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Daily Reading: August 13th

#DailyDevotion Those Who Don’t Trust God’s Word End Up In Destruction

August 13th

Read 1 Sam 31:1–13

1Sa 31:4-7  Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.  (5)  And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.  (6)  Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.  (7)  And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.

 

One might not think that this chapter or really the preceding chapters are very spiritual.  We do import a lot of weird thinking into that word “spiritual.”  But this is the Word of God.  The Word of God is never without the Spirit of God and vice versa.  Hence, being the very Word of God it is indeed spiritual.

 

The Word of the Lord spoke about this day and why it would come about.  The Word of the Lord then is shown to come to pass.  God’s Word is true and every man is made a liar.  The Lord in the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) made the promise that if Israel listened to Him, trusted Him and obeyed Him he would give the land promised to Abraham into their hands.  Their enemies would be scattered.  They would be 1 to 1000 against their enemies.  If they did not listen, trust and obey certain destruction would come unto them and one of their enemies would scatter a 1000 of them.

 

Saul did not hearken to the commandments of God.  He did not listen, trust or obey.  He always went about doing things the way he thought would be best for the Lord rather than just trusting the Lord and doing things the way the Lord had told him to do.  Adam and Eve were like this.  They added to the Word of Lord, didn’t listen, trust or obey the Lord.  Now we their descendents, Saul being a prime example, inherited this trait and continue to do so unto this day.  We simply won’t take the Lord at his Word.  We try to read between the lines but there’s really only empty space there.  So then we add on to God’s Word and get even into a bigger mess.

 

The spiritual lesson we are to learn here is simple but it is impossible without the help and grace of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Listen to God’s Word, trust it and do what it says.  We are not to subtract from it or add to it.  We are not to twist it or mold it until it says what we want it to say.

 

There are several most important spiritual things we must take away from the Scriptures and this is it: 1. We are sinners unable to fear, love and trust in God above all things by our own reason or strength and we deserve eternal damnation.  2. Our Father doesn’t want to damn us so He damned His Own Son Jesus Christ instead. 3.  He promises all who trust this Word eternal life and all who reject it will get what they deserve.  4. Through this promise He gives us the Holy Spirit to believe it and to live our lives according to the promises.  It doesn’t get any more spiritual than that.

 

Lord God, Heavenly Father, grant us to hear your promises and give us the Holy Spirit that we may believe those promises and live according to them.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

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