Speech' was recorded for us in His Word:  [I Samuel 12:1-5 (NIV)]

Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”

"You have not cheated or oppressed us," they replied.  "You have not taken anything from anyone's hand."

 Samuel said to them, "The LORD is witness against you and also his anointed is witness this day;  that you have not found anything in my hand."

 “He is witness,” they said.

This was a highly revered man in the history of Israel, and God used him in signifcant ways to bless the nation of Israel.  Thanks be to God!

However, in chapter 8, we read:  [vs.1-3]

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders.  The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba.  But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. 

How is it that these two godly men - Eli and Samuel - served the nation faithfully, but lost their sons spiritually?

We already know that Eli was simply too tolerant.  He spoke to his sons about their evil ways, but failed to restrain them.  He was soft when it came to his sons.  He had the authority to remove them as priests, but failed to do so.  He apparently wasn't willing to get in their faces and demand compliance.

But what about Samuel?  Was he just on-the-road too much?  Away from home?  Left their mother (never mentioned) to raise them?  Was he effective in the nation but weak in the family?  Did he fail to kick a ball with them.  Did he miss their activities and achievements?  Did he fail to express his love for them?  Did he bounce them on his knee?  Take them for walks?  Include them in his journeys?  Pray over them?  Pray with them?

We'll never know...

Samuel's legacy was well-established - that's clear!  However, it didn't get carried into the next generation - that's sad!

Fathering is hard work!  It takes diligence and T-I-M-E!  It take focus and focused attention!

Now, my kids are raised and most of my fathering is finished now.  I've entered the 'consultant stage'.  😊  But for those of you who are still on-the-job, regardless the age of your kids, I'd suggest you look for opportunities to use these four phrases with your kids when you can do it honestly:

1. "I love you!"  
2. "I'm proud of you!"
3. "You did a good job!"
4. "You can be anything you want to be!"

One last thing:  remember the value of touch and make sure you maximize its positive impact!  

Pass on your legacy - don't let it end with you!