#DailyDevotion Devote You Old Life To Destruction
July 29th
Read 1 Sam 14:47—15:9
1Sa 15:2-3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. (3) Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'”1Sa 15:8-9 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. (9) But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
What does the Law of God say?
Deu 7:1-6 “When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, … (2) and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. (3) You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, (4) for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.
Saul and the Israelites did not pay attention to the Law or to Samuel’s word which was given to Saul. This cannot end well with Saul. Perhaps we can learn a lesson from this. While we as Christians are not going to run about devoting people and the things they use to destruction, there perhaps should be a bit of otherness about us. While when people see us they may not instantly say, “Look, there’s a Christian!” we might want them to recognize us as such as they observe us over time.
Peter writes, 1Pe 2:4-5 “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, (5) you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” And again, “2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
We Christians are the true Israel of God. While we must interact with pagans, heathens, atheist, agnostics and other godless people, how else can we bring the Gospel to them, we are not to adopt their ways. We shouldn’t marry such people and if we shouldn’t marry them we shouldn’t date them either. Some of the ways they have “fun” we might not be participating in or to the extent they participate in those ways. Perhaps we need to simply devote to “destruction” our old way of life and adopt the mind of Christ, which is, Php 2:2-4 “being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. (3) Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (4) Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Lord Jesus Christ, you have called us to be your Israel through your death and resurrection. Give us faith to devote to destruction all that hinders our faith in you and love to neighbor. Amen.