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If you haven’t had a chance to read the scripture for this week's study, remember you can look up scripture on-line at www.biblegateway.com.

In Chapter 9, we meet a young man named Saul. Saul was the son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, which was the smallest of the twelve tribes of Israel. Kish was a wealthy man (to own many donkeys was a sign of wealth). Saul was taller than those around him and had a striking appearance, giving him a presence of strength and power. Note that Saul was a tall and handsome man.

Being from the tribe of Benjamin, Saul lived in the territory of Benjamin, which was also where Samuel lived. Saul had been sent on a mission to find his fathers lost donkeys. Isn’t it amazing how God used donkeys to get Saul where he needed him! Remember, our God owns all the resources of this world, and He can use anything at anytime to reach us and to work out His plan!

Saul searched for his fathers lost donkeys for three days, without success. Then he came to a point where he was willing to seek supernatural help to find them. It is clear in our reading that Saul was unaware of the man of God named Samuel who lived nearby. Since Samuel was, at this time, the high priest of Israel, we are led to believe that Saul was ignorant of spiritual matters, though he was an Israelite. Had he followed the Jewish customs of going to the temple three times each year to make sacrifices and worship, he would have been aware of this man of God named Samuel. (Deuteronomy 16:16)

The Lord prepared Samuel, the high priest and prophet of Israel, to meet and anoint the new king of Israel. In His instructions to Samuel, the Lord said that on the following day, He would send a man from the land of Benjamin; and Samuel was to anoint him as king over Israel. In I Samuel 9:16, we learn that the purpose of Saul’s anointing was to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the Philistines. The tribes of Israel had asked for a king that would “lead us and go out before us and fight our battles.” In the man named Saul, the Lord would answer their request. The Lord chose Saul to be Israel's first king for the purpose of defeating the Philistines, yet also knew Saul's aoutward appearance would be favorable to the Israelites, for they looked on the outward appearance of man to judge strength and leadership abilities. Saul was tall and handsome, from a wealthy background; all the worldly traits the Israelites desired in a King. And although Saul lacked in the knowledge of spiritual things, God would enable him to carry out his duties as king, as long as Saul was willing to be taught and led by God.

Samuel first met Saul as he was headed to the high place to make a sacrifice to the Lord and to dine with a group of invited guests. (The people were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. I Kings 3:2). The Lord told Samuel, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.” Saul was invited to the high place to worship and eat with Samuel; this meal was ‘by invitation only’ and about 30 other invited guests also attended. Before Samuel placed his attentions on Saul, he fulfilled his priestly duties of blessing and honoring God first. Saul did not understand the treatment offered to him by Samuel nor his kindness and the words spoken by Samuel, “whom to all the desire of Israel is turned, if not you and all your fathers family.” Saul probably felt inferior in the presence of the High Priest because the tribe of Benjamin was the smallest tribe and, in his worldly sense, he imagined that the Lord’s favor would rest upon those wealthier and with greater standing from a larger tribe.

The following morning Samuel had a message from God to deliver to Saul. Saul would become the first king of Israel, and Samuel anointed Saul as king over Israel and prophesied of events that would take place on that same day with the glorious event of the Spirit of God coming upon him in power, changing Saul into a different person. (To anoint was to make the king God’s representative to the people. Oil was poured over Saul’s head to symbolize the presence and power of the Holy Spirit of God in his life.)

Saul was the first king anointed to rule over Israel. He had no human example to follow from his own people. He was assigned to rule the people with little to no spiritual knowledge or background. Coming from a background of wealth, this must have seemed to be a place of high material honor to Saul. But Israel didn’t need a king with a priority of worldly matters, but one who would follow the ways of God. In future days, Saul was going to have to be willing to sacrifice his pride and humble himself to follow the ways of the Lord.

The Spirit of God, in the Old Testament, came upon people temporarily to give them power to do what God asked, but the Spirit of God didn’t always produce characteristics of a godly person, because their hearts were not always interested in changing. With the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (taught in the New Testament), Jesus gave to each believer the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we believe in Him, His Spirit comes to live within us for eternity. All we need to do to change is to surrender our will to the Spirit of God, asking Him for help, so that He can begin to teach us His ways and help us grow.

Saul needed the power of the Holy Spirit to begin a new life and become a new creature. How about you? Are your ways making you weary? Do you keep trying to change your ways, behaviors, habits, yet keep running into a dead end?

If you are a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, if you believe that Jesus died so that his blood would cover and forgive your sins, if you have asked Jesus to live in your heart, then my friend, you have been given the presence of the Spirit of God. If you will surrender your life to the Holy Spirit of God, then He will change you into a different person too. The Spirit of God lives in every believer, but can only change us as we allow Him to do so. Ask Him to help you, to give you strength and wisdom in changing your habits, your ways, you actions – He will help you become the person that you were created to be. As He begins to show you areas that are unloving or that need to be corrected, humble yourself to listen and obey His promptings and whispers of how to change, how to grow. Learning to humble yourself to God is, in itself, a powerful lesson … but once you are willing to listen to Him and allow Him to work within you, there will be evidence – to you and those around you – of your life changing from the inside out!

As Samuel and Saul departed, we read that “God changed Saul’s heart”, and all the signs Samuel had spoken of were fulfilled that day. Saul was headed into a new role with a changed heart; and his heart would continue to change as he willingly allowed God to work in his life. Will you also allow God’s Spirit to work in you so that your life and heart can be changed into the person that God created you to be? As long as our hearts are willing to be changed by God’s Spirit, we can be changed – it’s not God who holds us back, but it is ourselves that hold us back. Surrender your all to the Lord today and allow Him to begin to change your life.
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“Lord, I am weary of running from you, now I want to run toward you. Use the lessons that I have learned to hold me steady in you. Amen.”

Saul’s first experience with the Spirit of God occurred on his way to meet Samuel at a place called Gilgal. God’s Spirit came upon Saul and changed his heart, and then as the Spirit came on him in power, Saul began to prophesy. To prophesy is to speak words from your mouth as directed by God’s spirit. Saul began to speak words told him directly by God. Saul’s experience with the living God of Israel had been limited, and this experience of prophecy was perhaps a little overwhelming for him. We see in verse 22 that as the clans of Israel gathered to worship God, Saul hid himself. Samuel had anointed him as king over Israel, so he suspected what was coming, but still, he hid.

At times, I’ve tried to hide from God. I’ve kept my heart so tight and tied up and tried to convince myself that God didn’t know my true feelings and motives, because I didn’t want Him to. He wasn’t particularly invited to be a part of me because of fear inside me; but I knew all the while that He was there. Hiding from God is more a frame of mind than an actual physical act. For Saul, he hid behind baggage to watch and see what was going to take place with the selection of Israel’s king. When his name was selected, he didn’t come out from hiding.

When God assigns us a responsibility that we feel is too great to handle, perhaps we want to go into hiding too! Remember that what God calls us to do, He will also equip us to do – as long as we keep our eyes and focus on Him. He will carry us through, there is no need to hide.

From behind the baggage, Saul knew that he had already been anointed king of Israel and he knew that the Spirit of God had come upon him that day and he had prophesied. He knew that his future was going to be quite different from what he had planned. In his wildest dreams had he dreamed of ruling over Israel?

Saul had a challenge ahead of him to be king over God’s children and to lead them into godly living. He had a lot to learn before he could lead the people. Why did God prepare Moses for 40 years and not prepare Saul to rule over Israel? Perhaps it was because the people wanted a king like other nations. Why did God choose Saul to be king rather than a godly man? Perhaps because Saul would usher in David, and provide means for David to be in Saul’s service to learn how to be Israel’s next king. David would witness the results of a kingship not under the authority of the Lord, and David’s heart would yearn to serve God wholeheartedly.

What were the regulations of the kingship that Samuel explained to the people? Look in Deuteronomy 17:11-20:
1. The King must not make the people return to Egypt.
2. The King was not to build up wealth or a large army or take many wives because his heart would become proud and he would turn from God.
3. The King was to study and know God’s word so that he would learn to respect God, remain humble and worship God in all circumstances, and lead the people into the same way of living and worship.

As Saul left Mizpah to return home, his heart must have been humbled and honored to have been chosen by a God he hardly knew to such a high position. He came out from behind the baggage to accept the responsibility God had laid before him. How about you? Will you step out from your hiding place and allow God to fulfill the plan He has for you?
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If you haven’t had a chance to read the scripture for this week's study, remember you can look up scripture on-line at www.biblegateway.com.

Have you ever asked someone to give you just a little more time? Usually we ask for more time to raise the money for a bill that is due NOW. We ask for more time to turn in an assignment that is due NOW. We even ask for more time to make a decision that should have been made yesterday. The consequences of not being granted this extra time might make our lives a little uncomfortable, but nothing so serious as losing an eye if we aren't given that extra time.

As I Samuel 11 begins, we find the evil King Nahash of Ammon ready to put out the right eyes of the men of Jabesh. These men asked for just a little more time. They asked for seven days to send out messengers all over Israel to save them from being slaves to this evil king and from losing their right eyes. Nahash granted them the seven days. The men did as they said they would do and sent those messengers. They didn't waste time trying to figure out a way to escape on their own. They used the time they had been granted wisely. We, after being granted time to raise money for that overdue bill, don't raise it in the allotted time. We, after being granted extra time to turn in the overdue assignment, wait until the last minute and turn something in that is lacking any real effort. We after having plenty of time to make the best decision don't make the best decision. When we are granted extra time in this life, we should follow the example of these men, and use it wisely.

The men sent out the messengers and put their trust, faith, and hope that their message, their cry for help, would be delivered where it needed to go. The messengers went right where God knew they should go. They went to Gibeah and whispered the message to the people. The people lifted up their voices and wept. I wonder if these weeping people even knew the people who were in danger. Do we cry when we hear of appalling things that others are facing whom we don't even know? Saul was with the herd in the field and heard the people crying. He couldn't understand why the people were so upset and asked what was going on. When he heard the message the men had brought, the Spirit of God fell on him and his anger was kindled and he took action.

Even though he was angry, Saul still made rational decisions. He took the time to figure out the best way to handle this problem. Saul did something that might seem a little irrational to us, but he was facing a major battle with an irrational king. He cut oxen up into pieces and sent out messengers with the pieces of meat all over Israel. He told the messengers to tell the people, ;if you don't come and fight with me and Samuel the same thing that happened to these oxen will happen to yours’. He didn't say, I'll go kill that mean old king all by myself, He didn't say forget the old guy, Samuel, what does he know. No, he knew he needed a Godly man, another believer, along side to help him in this battle. Saul knew the people had great respect for Samuel. He used that to his advantage.

His plan worked, the people listened as the fear of the Lord fell on them All together 330,000 men heeded the call to come join the fight against this evil. The thousands gathered together and sent messengers to tell the men of Jabesh, each awaiting the loss of their right eye, help is on the way. By tomorrow your burden will be lifted, you will be saved. The men of Jabesh didn’t question the message of their salvation. They simply believed. They told their enemies they would surrender by noon the next day and then they could do whatever they wanted to them. You see, they knew their deliverer was coming and nothing these men could do would harm them. We should have such great faith to know without a doubt that our deliver is coming to rescue us from our enemies. Our deliverer will fight our battles for us. The enemy can't harm us as long as He is with us. He will hear our cries for help, He will save us.

The next morning Saul launched a surprise attack on Nahash. Saul won the battle by a landslide. The people were so pleased with Saul that day that they wanted to kill anyone who had been against him becoming king. Saul told them that no one was going to be killed because today the Lord had brought salvation to Israel. This chapter ends on a happy note with Israel confirming Saul as king, making sacrifices and peace offerings to the Lord.
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If you haven’t had a chance to read the scripture for this week's study, remember you can look up scripture on-line at www.biblegateway.com.

Samuel, while he had all his people together in one place, decided to give a testimony. He wanted the people to know he had always lived a godly life, and had always tried to treat them fairly. He asked was there anything he had done wrong to any of them. They were all in agreement when they said no that he had done nothing unfair like stealing from them, taking bribes, or oppressing them in anyway. This was Samuel's farewell speech of sorts. He was stepping down from the role he had held in government and he was formerly endorsing Saul as the new leader. He told the people they should listen to Saul now.

Just as our leaders and politicians today like to look back and reflect on what has been accomplished under their leadership, so did Samuel. He even went back generations to remind the people how good God had been to them. Samuel didn't take credit for anything. He knew it was all God, the true King of these people and of all of us today. He told them how the great leaders Moses and Aaron had brought their ancestors out of slavery. I guess we could liken that to our president reminding us of how George Washington brought us into a land with a free democratic government. Samuel's speech could be likened to us being reminded how Abraham Lincoln worked so hard to set those who were slaves in this country freed. In verse 8 Samuel reminded the people that all these things were really accomplished by God. It was God using these leaders to bring them to dwell in safety. It would be really nice in this country today to hear more leaders reminding us that God uses people to accomplish His purpose. It is only through Him that we are blessed to live in this free country.

Samuel went on to tell the people after God had done all this for them, they forgot God very quickly. When they fell to their enemies, they remembered God and cried out for Him to deliver them once again. They promised if He would save them, they would serve Him as their King. Samuel told them that God heard and sent judges to rule over his people. He called his own name as being the last judge sent by God. He told the people that God used the judges, these men, to deliver them out of the hands of their enemies and keep them safe. The people just were never satisfied. When Nahash came against them they decided they just had to have a king, not a judge. Samuel reminded them how he had told them that God was their King and they hadn't listened to him. He told them now they had the king they had asked for, Saul, and that God had put him over them.

Samuel knew these people pretty well by now. He knew that all too soon they would forget once more how God had saved them. He told them if they and the king would listen to God everything would be okay. He told them if they fell back to their old ways and made the same mistakes that God would punish them again. Samuel decided to pray and ask for a miracle from God to make this day be burned into these forgetful people's memory a little longer. He wanted it to be something memorable that would stick with them for a while. He told the people that it never rained this time of year but that he was going to pray for God to send a thunderstorm to remind them they shouldn't have asked for a king. They already had God as their King.

Samuel asked and received. God answered with thunder and rain. God spoke with thunder to get their attention. "Then" they were afraid of God and Samuel. They asked Samuel to pray for them so God wouldn't get them for committing yet another sin. Samuel told them to turn from their wickedness and worship God. He told them that God was not going to abandon them for they were His chosen people. Samuel told them that would be like God abandoning Himself and that just wasn't going to happen. He assured the people even though he was no longer their leader, he would continue to pray for them and try to teach them right from wrong. He told them again turn and worship. Think about the Lord and all the great things He has already done for you. Samuel ended this farewell speech with a warning, if you keep on sinning you and the king that God gave you will be destroyed.

“If you haven’t had a chance to read the scripture for this week's study, remember you can look up scripture on-line at www.biblegateway.com.

The Philistines were a tribe from Greece and Crete who had migrated to the Middle East and settled along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in southwest Canaan. During Saul’s reign, they occupied the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, which were located in the southwestern corner of Canaan beside the Mediterranean Sea (see attached map). The Philistines had been in this territory for a long time, even when Joshua and the Israelites entered Canaan. This was one of the tribes that the Lord commanded the Israelites to drive out of the land. They did not drive them out, so they remained and “God used them to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey His commands, which had been given to their forefathers through Moses.” (Judges 3:1-4).

The Philistines constantly pressed inland against the Israelites trying to gain more land, so the Israelites were constantly battling the Philistines. On the attached map, you can see that God had given the territory occupied by the Philistines to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15).

When Saul had reigned over Israel for two years, he assembled all the men of Israel who were fit for battle and began the process of choosing his army. The total number of Israelite men was about 330,000 (I Samuel 11:8). Saul chose 3,000 men and sent the rest home. He was being obedient to God in going to battle against the Philistines because God had issued a command to drive out all the nations that occupied Canaan.

However, Saul did not consult God in making the decisions about the assembling the army, i.e. how many men, what traits to look for, etc. Rather, he followed his own plan in preparing an army to protect the nation of Israel, he determined the number of men he would need, and he chose them based on criteria he had developed himself. Saul’s plan was to protect Israel with his own power, strength and wisdom, to use his army and his weapons to carry out his plan, and to ask God to bless his plans. But no one can thwart God’s plans; He eventually shook the army from 3,000 men down to 600 men (v. 15) and took away the weapons of the Israelites (v. 22), so that Saul would know that the battle was not won by his own strength, military or weapons, but by God.

In contrast to Saul’s style of leadership, let’s take a look at Gideon. (Judges 7) The Lord sent Gideon into battle to fight off the Midianites. Gideon’s army consisted of 32,000 men. Gideon talked with the Lord before going into battle, and the Lord reduced the army from 32,000 to 300 men. He did this in order that Israel not boast that they had won the battle but that they would know that God had handed the Midianites over to them. Under God’s direction, Gideon was victorious in the battle.

When Saul was first anointed king over Israel, the prophet Samuel read the regulations of the kingship to Saul (I Samuel 10). The regulations, found in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, dictate that the king is to “write for himself on a scroll a copy of the law, taken from that of the priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left.” He was to follow the ways of the Lord. As Saul was headed to be appointed king,
the spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied. He was filled with the power of the Lord. But two years later, he was doing things his own way. He failed to apply to his life the words that God had given, the words written in the law, the scroll.

This lesson applies to us as well. If we don’t take the time to study God’s Word and apply those teachings to our hearts and to our lives, we will become stagnant in our spiritual growth and may even return to our old ways. We must make the time to get to know the Lord, to understand who He is, what His Word says, how to walk in His ways, how to recognize His voice. We must seek God, read His word, and we must allow Him to change our hearts; we must apply God’s teachings to our lives.

In applying God’s Word to our lives, we will learn that we can depend upon Him for everything and that He is faithful. He will help us make decisions, both small and large, and He will lead us down the path that is just and right. We can learn from Saul’s example; he wanted to be in control of his life, making decisions based on his own wisdom; he chose his own army based on his own criteria; he planned his strategy based on his own wisdom; he planned his attacks based on the weapons he had in hand. But God turned all of Saul’s plans around. We’ll learn more about that during the next study.

Knowing and doing are two totally different things. Read God’s word; apply it to your life. If you have to tape verses to your mirror, your dashboard or your refrigerator to remind you how God wants you to act, who He wants you to be, who He is making you to become, then do it. Don’t be a Saul who had the words of God at his fingertips but chose to do things his way, rather be a follower of God who listens, obeys, applies God’s word to his heart, mind and life. Make His Words a part of your daily life. Don’t just know it, live it!
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If you haven’t had a chance to read the scripture for this week's study, remember you can look up scripture on-line at www.biblegateway.com.

The Philistines had placed an outpost in the territory of Benjamin, even before Saul was appointed king (I Samuel 10:5), and remained there during the first two years of Saul’s reign.

Jonathan, Saul’s oldest son, had faith that God would give him the victory over the outpost (I Samuel 14:1), so he attacked and destroyed it, which angered the Philistines and sent them into “battle mode”. Saul, on the other hand, went into “brag mode”. He boasted to his people that HE had attacked and destroyed the Philistine outpost.

The dictionary defines bragging as arrogant or boastful speech. Boasting is a form of self-centeredness and pride and both sins are destructive in our lives. These sins put our focus on self and takes our focus from God. Beware of the temptation to spend more time thinking about yourself than thinking of the needs of others, how to build others up, how to glorify God. Saul’s focus was on himself and he failed to adequately prepare for battle.

In “battle mode”, the Philistines gathered their army to attack Israel. The Philistines had the monopoly on the smelting of iron, so they had a military advantage over their enemies in that they made their own weapons, chariots, etc., and their weapons were superior to the nations around them. The Philistines gathered 3000 chariots, 6000 charioteers and many soldiers, and they went up into the hill country of Bethel and out to the passage of Micmash, the same area where Saul and his 2,000 men had previously positioned themselves.

The Israelites were gathered at Gilgal, which was in the low country by the Jordan River. The sights and sounds of chariots and the troops frightened the men of Saul and they hid themselves in caves and thickets, among the rocks, in pits and cisterns. Some men fled across the Jordan River. They were quaking (shuddering) with fear knowing that they would come face to face with the Philistine army.

This would have been a good time for Saul to seek God’s guidance and to encourage the troops that God would go before them, as He had with Moses, and prepare the way. But Saul didn’t. He hadn’t sought God’s guidance in choosing the troops, and he wasn’t seeking God’s guidance in leading the army. Saul’s army began to crumble. His men had learned that his boasts were empty and that he was leading them into battle without the guidance of the Holy God.

Boasting usually catches up with us and the truth always comes out. Don’t spend your time speaking empty words about yourself. Rather, use your words to build others up, use your words to speak of what God is doing in your life – boast in HIM, of what He is doing. And use your time to listen. Let’s stop speaking so many empty words and begin using our speech to build God’s kingdom by sharing His words, His way, by boasting in Him, by pointing others to Christ rather than to ourselves.

The Bible teaches in Jeremiah 9:23,
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

Saul stayed at Gilgal with his fearful, shuddering men and waited. We’ll find out next time what he was waiting for.
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If you haven’t had a chance to read the scripture for this week's study, remember you can look up scripture on-line at www.biblegateway.com.

After the Philistines gathered at Micmash, Saul remained with his men at Gilgal, waiting for Samuel to arrive. Samuel was Priest and Prophet over Israel, and as part of his duties, he traveled a circuit, going from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah. Deuteronomy 20:1 teaches Israel that, “When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them , because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against our enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give into panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

Why was Saul waiting for Samuel? The custom was that the Priest (Samuel) would come into the area, make offerings to God for the people, seek forgiveness for their sin, and seek God’s favor for them. Saul was waiting for Samuel so that he could receive God’s favor before going into battle.

King Saul waited seven days for Samuel, and with the passage of each day, more of Saul’s army scattered. Saul determined to take matters into his own hands and prepare the Burnt offering, which was an offering to make payment for sins. This offering showed a person’s devotion to God.* God required the sacrifice and an attitude of repentance. The sacrifices taught reverence for God because the animal had to be perfect and the sacrifices were made by holy priests.

God gave regulations for making this offering in Deuteronomy 12, “You are to seek the place the Lord your God chooses and to that place you must go to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices and special gifts. Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Be careful to obey the regulations I am giving you so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord.” Only the priests could offer the sacrifices to God – in the way prescribed by God.

But Saul didn’t understand the reason for the sacrifices, only the ritual. Saul only wanted to get the fire started, the animal laid on the altar, and the duty done so that he could grab God’s favor, keep his men from running away, and be victorious in battle. But God would have no part of this disregard for His commands. God would have no part of this disobedience.

Samuel told Saul that because of his foolish disobedience and selfish motives, his kingdom would not endure and God would seek a man after his own heart to be ruler over Israel. Then Samuel left Gilgal - the burnt offering had been sacrificed, though not to God but to human desires, and Saul’s army was down from 3000 men to 600. God had – in His own way – reduced Saul’s army to a number of men who were strong and courageous and to a number that was so small that a victory in battle would bring glory to the God of Israel.

We can learn a valuable lesson from Saul’s impatience and disobedience. Waiting on the Lord can be trialsome, especially for those of us who like movement, action, and activity! We determine that since God isn’t moving quickly enough, we’ll just make something happen for ourselves. And then our selfish motives get in the way and get the wrong ball moving, and we get ourselves into trouble.

The Bible teaches that we are to wait on the Lord – His timing is perfect. We can’t see what God is doing behind the scenes of our lives, but we can trust that He is preparing the way, orchestrating events to our benefit, summoning funds, events and people from many parts of the world to put together the plan for each of our lives. And if we take matters into our own hands, we will get in the way of His divine plan. I ask you, are you really more qualified to manage your own life better than the one who created you and knows your innermost thoughts? We need to learn to trust Him and wait on His timing. And as we wait, He will teach us about His faithfulness, and He will give us His strength and His peace.

Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

*Christ’s death was the perfect offering, making atonement for our sin, and ending the need for the burnt offering.
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If you haven’t had a chance to read the scripture for this week's study, remember you can look up scripture on-line at www.biblegateway.com.

Saul had the resource of 600 men, but no weapons; remember, the Philistines had the monopoly on the smelting of iron, so they had a military advantage over their enemies in that they made their own weapons, chariots, etc., and the Israelites did not have weapons because they did not have blacksmiths to make the weapons for them. Saul and his men camped outside his hometown of Gibeah and waited. They were not equipped for battle, yet they stayed together and waited with Saul. God had shaken Saul’s army down from 3000 men to 600, but these 600 were the troops that were strong and courageous.

We don’t see any effort on Saul’s part to be proactive in this battle. Saul didn’t disperse his troops, but rather left them in one place – surrounding him – without swords, without weapons. Doesn’t it scream out that in order to win this battle, one needed to be on the offensive rather than waiting to respond to an attack?

Meanwhile, the Philistines proactively prepared for battle with their 3000 chariots, 6000 charioteers and many soldiers. They positioned themselves strategically around the Israelites. The last verse we read in this scripture says, “So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.” From this verse, we know that a battle is coming, and that Saul’s army will likely be defeated --- unless faith overcomes fear.

Let’s look at the spiritual side of this as it applies to us. We need to always be preparing for battle, to always be ready to face our spiritual enemies. The Bible teaches “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

How do we prepare for spiritual battle? Through daily Bible study, meditation on the word of God and prayer; by memorizing scripture so that we can counterattack the enemies words and temptations; by walking and talking with God, and through Christian fellowship and accountability. In practicing these disciplines, we learn to stand firm in the Lord, and nothing will be able to shake us. Though we don’t know when the enemy is going to attack, or with what weapons, we can be confident that he is already preparing, strategically, to come against us, and we must be prepared at all times by preparing our hearts and minds to be strong and firm in the Lord.

Remember, the Philistines were coming against Saul with chariots, charioteers and soldiers; Saul had 600 men and a couple of swords, and he was paralyzed by fear because he wasn’t prepared for battle, either physically or spiritually. Don’t be caught unprepared. Suit up with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) – our fight is with the unseen, but God has promised victory.
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In our reading, we find Saul and his 600 men camped outside of Gibeah waiting. We have already learned that the 600 men were without weapons, the Philistines were armed and ready to attack and were in the process of positioning themselves around Saul’s army. Some of Saul’s army had already run away and hidden in caves and brush and some had even returned to their homes. Saul’s army was sitting, paralyzed by fear, waiting for the Philistines to attack.

But out of Saul’s army, from Saul’s own family, there was a brave young man who didn’t want to sit around and wait. Jonathan, son of Saul, had once before attacked a Philistine outpost and God had given him the victory. In Jonathan’s view, God was greater than a thousand Philistine armies, and he wanted to put God to the test and see God win the victory over the Philistines. Jonathan secretly left the camp with only his armor bearer accompanying him. Jonathan had grown closer to God because he had been with God in battle previously, and God had proven faithful. Jonathan’s faith had grown because He had walked with God. Jonathan knew that nothing could hinder the will of the Lord, and he placed his actions, his decisions, in the hands of God. Faith has no fear, and Jonathan was not going to sit and wait to be attacked, he was going to strategically attack and see what God would do with his faith.

Jonathan didn’t tell anyone that he had plans to sneak off to the Philistine outpost because they were already paralyzed by fear, not trusting in God. Jonathan was wise enough to understand that Saul would try to talk him out of being obedient to God, he would try to keep him from moving ahead, he would try to stand in the way of God’s victory because it didn’t make sense for one man to attack an entire army.

Have you ever faced the same thing? When God guides you to a certain act of obedience, it is often better to move in silent obedience rather than taking a poll among family and friends, because if the way God is leading you does not meet the “rational” thinking of humans, they may try to talk you out of being obedient. God’s ways are not the ways of man, His thoughts are so far above the reaches of our mind, and He has the best plans in store for us … and at times, we just need to “quietly” obey and leave the results to Him.

That’s when our faith is put to the soles of our feet. That’s when God begins to grow us and mold us – when we say yes to Him, then He shows us, step by step, how to proceed, how to move with Him. Oh for a faith that walks!

Between Jonathan and the enemy was a cliff, a mountain of sorts. And along the way, the Philistines taunted him with their words. But when Jonathan reached the mountain heights, God gave him the victory.

How many times do we see the mountains before us and reason within our minds that it is too big, we can’t move on. Some cower down and fall back into our comfort zone surrounded by family and friends who are also too afraid to move forward. The world’s view of wealth and riches is wrapped up in self-fulfillment, self-centeredness. God’s view of riches usually doesn’t meet the same criteria, and at times in our lives that sometimes seem like the worst times, He will place a mountain in our path that we must climb; He will place enemies all along the mountain path to taunt us as we climb toward His mountaintop, but He will equip us along the way with words of guidance, confidence, peace, and when we reach the mountaintop of God, the place where He has been leading us, He will give us the victory, every time.

Be a Jonathan – go forward with faith in God. Don’t allow the difficulty of the mountain to hold you back, don’t allow the tauntings of the enemy to turn you around, don’t allow the fear of family and friends to paralyze you, but move forward as God directs and receive the blessing of victory at the end of the battle.
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Blueprint: a detailed plan or program of action

Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving”, and in faith, they proceeded into battle. The Lord prepared the way for them to be victorious. In the heat of the battle, the earth quaked and the Philistine army was filled with panic and fear, and rather than fighting the enemy, the Philistines began to kill each other. God rescued Israel that day. Because of the faith of one man, God gave the victory of battle to the Israelites.

Have you ever seen blueprints for new construction? They are drawn before construction begins and are a necessity before beginning work. From the blueprints, a contractor will determine the materials needed, the manpower needed, and the amount of time to complete the project. To begin construction without developing or referring to the plans would be foolish. Mistakes would be made and essential details would be omitted. Following the blueprint, detail by detail, will guarantee a building that matches the blueprint design.

In scripture, we learn that there is also a blueprint for our life; our designer is God.
He designed us before we were born.
“Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name.”
Isaiah 49:1

He knew us before we were conceived.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart”
Jeremiah 1:5

He has a plan for our life.
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

His plan is for abundant living and for prosperity in Him.
Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

He knows the number of our days.
“The days of the blameless are known to the LORD” Psalm 37:18

Jonathan is an example of a man who lived his life according to God’s blueprint. He trusted in the promises and faithfulness of the Lord.   In I Samuel 14, the Lord said, “Go”. Jonathan went. The Lord said, “climb”. Jonathan climbed. The Lord said, “fight”. Jonathan fought. He listened carefully to the plans that God laid out before him, one step at a time. He was a man of courage and heart. We will learn more about the characteristics of Jonathan as we study more of I Samuel.

The Lord’s plan was greater than the word “Go” that Jonathan heard; He had a hidden plan that would be revealed to Jonathan step by step.   Jonathan trusted that He was going to be victorious in battle, but he still had to go through the plan, step by step, in order to obtain the victory.

Remember that God designed you with a plan and for a purpose. He never intends for any of us to wander aimlessly or live in fear or confusion. His plan is for you to have an abundant life in Him. It is a spiritual connection with God, the Father – a connection of your heart and mind with the heart and mind of God, your designer.

We can’t see God’s plan laid out before us, but we can be confident that He has a plan – always – and when we take that first step, He will meet us there, supplying our need for courage, preparing the way for us, and then step 2 will, at some point in His timing, be made clear to us, and the process will be the same. He will give us victories along the way, confirmation that we are indeed walking in His plan, and we grow in Him, step by step.

Will you allow your designer, God, to complete the plan that He has laid out for your life? If you will open your heart to Him and surrender your life to the work of His plan, you will also see that “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving.”

Surrendering our lives to the work of God’s spirit within us will guarantee the development of a character that matches God’s design.

Begin to seek God and you will find him. That’s a promise from the designer and creator of the universe to your heart.
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If you haven’t had a chance to read the scripture for this week's study, remember you can look up scripture on-line at www.biblegateway.com.

In our reading, we learn that while the Israelites had been fighting the Philistines, they had done so on empty stomachs, so their strength was physically weakened by their hunger. Jonathan made a great point in verse 30 when he said, (paraphrased), “If the men had eaten before the battle, we would have had an even greater victory!”

A few years ago, I began leading a Bible Study with a group of women who didn’t want “homework” associated with the study. They wanted to learn what the Bible said without having to read it for themselves. (It didn’t take long for them to understand that this expectation was unrealistic.) I guess we’re all guilty of that at some point in time. But being spiritually fed doesn’t’ work that way. If we depend solely on the teaching of other people, we are settling for a second-hand relationship with God – being taught indirectly through what God has taught others. God wants to be our personal teacher, to reveal things to us that apply directly to our day to day activities and circumstances. He didn’t call us to learn about Him solely based on the experiences of others, but He has called us to know Him PERSONALLY. To be spiritually fed requires a sacrifice of our time and a willingness of our heart and mind. If we count on others to teach us what God wants us to know, we will come away empty. We cannot face our day-to-day battles in full strength when we are spiritually starving.

Just as the Israelites fought with all their strength, their strength had been weakened because Saul bound them with a foolish oath that they were not to eat all day long. That would equate to our going out to face our day without the food of the spirit (quiet time with God through prayer and Bible study). We can go through the motions of the day and accomplish what we set out to do, but the activities of the day are performed in our own strength, without the supernatural help of the Lord, and that leads to our becoming overwhelmed in so many areas!

On the contrary, when we carve out time in our day to feed ourselves spiritually, our eyes and hearts will be brightened, as Jonathan’s eyes were brightened when he tasted the honey, and we will be equipped with spiritual strength to face the circumstances of our day.

How? Here’s just a few things that 20+ minutes a day with the Lord, in His word and in prayer, will do to feed your spirit:

Your day will become more fruitful, more organized, because giving your time to God is a sacrifice of your plans, and He will bless that sacrifice --- He always does.

Your spirit will be fed. You will be lifted in your spirit and able to see things from a different perspective – through God’s view – and not become so overwhelmed by the small things.

Your relationship with the creator of your spirit, the creator of the world, will grow and you will become more aware of His spirit, His voice, His guidance, and you will experience Him intimately as He reveals hidden secrets to you from the scriptures and through prayer.

We are not equipped to face the day-to-day in our own strength. God created us with a need for Him! With His strength, we will be lifted up and prepared to face the day. Don’t go into the daily battle with an emptiness, but rather, feed your spirit with God’s word and experience how He will honor your sacrifice of time. See how He will brighten not only your eyes, but your heart and spirit through this renewal period.

Jonathan’s point applies to us today. How much stronger we will be if we feast on God’s word before facing our day.
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Oh Christian, feed on the Word of God so that your spiritual hunger doesn’t lead you to sin. When your spirit is not fed, the truth becomes harder to discern and sin creeps in. Feed your spirit with God’s Word. Without nourishing food, we are without physical strength. Without spiritual food, we are without spiritual strength. Running on empty makes us susceptible to sin, both spiritually and physically. We need to fill up on God’s Word daily.

When Saul became aware of the sin of the warriors, he built an altar, sacrificed the animals and then allowed the men to eat the meat, prepared properly. This was the first altar built by Saul; he built it to atone for the sin of his men, and to honor the ritual of serving the Lord. Saul took the necessary steps to ensure the obedience and forgiveness of his men. But Saul didn’t understand God nor did he know God intimately. He built the altar to receive God’s favor and forgiveness, but when it came time to prepare for battle, he didn’t think to inquire of God. The priest suggested they “inquire of the Lord” and when Saul learned there was sin in the camp, he vowed to kill the sinner, still not understanding God, but still seeking God’s favor. Saul just didn’t get it.

In seeking God’s favor, Jonathan’s sin was pointed out to Saul. Jonathan ate honey when a fast had been commanded by Saul. Jonathan confessed his sin and was ready to pay the price for his sin even though he thought his father’s oath was foolish. Jonathan respected the authority of Saul over him, and he respected right versus wrong. He didn’t argue for his life. In Jonathan, we see a leader of strength, discernment, humility. A heart that God would use, mold and bless.

When Saul became aware of Jonathan’s sin, he wasn’t quick at all to atone for Jonathan’s sin. Rather, he was quick to criticize and condemn his son to death. Saul was at a point of pride where he couldn’t allow himself to back down. Rather than humble himself and seek forgiveness for his ridiculous order of “no food during the battle”, Saul determined that his son must be put to death. < style="font-family: comic sans ms;">.

Can’t you hear God whisper, “Saul, don’t kill the sinner, give him the salvation of the Lord, and the forgiveness of the Lord.”

How quick we are to criticize and condemn those closest to us when they disappoint us, let us down or don’t live up to our expectations! I’ve seen it in my life; I’ve seen it in the lives of people around me.

We sometimes heave such high expectations of others and we judge them based on whether they meet our criteria of the type person we think they should be. There is a verse that deals with this attitude, found in Matthew 7:3; “Why do you look at the spec of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

How much peace we would find in our lives if, when we recognize a fault or sin in another, rather than pointing it out, we would take it to the Lord in prayer! I believe God allows us to see the weaknesses in others so that we can lift them in prayer, lovingly. This takes our focus off of the fault of others and onto God’s healing, transforming power. We can become prayer warriors for others.

The warriors rescued Jonathan from death. They saw his worth, his heart, his inner strength; they trusted his judgment and didn’t want to see him killed. They spoke truth to Saul, “He rescued us”, “He is a warrior”, “He brought us victory”. They came to Jonathan’s aid to help him, to rescue him. They paint a picture of Christ who has rescued us from the penalty of sin. Are you a prayer warrior who comes to the aid of those around you who are living unrighteously in sin? Is your heart pierced at the thought of one committing a sin to the point that you will pray for that person to be healed or brought to repentance?

When others are being criticized, condemned, talked about for their shortfalls, weaknesses, sins, are you willing to step up and rescue them through encouragement, through prayerful intercession?

Jonathan’s life was saved because the warriors came to his aid. The message we hear through this scripture, loud and clear, is “Don’t kill the sinner; but rescue him through the power of truth and prayer.”

We are deep in our sin too. We must confess our sin. We must seek forgiveness. Forgiveness is available if we ask for it!

Jonathan was rescued by the warriors who came to his aid. We can also be saved, released from the guilt of our sin. Jesus is our rescuer. In confessing our sins and asking for Him to come into our lives and live with us, we can be released from the bondage of sin, free to live our lives without the weight of sin.

Psalm 32:5, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and you did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

“Lord, turn our hearts from the self-satisfaction of seeing others fail. Turn our hearts from speaking negatively about those around us who don’t meet our expectations. Teach us, Lord, to pray for those who disappoint us, who don’t keep their commitments, whose lives are different. Replace our negativity with a desire to pray for their wholeness in you. Build us into your likeness, Lord, as we pray for others.”

Don’t kill the sinner. Pray for their redemption. Pray for the salvation of the Lord that they may have abundant life in Christ.
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1.    Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of unconfessed sin, and then ask for God’s forgiveness in that area
2.    Read your Bible so you can more fully learn God’s ways and then live your life accordingly
3.    Ask a spiritual mentor or friend to speak truth to you about weak areas in your life