The Source of All Wisdom

So here's the story-  King Saul is the King of Israel.  He wants to kill David because the Lord has declared that David will become the King of Israel although David is not a member of Saul's family.  So, instead of following God and leading his people, Saul's life goal is to kill David.  


Well, that never happens and Saul ends up killing himself.  His grandson, Ishbosheth is declared King of Israel. But, David knew that God had promised the kingdom to him (David), and he knew that God would fulfill His promise in His own time.  


One day, two of David's men, Recab and Baanah, took it upon themselves to sneak into Ishbosheth's home and kill him during his afternoon nap.  They cut off his head and took it to David.  They told David, "Look!  Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you.  Today the Lord has given my lord the king revenge on Saul and his entire family!" (2 Samuel 4:8)


These men were on David's side.  They did this for him.  They told David that GOD had given them this  opportunity for revenge....that this was God's plan.  But it WASN'T.  And David was so connected with God that he knew it wasn't.  And so instead of going along with them and accepting this as God's will, he had them killed for murdering an innocent man.


This is a rather extreme story.  But, the point is, how often do we listen to what others tell us is God's will instead of trusting what God tells us Himself?  Many times we look to others for answers when we should be looking to God.  We often accept the advice and OPINIONS of Christian people as God's will.   


Yes, God can guide us through Christian friends but they are human and should never be relied on more than God.  If we are looking to God for guidance and direction we will find it through connecting with HIM through prayer and reading His Word.  Don't skip this essential connection to the Source of all wisdom.  

The Lord Looks at the Heart

The beginning of the book of 1 Samuel follows the reign of King Saul.  Geez, does this guy have his ups and downs with the Lord!  He continually tends to....shall we say..."modify" the Lord's instructions  to suit his desires and the desires of his people.  God is continually sending Samuel to get Saul back on track.  


Finally, enough was enough and Samuel told Saul "Since you have rejected the Lord's command, He has rejected you as king of Israel."   (1 Samuel 15:26)  He then informed Saul that God had chosen someone else to be king and that He would not change His mind.


And do you know what Saul's response was? It was this:
"Then Saul pleaded again, 'I know I have sinned.  But please, at least HONOR ME before the elders of my people and before Israel by coming back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God.'"             (1 Samuel 15:30)


WHAT???  Saul was more concerned about public opinion of him than he was about his personal relationship with God.  He wanted to make sure that the people still thought highly of HIM and that they still thought Samuel supported HIM and that they saw HIM publicly worship God. 


Terrible huh?  But....do I do that?  Do you?


I'd like to think not.  But, I do find this passage as a good reminder to evaluate my heart and my actions.  I don't just want to APPEAR close to God, I want to BE close to God.  Yeah, admittedly, everyone has a "behind the scenes" where we definitely aren't perfect.  But, in reality, if our actions and behaviors "behind the scenes" are oftentimes different from our actions and behaviors in public.... then we need to examine our hearts and our motives.  We need to be less concerned with who people THINK we are and more concerned with who we actually ARE.  Remember- "People judge by the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  (1 Samuel 16:7)


My prayer today:  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  (Psalm 139:23)