KinesisOnline

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Reading: 1 Samuel 12:1-14:52

Focus: 1 Samuel 12:1-15

We constantly say, “learn from the past…learn from the mistakes of history…” Yet, how often do we repeat the mistakes of the past? Most of the time, we don’t realise it till it’s too late. Over and over, we make the same mistakes that our parents made, that our grandparents made, that people keep making throughout history. We just don’t learn out lesson and we continue to just putting ourselves into the same, difficult, trying situations.

As it was coming towards the end of his timing serving Israel, Samuel gave them some departing words. He summarised their history, their heritage as God’s chosen people, recounting a few selected events that reminded them of God’s deliverance in the past (from Egypt) and in recent history (from Moab). There were certainly more that Samuel could have reminded them of, but at this point in time, he wanted to remind them that God had been faithful to them and would deliver them in their hour of need—only if they would fear God and obey Him.

Our past, our history, our heritage has a lot for us to stand upon. It is what we stand on, what we have come from, what has moulded us into the people we are today—for better or for worse. However, it still gives us the opportunity to learn from past mistakes and to grow. The choice is ours, whether we choose to learn and grow, or to continue in our old ways and continue making the same mistakes, over and over again.

Next Reading: 1 Samuel 15:1-17:31

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Reading: 1 Samuel 8:1-11:15

Focus: 1 Samuel 8:6-9

As people, as physical beings, we desire tangible objects to associate and interpret our world. The basis of science is the observable world, not the invisible and intangible—that which is intangible remains under the category of “theory”. Even in the search to understand the invisible and intangible, it is through the tangible which it is interpreted…which can cause a few problems because they are often nothing alike. The invisible and intangible is a state that can’t be paralleled with the tangible. Yet, we will try, try as we might, to parallel the known with the unknown.

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Reading: 1 Samuel 3:19-7:17

Focus: 1 Samuel 5:1-5

It is somewhat difficult to apprehend how people see the truth before their very eyes and still refuse to accept the truth before them. We live in a world that is slowly decaying and being destroyed by our way of life, yet there are still people who refuse to believe that we are doing any serious damage. We live in a world where in some countries, the stories of genocide, war, conquest are suppressed from being revealed. We live in a world where slave labour, child prostitution and pornography, desperate poverty are all before us, yet still people think that these things don’t happen anymore. For some, the reality of God stands before them, yet their hearts are hard and refuse to accept the truth.

Flashback a couple of thousand years to the time of Samuel, the Israelites have been defeated and had the Ark of God captured by the Philistines. The Philistines place the Ark in their temple beside the idol of their god, most likely as a symbol that the god of the Philistines had defeated the God of the Israel. However, the next morning as they entered into the temple of their god, they found the idol prostituted facedown before the Ark. They restored the idol to its place, only for it happen against the next day, but this time with its head and hands broken off.

What gets me though is that these people didn’t think to recognise the God of Israel as greater than their god. Instead, they send the Ark through various cities in their land, only to have their leaders and people affected by a plague of tumours. In the end, they resort to return the Ark to the people of Israel. Right before them was a testimony that their god was weak and powerless before the God of Israel, rather than rejecting their own god, they simply took the God of Israel out of the picture.

Let me fast forward a few generations to the time of Jonah. Here, Jonah, an Israelite received the call from God to go and prophesy against the nation of Nineveh. However, in his hatred for the people, heads the opposite direction finding himself on a ship going as far away as possible. Upon the journey, a storm arose that threatened to destroy the ship. The sailors all called out to their own gods while Jonah slept below. One of the men woke him up and pleaded with him to call upon his God—which so happens to be the God of Israel. They cast lots to find the one at fault for the storm and it lands upon Jonah. Lost for how to rectify their situation, Jonah told them to throw him over the boat and the moment they had done so, the storm grew calm. As a result, we are told that “the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.” (Read Jonah 1 for the full story.)

When it comes to things regarding God there is a need for the Spirit’s work and faith, I don’t deny that. However, on the same note, we have been created with eyes to see, minds to perceive and hearts to feel. Surely, if one would only stop to see and perceive what is before them, hearts would be stirred to realise that there is something more in this world that simply what is. Even more so for Christians, quit avoiding the facts before you and do something about it.

Next Reading: 1 Samuel 8:1-11:15

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Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1-3:18

Focus: 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 21-28

The name Samuel means “heard of God” and it is apt given that the birth of Samuel was an answer to his mother’s prayer. His mother, Hannah, was barren but continued to pray that God would bless her with a son, a son which she would then offer back to the Lord to serve before Him all the days of her son’s life. Such a prayer seems contradictory, to ask God for something, only to offer it back to Him. However, that is exactly what happened, Hannah was blessed with the birth of Samuel and he was offered back to God for service in the Temple all the days of his life before God.

We rarely find a like-minded situation in today’s society. It simply doesn’t make much sense, why would we ask something of God, only to give it back? Or does it…? Let’s just paint a few scenarios:

1. God, please provide me with a new job, so that I might be able to finance your kingdom’s work.
2. God, please provide me with a car, so that I can help those without transportation.
3. God, please help me find the right house, so that it can be a place of hospitality, love and refuge.

Three quick examples of how one may take a different perspective on how God’s blessings and provisions can be dedicated in His service. Likewise, these three examples can be turned for personal gain and satisfaction with total disregard for God’s purposes and glory.

Everything that God gives us, ultimately, still belongs to Him. Our bank accounts, our cars, our homes, our personal possessions, even our very bodies…they belong to Him. The choice is ours, however, as to how we utilise them. Will we take hold of what has been given to us and give them back to God for His service and glory. Will our finances be used for the benefit of God’s kingdom, will our possessions be used to bless others, will our homes be a place where God is upheld and honoured, will we dedicate ourselves for His service in return for the blessing of life that He has given us?

Next Reading: 1 Samuel 3:19-7:17

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Reading: 1 Chronicles 6:48-8:40

Focus: 1 Chronicles 8:6, 1-40

Continuing the series of genealogies of Chronicles, we come to the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin. If you’ve noticed, most of the tribes only get a summary of their genealogy, where there is special mention given to the line of David in relation to the kings of Judah, the line of Aaron in relation to the priesthood, and now, the line of Saul in relation into his role as the first king of Israel.

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