Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 12:14-25
14 “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. 15 But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
16 “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!”
18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. 19 “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21 Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 22 The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
23 “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 25 But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”
14 “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. 15 But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
16 “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!”
18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. 19 “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21 Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 22 The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
23 “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 25 But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”
Commentary:
19–25. The words of Samuel, reinforced by the storm, brought the assembly to repentance. This enabled the prophet to bring reassurance: Fear not. The you that follows is emphatic, as is the I in verse 23. Israel had done wrong; Samuel had his part to play, but what mattered most was the affirmation that the Lord will not cast away his people, for his great name’s sake. What the Lord has undertaken to do, he will complete, because he is God and will not allow his purposes to be thwarted. This truth stands despite the apparent contradiction of it in verse 25. In the long term the threat was carried out, but, as Paul argues, God did not cast off his people (Rom. 9–11; cf. esp. Rom. 11:1).
Samuel had the ongoing task of intercession, which he had no intention of neglecting, together with that of instruction and counselling. His immediate exhortation to fear and serve the Lord he supported with the practical advice to consider what great things he has done for you. Nothing is likely to prove a more effective incentive to faithful service.
Saul appears to have overcome his reluctance to accept his God-given calling. He was now fully installed as king of the tribes of Israel, who had by implication agreed to give him their allegiance. Any theorizing as to his role had to give way to practical considerations, for enemy incursions continued and required urgent military action. In this sphere, Saul had begun to gain a reputation; would he be able to keep it up? The ominous last words of Samuel’s sermon were not encouraging, speaking as they did of the possibility of both the people and their king being swept away.
Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 108–9.
Samuel had the ongoing task of intercession, which he had no intention of neglecting, together with that of instruction and counselling. His immediate exhortation to fear and serve the Lord he supported with the practical advice to consider what great things he has done for you. Nothing is likely to prove a more effective incentive to faithful service.
Saul appears to have overcome his reluctance to accept his God-given calling. He was now fully installed as king of the tribes of Israel, who had by implication agreed to give him their allegiance. Any theorizing as to his role had to give way to practical considerations, for enemy incursions continued and required urgent military action. In this sphere, Saul had begun to gain a reputation; would he be able to keep it up? The ominous last words of Samuel’s sermon were not encouraging, speaking as they did of the possibility of both the people and their king being swept away.
Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 108–9.
Questions:
Israel had a long history of turning away from God, facing the consequences, crying out for help, and returning to the same patterns. Even after God rescued them time and time again, they kept repeating the cycle. When Samuel confronted them with their sin, the people finally recognized how far they had wandered and begged him to pray for them. Samuel's response is important: “Don't be afraid. You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart”. He didn't minimize their sin, but he didn't leave them drowning in fear and shame, either. He called them to turn back to God and move forward in faithfulness.
Brandon described this pattern as the “hamster wheel of striving, failure, and shame.” We know the cycle because many of us have lived it. We fall into a familiar sin, regret what we've done, promise ourselves we'll do better, and try to muster enough willpower to change. For a little while, we may make progress. But when the same temptation comes around again, we fall, the shame returns, and we start the whole process over. We can spend years repeating this pattern while convincing ourselves that the next time we'll finally try hard enough.
Regretting our sin isn't the same as learning to walk in freedom from it. We can hate the consequences of our choices and still refuse to address what's keeping us stuck. We can make promises to God while setting no boundaries around the very habits, relationships, or circumstances that keep drawing us back. Sometimes we hide our struggles because we're embarrassed that we're still fighting them. Other times, we tell ourselves we should be able to handle everything on our own. But if private determination were enough to break the cycle, we might have seen a different result by now.
When Samuel confronted Israel, he also reminded them of God's faithfulness. Their failure wasn't the end of the story. God was calling them to stop turning away and return to Him wholeheartedly. His conviction was an opportunity to recognize their sin and respond differently. The same is true for us. God's correction isn't permission to remain comfortable in sin, but neither is it a reason to give up in shame. He calls us into the light, where we can confess honestly, receive help, and begin making different choices.
Breaking the cycle may require more than another promise to do better. It may mean confessing a struggle to a trusted believer, inviting someone to ask hard questions, seeking pastoral counsel or professional counseling, or putting boundaries in place that you've resisted. These aren't signs that you've failed at being a Christian. They are ways of acknowledging that you need God's help and the support He has provided through others. You don't have to keep repeating a cycle you've been trying to break alone.
Brandon described this pattern as the “hamster wheel of striving, failure, and shame.” We know the cycle because many of us have lived it. We fall into a familiar sin, regret what we've done, promise ourselves we'll do better, and try to muster enough willpower to change. For a little while, we may make progress. But when the same temptation comes around again, we fall, the shame returns, and we start the whole process over. We can spend years repeating this pattern while convincing ourselves that the next time we'll finally try hard enough.
Regretting our sin isn't the same as learning to walk in freedom from it. We can hate the consequences of our choices and still refuse to address what's keeping us stuck. We can make promises to God while setting no boundaries around the very habits, relationships, or circumstances that keep drawing us back. Sometimes we hide our struggles because we're embarrassed that we're still fighting them. Other times, we tell ourselves we should be able to handle everything on our own. But if private determination were enough to break the cycle, we might have seen a different result by now.
When Samuel confronted Israel, he also reminded them of God's faithfulness. Their failure wasn't the end of the story. God was calling them to stop turning away and return to Him wholeheartedly. His conviction was an opportunity to recognize their sin and respond differently. The same is true for us. God's correction isn't permission to remain comfortable in sin, but neither is it a reason to give up in shame. He calls us into the light, where we can confess honestly, receive help, and begin making different choices.
Breaking the cycle may require more than another promise to do better. It may mean confessing a struggle to a trusted believer, inviting someone to ask hard questions, seeking pastoral counsel or professional counseling, or putting boundaries in place that you've resisted. These aren't signs that you've failed at being a Christian. They are ways of acknowledging that you need God's help and the support He has provided through others. You don't have to keep repeating a cycle you've been trying to break alone.
- Think about a recurring struggle where you've repeatedly promised yourself or God that things will be different. What usually happens between the moment you decide to change and the moment you fall back into the same pattern? What have you been unwilling to confront, change, or ask for help with that may be keeping the cycle alive?
- When Samuel exposed Israel's sin, he didn't leave them in fear; he called them back to faithful obedience and reminded them of God's faithfulness. When your sin is exposed, do you tend to move toward God in honest repentance or retreat into shame, excuses, and promises to do better? What would genuine repentance require beyond feeling sorry for what happened?
- What is one step you've been avoiding because it would require you to stop handling a struggle in secret? Consider a specific person you could talk to, a boundary you need to establish, or help you need to seek. What will you do, and when will you do it?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the recurring sins you've tried to overcome through willpower while avoiding honest confession and help.
- Thank God for loving you enough to confront your sin and call you back to faithful obedience.
- Ask God for the courage to bring a hidden struggle into the light and receive the help you need.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize the patterns that keep you stuck and take practical steps toward change.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
6. Is the Bible God’s Word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
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