Life after Failure - 1 Sam 12

Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
– 1 Sam 12:20

Choices.  We’ve been talking about them a lot recently.  Specifically how our enemy, the devil, will attempt to connive or intimidate us into making a bad choice. Satan will use every trick in his little book of tricks to cause us to make a choice that will bring pain and affliction into our lives, and then he’ll use that choice against us and tell us what a failure we are as Christians.  (Man, I hate that guy!)   

Then last week we looked at the rescue of Jabesh Gilead, and how that is a picture of how God is willing and able to come to our rescue when we call upon His name, even after a bad choice.  An awesome truth for sure!  One of the promises we learned was from Lamentations:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” – Lam 3:22-24

(Interestingly, Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah as he lamented the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar; God’s punishment upon Israel for their disobedience)

But what about those choices we make that we cannot undo? Some things just cannot be ‘undone.’ There is no delete button in life.  What happens in the aftermath of a wrong choice that sets in motion permanent changes in our life that we cannot undo?  Is there life after failure?

1 Samuel chapter 12 gives us hope in that situation.  Not a fairy-tale hope that time will be erased, and our life restored to be exactly the way it was before; but hope that God will once again move and work in our lives.  Hope that He will form new lives for us that can be a blessing to us and to others.  New lives where we can live for Him and enjoy the blessing and peace that only God can give to us.

We may not be able to erase the mistakes of our past, and we may have to live in the reality of that choice for the rest of our life on earth.  That husband or wife may never return.  That person we wronged may never forgive us.  But if we will turn to the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all of our hearts, He will give us new life that will glorify Him.  I don't know about you, but that is a promise that gives me hope!

Join us Sunday for “Life after failure”

…till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

...and God gave him a new heart. 1 Sam 10:9

So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart. – 1 Sam 10:9

In 1 Samuel chapter 11 Saul is going to encounter the first test of his kingship, when Nahash the Ammonite comes to Jabesh Gilead, which was on the east side of the Jordan river.  (This area was where the tribe of Reuben and Gad had settled, sort of “the other side of the river”)

Now, some 400 years later, they need help – Nahash is telling them “hey, you submit to me, and by the way I’m gonna gouge out your right eye just for good measure!” So, yea these guys need some help, and so they send messengers out to find Saul. Saul better be ready for action.

Which is why I go back to 1 Sam 10:9, because as we noted last week:  before we can fulfill the call of God on our life, God has to give us a new heart! See, if this part of us does not belong to God, then God is hindered from being able to move powerfully in our life.  Sure, He can guide us to the right place at the right time through circumstances and lost donkeys, but that is not the same as having His power in our lives. 

…but if we will surrender our heart to God, allow Him to give us a new heart, then we are able to be powerfully moved by His Spirit.

…and if we are submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives, God is then able to work in a powerful and meaningful way in our lives.

…calling us to tasks that are beyond our comfort zone. 

…empowering us to do things that are beyond our ability. 

And that is where Saul is on this day, he is about to be called upon to do something he’s never done before, something he would not be able to do on his own, and as preparation, what does God do? God gave him another heart.

And what happens after that? He has an encounter with a two groups of men…

One group are carrying some interesting supplies: a sacrifice, some bread, and some wine.  (hmm what does that sound like?)

And another group is doing something also interesting: they are playing music, worshiping God, and prophesying, or speaking the things of the Lord.

Hmmm, a sacrifice, bread, wine, worship, moving of the Holy Spirit, what does that make me think of?

It makes me think of our communion service, coming up this Sunday at Calvary of Wilmington.  Don’t miss it!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

PWNED!

1 Samuel 4: Epilogue

After the terrible outcome in the battle between Israel and the Philistines chronicled in 1 Samuel 4, it would seem that Israel was done for.  They had been defeated on the battlefield, they had lost thirty four thousand men (which doesn’t even count the wounded), the High Priest and his two sons were dead, and worst of all: The holy ark of the Lord had been captured by the Philistines.  I can imagine that the people were pretty depressed. The scene in 1 Sam 4:19-22 says it all:  “[Ichabod] The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

But in the midst of this terrible situation, something rather incredible is about to happen. You see, when things look terrible, when it looks as though life as we know it is finished, there is one thing we need to always remember:  God is not finished! God is always working, always moving, in spite of the circumstances. God is about to reveal Himself: To the Philistines, and to Israel, if they’ll listen.

One of my boys likes to play video games, and he's pretty sick (in other words, he's really good). During a game when he totally dominates an opponent, the appropriate term to describe the victory is "PWNED" (sounds like "owned" but with a "P").  It basically means "to own" or to totally dominate an opponent or situation, as if by some god-like force (E.G. "dude, you've been PWNED!).

So the ark is now in the possession of the Philistines, but it doesn’t turn out quite the way the Philistines expected.  The Philistines had brought the ark and placed it into the temple of their main god, Dagon.  Sort of a victory thing, as in "our God took out your god!" But once the ark is placed into the temple, let’s just say PWNED is the right word to describe what happens next.

Join us Sunday for 1 Samuel 5-7, “PWNED!”

... till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay