I’m currently knee-deep in the book of 1 Samuel. If you haven’t read this particular book, it’s a very harrowing read about the rise and fall of Israel’s first king, Saul, and the lengths he goes to fight against God’s will.
The book opens with a brief prelude about the birth of the man that this book is named after, the prophet Samuel. Through God’s leading, Samuel anoints Saul to be the first king that would unite the fractured nation of Israel.
Unfortunately for Saul, his selfishness and sin turns him against God. When Saul violates the covenantal agreement he made with God when he assumed the kingship over Israel, God sends Samuel to anoint another man to take over the kingship. This man would become known as King David.
Despite warnings from Samuel and from the other priests and even from his own son, Saul tries to thwart God’s plan by trying to hunt down David. He labors under the delusion that if he can just kill David, then the kingship will stay with him and God will have no choice but to keep him as king.
The book of 1 Samuel clearly shows that it is folly to try to subvert God’s plan through our means, but how often have we done this? How often have we made decisions on our own with consulting with God? How often do we put ourselves through situations that we know are wrong in order to get what we want? How often do we try to change things in order to achieve what we want, even when it is obvious God wants other things for us.
I’d wager we all can come up with an experience where we behaved very Saul-like and tried to defy God in order to get what we wanted, not what He wanted. It’s kind of odd and foolish to try to manipulate and outwit God, isn’t it? After all, He created the world and all that is in it, including us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. It’s like a little toddler trying to outwit his parents.
We need to trust that His will is far better and far more perfect than anything we could have come up with ourselves. When our desires run contrary to His will, we need to learn to step aside and allow Him what He has willed, even if it means that we lose what God gave us to have in the first place, like Saul losing the kingship of Israel that God gave custody to him.
God knows best. Trust in that. Trust in Him.
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. -Hebrews 10:35-36 (NASB)
-Matt
1 SamuelDavidGodplanSamuelSaultrustwill
God’s Will vs. You
January 16, 2014
Calvary
Comments Off on God’s Will vs. You
Matt
I’m currently knee-deep in the book of 1 Samuel. If you haven’t read this particular book, it’s a very harrowing read about the rise and fall of Israel’s first king, Saul, and the lengths he goes to fight against God’s will.
The book opens with a brief prelude about the birth of the man that this book is named after, the prophet Samuel. Through God’s leading, Samuel anoints Saul to be the first king that would unite the fractured nation of Israel.
Unfortunately for Saul, his selfishness and sin turns him against God. When Saul violates the covenantal agreement he made with God when he assumed the kingship over Israel, God sends Samuel to anoint another man to take over the kingship. This man would become known as King David.
Despite warnings from Samuel and from the other priests and even from his own son, Saul tries to thwart God’s plan by trying to hunt down David. He labors under the delusion that if he can just kill David, then the kingship will stay with him and God will have no choice but to keep him as king.
The book of 1 Samuel clearly shows that it is folly to try to subvert God’s plan through our means, but how often have we done this? How often have we made decisions on our own with consulting with God? How often do we put ourselves through situations that we know are wrong in order to get what we want? How often do we try to change things in order to achieve what we want, even when it is obvious God wants other things for us.
I’d wager we all can come up with an experience where we behaved very Saul-like and tried to defy God in order to get what we wanted, not what He wanted. It’s kind of odd and foolish to try to manipulate and outwit God, isn’t it? After all, He created the world and all that is in it, including us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. It’s like a little toddler trying to outwit his parents.
We need to trust that His will is far better and far more perfect than anything we could have come up with ourselves. When our desires run contrary to His will, we need to learn to step aside and allow Him what He has willed, even if it means that we lose what God gave us to have in the first place, like Saul losing the kingship of Israel that God gave custody to him.
God knows best. Trust in that. Trust in Him.
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. -Hebrews 10:35-36 (NASB)
-Matt
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