The Question-Will anyone come?

Samuel 11:1-3 

What an interesting proposition, the men of Jabesh-gilead were offered by Nahash the Ammonite.  Now a little geography to put these people in the proper place, Jabesh-gilead is about 20 miles south of the Sea of Galilee an east of the Jordan River.  Most of us at some time find ourselves in a mess, and it became clear the best way out was to pay tribute, it may be a compliment or honor of some sort, but it was not from the heart.  It may have been compensation so you could move on with your trip.  I have heard of people who knew the ticket they received was not warranted but to fight it would cost more, or disturb a journey, so they paid a fine they knew was not correct.

Well, Nahash the Ammonite had come to a reasonable distance into Israel and had laid siege to the area, and the people of Jabesh-gilead found themselves in a mess. This Ammonite was going to be a bother, and so they made a deal, we will be willing to pay tribute if you leave us alone.  I’m not sure they understood that’s like throwing gasoline on a fire, he knows you are not willing to fight.  That’s what Neville Chamberlain the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom did with Hitler.  Or moving up to 2012, and Obama's 'red line' failure assured a crisis in Syria and cost 14,000 lives.  Weakness always allows the bullies to have no fear of the outcome and in all three cases stated we had very weak men bringing others into peril.

Now I’m not sure they understood that Nahash, was one mean-spirited person, and I would put him in the same camp as Kim Jong Un of North Korea and the Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-Khamenei of Iran.  Evil has been with us since Cain killed Abel, that is not correct it began in heaven long before that when Lucifer set his heart on being like God.  And now we do not refer to him as Lucifer, but Satan and the devil, and Jesus tells us his goal is to kill, steal, and destroy, and he has entered into the men listed above to carry out his plan.

This was the offer Nahash made, maybe we need to begin in verse 1 and 2, “Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition, I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days' respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.”

Now I’m not sure about you, but this question entered my mind, were these men, if no one came to help, willing to give their sight?  Did I miss something?  Are the Ammonite’s more interested in bringing shame than on compensation and if no one comes to save them, will the people of Jabesh-gilead submit to having their eyes put out?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Passing the Buck

1 Samuel 14: 24-46

Signs of weakness in a leader are making vows, oaths or commands without weighing the full ramification of your actions.  We find Saul’s foolishness in verse 24, “And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food.”   

I hope you recall my disclaimer that I was a member of Uncle Sam’s Army, but I never saw myself as a soldier, much less a warrior.  When one engages in a battle, you are expending a lot of energy, and yet Saul gives the order not to take a break.  Do not stop for a quick spam break, they are referred to as MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) a long way from home cooked meals, but it will keep a soldier going.

One can only wonder what was going on in the mind of Saul, but you are going to see it backfire on him.  First, as a leader it was not all about him, it was about Israel and the people, but it reminds me of a President that took credit for what some brave Navy Seals accomplished.  It was Jonathan who followed the direction of the Lord; it was Jonathan that God honored and yet Saul wanted all the glory that was deserved by another.

It seems clear that Jonathan was Saul’s second choice in leadership, yet Saul did not include him in the giving of such a foolish order.  In fact, Jonathan did not know anything about an order until it was too late to address it with his dad.  So when he entered the forest, and the honey was dripping from the trees, and he ate the honey and had renewed energy.

One must assume that at some point Jonathan was informed of what his dad, the king had done and believed it to be a wrong decision, but he did not know how dangerous the command had been, till it was too late.

Now at the end of the day the people are rounding up the sheep and cattle, and because they are hungry they are going to kill and eat, but that is not in keeping with God’s command.  We find King Saul doing the right thing in building an altar, and the people bought and butchered their meat.

Now a wise leader does not take a vote to see what is popular with the people before moving on, but that is what Saul did.  But the priest said, let’s hear from God.  I’m sure you may have experienced what Saul is experiencing, God is quiet, and once more Saul is looking for someone other than self to blame.  And the lots were cast and the blame was between him and his son.  Jonathan is picked and tells his dad about the honey.  Saul is going to have him killed, but the people would not hear of it.  It is evident in Scripture that Jonathan never knew his dad had given such an order, and so in the eyes of God and man, he was not guilty.  When the people said, you are not going to kill Jonathan; I’m sure Saul was a happy man.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Are you willing to be the Spark?

1 Samuel 14:1-22

Reading the first 22 verses brought to mind a little song we sang in Lay Witness Mission; “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.”  

“It only takes a spark

To get a fire going

And soon all those around

Can warm up in its glowing

That’s how it is with God’s love

Once you’ve experienced it

You spread His love to everyone

You want to pass it on.“

Often God calls a person to be that spark, He may be calling you, and it seems the impossible mission but as Jonathan told his attendant, the one given the duty of carrying his armor; “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised.  It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”  That is what I would refer to as a spark of faith, not in man, but in a big God.  Now when you have that kind of faith in God others will be watching, and they will go with you, as did his armor carrier.  Verse seven, “And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart.  Do as you wish.  Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”

Now this is the part that many in the modern Church miss, Jonathan was getting his direction from the LORD, as revealed in verses 8-10, “Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.”  How we need God to send us Jonathans today, maybe you are one, if so pray for your armor-bearer.

This part of the story is acts of trust and faith, but not in self, but in the LORD.  Picking up the story in verses 11-15, “So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land. And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.”

The Lord has called the Church to come out of its hiding place and show the world the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!  Jesus has prayed for you in John 17:20-21, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Now prepared for Battle

 1 Samuel 13:16-23

I was a member of the United States Army, I went through Basic Training and spent six long years playing soldier in the National Guard, but I would not have considered myself a soldier, much less a warrior.  But I enjoy reading about soldiers, and I’ve been blessed to know a few, one is my friend Buddy Neubauer.  And I am sure that he and others would tell you that the element of surprise and having the high ground is essential, also knowing the location of your enemy.

We are told in verse 16 that Saul and about 600 men went to Geba of Benjamin, and the Philistines camped in Michmash.  Now Geba of Benjamin is only about two miles from Michmash where the Philistines encamped.  The Philistines had a large number of soldiers, and they were seasoned warriors, so they sent out raiding parties in three directions.  A good plan for the Philistines, but with so few men it became a big problem for Saul and his son Jonathan.

Now when you are engaging in battle, it is essential to have both men and weapons, and Israel was a little weak in both areas.  The Philistines knew what the progressive of our day understands, and it’s also whatever evil leader has done to control the people, take away the weapons and you can control the nation.  So what did the Philistines do, they removed the blacksmith from Israel and by doing so controlled who had weapons?  Much like what George Soros did trying to buy the makers of ammunition to control who got bullets?

So it is the day of the battle, and only Saul and Jonathan have a weapon, and His ragtag army is going to go into action with I’m assuming hoes and pitchforks.  This reminds me of my National Guard days where I had the pleasure of carrying a BAR, M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle.  Without ammunition its weight was over 16 lbs.  I never had any bullets nor did I ever fire an M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, I just got to carry it for miles over the hills and over dale, whatever that is. 

One day I made a big mistake, I ask Captain Melton, my close neighbor, and friend, when not playing soldier, if I could carry a stick and go up and down those hills at Fort Hood, and I learned that the Captain did not have an understanding of humor.  Anyway, I sure felt as if my training needed something, I’m sure it would have been of help to have fired the weapon that was assigned to me and learn how to assemble it and break it down in times of battle.

I can only imagine the thoughts going through the minds of Saul’s army, and you know the guys that are going against swords and spears with a hoe.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Disobedience/Consequence - Obedience/Blessings

1 Samuel 13:1-15

Have you given any thought to the task God has assigned to Saul, where does a nation that has never had a king send the new king, the very first king-to-king school?  That is thought provoking, did God set Saul up to fail, and was his model the nations that were trying to destroy Israel?

Do you recall God’s promise to the exiles in Jeremiah 29:10, that when the seventy years in Babylon are complete, God is going to restore them, and verse eleven is compelling.  “For I know the plans I have for you –this is the LORD’S declaration – plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  God never calls us to an empty life, He had a plan for Saul, and He has a plan for you.

In answer to the question above, God gave Samuel the duty of making sure the new King understood it was God who was running the show, but He would use Saul in the role of King as long as he honored God and kept the Commandments of God.  And he began right, but we never know what one will do when the battle lines form, and your people are hiding in caves and leaving the country not to be part of the fight.

Now you do understand King Saul is new to this king and battle stuff and the Philistines are good at it?  Saul retreats, giving the Philistines the high ground and almost cutting the country in half.  Even old Sergeant Rice knows you do not want to give away the high ground and Saul has been instructed to wait on Samuel, and when Samuel does not come in the seven days allowed, Saul takes the matter into his own hands.  In fear, King Saul crosses a line that God had set and does the role only Samuel was called to do, and it brought God’s anger upon him.

We find Samuel asking this question in verse 10-15, “Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. So Saul went out to greet him, and Samuel asked, “What have you done?”

Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days, and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, I thought: The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor. So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”

Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command which the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man loyal to Him, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

Disobedience comes as a consequence, and yet it seems that the Church has left that out of its doctrine.  But what is accurate with Saul is still true, rebellion brings curses, and obedience brings blessing.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Samuel recall of God's faithfulness

 1 Samuel 12:6-25

Samuel begins to recall the blessing of God and the sins of the people and how God always sent a person to rescue them.  He begins with Moses and Aaron and how after 400 years of slavery in Egypt God saved them.  Samuel is reminding them of all of God’s righteous deeds that He has performed for them and how they returned to little gods and how we keep doing so even now.

In that they traded the blessing of God for the idols of the nations around them, God would allow them to be placed into slavery.  In fact, it’s stronger than that  look at verses 9-10.  “But they forgot the Lord their God, so He handed them over to Sisera commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab. These enemies fought against them. Then they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, for we abandoned the Lord and worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the power of our enemies, and we will serve You.”  Have you noticed God is merciful and over and over He shows mercy to people who abandoned Him? 

Do you recall the judges God appointed to rescue His people, people like Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel; they delivered them out of the hands of their enemies?  But one would be foolish to believe they did it in their ability, it was God using their willingness and obedient heart.  God fought the battles!

Do you recall the cry of the people when they heard that Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against them and they asked Samuel for a king?  Here is Samuel’s response; “Now here is the king you’ve chosen, the one you requested. Look, this is the king the Lord has placed over you. If you fear the Lord, worship and obey Him, and if you don’t rebel against the Lord’s command, then both you and the king who rules over you will follow the Lord your God. However, if you disobey the Lord and rebel against His command, the Lord’s hand will be against you and against your ancestors.”  That all sounds great, surely they will meet and exceed​ this requirement.

The more I read Samuel I am convinced the USA needs a Samuel, listen to what he tells his people.  “Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. Isn’t the wheat harvest today? I will call on the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you committed in the Lord’s sight by requesting a king for yourselves.” Samuel called on the Lord, and on that day the Lord sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so we won’t die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of requesting a king for ourselves.”

Samuel replied, “Don’t be afraid. Even though you have committed all this evil, don’t turn away from following the Lord. Instead, worship the Lord with all your heart. Don’t turn away to follow worthless things that can’t profit or deliver you; they are worthless. The Lord will not abandon His people, because of His great name and because He has determined to make you His own people.

“As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. I will teach you the good and right way. Above all, fear the Lord and worship Him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things He has done for you. However, if you continue to do what is evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”  That is the message that must be preached in the USA, in that we as a people do not fear the Lord.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Reflecting

 1 Samuel 12:6-25

I find myself reflecting on many things, and often it seems to bring up the many-bought lessons in my life.  A time where I was foolish, self-centered, a poor dad and husband, and even not a good friend, and I often reflect on the wasted time of my youth.  But that is not what Samuel is calling the assembly of the tribes of Israel together for; it is to reveal all the righteous acts God had performed, in their lives and the lives of their ancestors.

So shall we do just that, it is early in the morning and how I feel the need for sleep, for tomorrow is the third day of VBS, and it has been a challenging first two days?  But I’m excited for I also am being reminded of the righteous acts God has performed in my life and my ancestors. 

On my dad’s side of the family, what a heritage to give praise for his cousin John R. Rice and Bill Rice, both men used by God in our recent history.  And I can only assume that our history has many who went before and have come after who God has used as world changers.  On the Rice’s and the Golden’s side we have men who were pastors and teachers.  And that brings me to how grateful I am for my mother and dad, who had little of this world’s stuff but were rich in reading the Scriptures and telling us about Jesus and His love.

I, like the chosen people of Israel, can praise God as the Psalmist has done in Psalm 139:16,17, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!”  What a blessing to have been born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and raised with the knowledge that my choices had consequences, both good and bad.  What a blessing to be taught as a child that work was a good thing and that God honored and placed us on earth to work.  And I, like the people of Israel, became a slave, not to Egypt a physical place but to my Egypt that is a spiritual place.  That my independence of God and His authority lead me into spiritual slavery and I like the children of Egypt stayed there for many years.

But God who saw my unformed body and numbered my days sent preachers and teachers and then businessmen who led me out of my spiritual slavery and I met Jesus, and He came into me and I into Him.  That is some of the righteous acts God has performed in my life.  Tomorrow we will look at what God did for his people in 1 Samuel 12:6-25.  

Do you reflect on what God has done in your past, and what He is up to in the now, if not begin to day, and give thanks.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice