Overview: Wicked King Saul continued to reveal his true colors. God commanded Saul via the prophet Samuel to “devote to destruction all” that the Amalekites had. Saul was to lead Israel and not spare any of the wicked Amalekites. God was calling Israel’s king (Saul) to be a people set apart unto God, and for the people he represented (Israel) to be a light amongst the fellow nations. Would Saul succeed? Would Israel succeed? Would either be faithful to execute God’s word to them? That’s the issue.
We only get to v. 9 before we see Saul’s true colors: “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.” And just like that, the Lord speaks again to Samuel, the prophet and truth-teller: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments” (1 Sam.15:11a, ESV).
Saul had “turned back” from following God’s word. And the people who followed (like undiscerning sheep) wicked King Saul, were likewise being judged. That’s the key issue here—the turning back/turning away from God’s word. “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22b, ESV). It doesn’t matter how many oxen, sheep, or rams we sacrifice if our heart is not one of obedience to the Lord, the Commander. We can get all puffed up with pride if we point to ourselves and say, “See how much I’ve done? See how much I’ve sacrificed? See how many successes I’ve accrued to my credit?” That is pride – plain and simple –and it is damning.
Learning from Saul’s Failures: We can learn from anyone if we’ll but pay attention. That is, we should learn, even from bad examples. Saul is an example of a failed leader. Saul’s favorite person in the world was Saul. He wasn’t out for the good of his people. He failed his nation. He failed in God’s eyes, too. God was going to seek a king after His own heart, a true shepherd. In the immediate context, that man was going to be David. In the greater sense, however, that Shepherd is the Lord Jesus. But for now, let us learn from Saul.
Another chaplain was out of town, and so I was asked if I’d cover down on his lunch-hour Bible study. I absolutely welcomed the opportunity. The biblical texts the group has been going through surround Saul’s imprudence. Saul was definitely guilty of that.
No matter how many times I go through Scripture, I learn so much about leadership from studying Saul and David. Saul was, fundamentally, a judgment upon Israel for the nation’s lack of discernment and their sin.
1 Samuel 8:7 (ESV) reads,
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.”
There it is in overt terms. God tells His prophet Samuel that the people didn’t want God. Therefore, as a judgment of their rejection of God Himself, God tells His prophet to give the people the human king they desire, and to watch the destruction that flows from that choice.
Samuel, as is typical of prophets and truth-tellers, sees where things are headed, and he is grieved. In fact, Samuel pleaded with the Lord about wicked Saul.
One of the most important sections in the whole saga of Saul is in 1 Samuel 8. Samuel sees what’s coming. He knows Saul’s going to be disastrous:
But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” (1 Sam 8:6-9, ESV)
Did you catch that introductory phrase? “But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.'” That’s so important. Why? Because that’s exactly what Saul was: judgment. They as a nation had been imprudent and undiscerning, and now Saul was the embodiment of imprudence and obtuseness.
My fellow soldiers will be arriving soon. I will ask them questions:
What patterns do you see in Saul?
How should we learn from them?
Why do you think the people liked Saul initially?
What does that tell us about the importance of discernment when it comes to leadership?
In what sense was David a man after God’s own heart?
What traits do we see in David that were not in Saul, and vice versa?
Introduction: We Soldiers love lists. We have packing lists, lists for manifests, lists of personnel and equipment, lists that accompany various pieces of equipment, etc. I carry a little black notebook nearly everywhere with me that contains, you guessed it, lists that I have for each day—everything from my Bible-reading plan, to Soldiers I counsel, to what I’m teaching on at church, to reminders to contact my dad for his birthday this week.
Segue: The Apostle Peter provides a list, too, and it’s for the Christian.
Here’s the text:
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pt 1:5-7, ESV).
Teaching: In plain terms, all Peter is teaching is that our theology is made visible by our lives, our behavior. “What a man believes, he lives; everything else is just talk,” is a way I’ve heard it and even phrased it myself.
To what does the phrase “For this very reason” in the beginning here refer? The reality of true repentance and saving faith that God grants to His people. Peter’s saying to us, “If you’re born again, live like it.”
Encouragement: What encourages me so much is that Peter knew his own weaknesses. He wasn’t too big for his britches. I mean, think about it. The Apostle Peter was also the man who denied his Lord three times on the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested—just as Jesus had predicted. It was fulfilled in precise detail. Don’t we think that Peter always carried that shame with him? I do. I don’t think he ever forgot how he betrayed his Lord. But Peter was still a ransomed sinner and apostle of Christ. Be encouraged, is what Peter’s saying. Why? Because he, too, blew it. And yet Christ restored him. May we learn from Peter’s list, just like the Apostle Peter did. He gave his life in service to the Redeemer. What an honor.
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Context: “Suffering as a Christian” is the superscription editors have placed in most English Bibles. As a summary headline. It summarizes the big idea(s) of what immediately follows. Therefore, let us examine what follows in these sentences from the Apostle Peter, especially the phrase “insofar as” found in verse 13.
Here are the “big ideas” from the passage as a whole:
The wisdom of spiritual vigilance (v. 12)
The necessity of suffering due to one’s Christian witness, not suffering due to one’s folly (vv. 13-16)
Judgment of the Christian/church (v. 17)
Trusting God as sovereign (v. 19)
This Phrase: “Insofar as” is crucial as a phrase. It appears in v. 13: “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” Grammatically speaking, it functions here as a conjunction that essentially means, “to the degree that” or “to the extent to which.” It’s a meausement, in other words, a comparison.
Why It’s Important: Context, context, context; that’s why “insofar as” is vital. What’s Peter’s main point in his first letter?Joy amidst suffering. Don’t forget that. It’s not to be a fake joy, a sort of perfunctory facade of “Too blessed to be stressed” nonsense platitudes. No, none of that silliness.
Rather it is a divine joy imparted to the Christian who has learned to understand that trials come by the providence of God who ordains even evil for His purposes. Isaiah 45:7 (ESV) reminds us of this truth:
I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.
Encouragement: “Insofar as” is important, dear reader, because, as a conjunction, it links the thoughts of joy and suffering. We’re not to be surprised at the fiery trials (v. 12) because they’re part of God’s plans for His people. He uses our sufferings for His glory. Admittedly, this is a hard lesson of Scripture, but it is there nonetheless. Learning to persevere in God amidst the fiery trials burns away spiritual fat in our lives, conforming us to the image of God the Son. We don’t like suffering, but it is (we must say it) good for us when it’s part of God’s plan. Not self-inflicted suffering, mind you; that’s our own folly. But the text says that when we suffer as Christians, then we should rejoice and be glad. That’s a hugely important distinction.
Are you struck down? Are you amidst fiery trials? Are you persecuted? If you’re a follower of the Lord Christ, rejoice, Christian pilgrim, for God has His hand upon you and is using those sufferings to draw you to Himself.
Introduction: I was reading a book of theology and cosmology recently. In it the author quoted atheist Carl Sagan. I’m old enough to remember Sagan’s melodramatic program Cosmos. Here’s what Sagan wrote: “In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” That’s from Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot book. You get the idea straightaway: We humans are flying solo out here on this globe known as earth. No pilot. No architect. Just material in motion. Cosmic dust. As John Lennon sang,
Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No Hell below us
Above us only sky
If the materialists are right, it’s pretty soul-crushing. You’re not special. I’m not special. We’re all just molecules in motion. Flotsam and jetsam afloat on a pillow of meaninglessness.
Isn’t it ironic, however, that Sagan aimed to convince others of his view? Why work so hard in life if you really believe, deep down, that you’re nothing, and I’m nothing, and we’re all nothing? Seems paradoxical at best.
Why would John Lennon ask us to try and imagine that we’re cosmic dust but then ask us to love one another instead of blowing one another up? Seems like a fair question, right?
Consider the Christian Alternative inPsalm 8:
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
What is man that you are mindful of him,
And the son of man that you care for him?
But v. 6 of the poem teaches us that we’re not cosmic dust, but that God has created each of us imago Dei, and has given us dominion and stewardship of His creation. That’s a far cry from Sagan’s depressing materialism.
Encouragement: “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket,” is some country wisdom I grew up hearing. That’s very good theology. Why? Because as a man thinks, so is he. Let us labor to learn from the wise and eschew the foolish. You’re not a cosmic accident. You’re the creation of the good and sovereign God. Our duty is to know Him and His revealed will, and Scripture is where you’ll discover both. Sagan’s a believer now, too, by the way.
Introduction: 1 Samuel 8 explains the crux of much of the Bible as a whole. It’s the historical record of how Israel demanded a king. And, well, they got one. But that king was not God. That king was wicked Saul.
Below are some ruminations on this profoundly important Old Testament event:
First, the baton was passed to the wrong person. Samuel had faithfully served as prophet (1 Sam 3:20) and judge, but he was now old (1 Sam 8:1) and his sons were not up to the task of Godly leadership. God says of Samuel’s sons that they “turned aside after gain” (1 Sam 8:3, ESV). They “perverted justice,” the text says (ibid.). Again, you see where this is headed. The people who should have been Godly weren’t. They were concerned about money, not the things of God.
Second, God gave the people their druthers as judgment. When the elders approached Samuel to demand a king “to judge us like all the nations,” God gave them what they asked for. To use a cliche, they got the leader they deserved. It grieved Samuel profoundly. Why? He saw what was coming. He knew Saul was going to destroy people. But God gave the people over: “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Sam 8:7, ESV). Folks, if that doesn’t break your heart, I don’t know what will.
Third, God told the people up front via his truthteller, but the people were undiscerning, harrd-hearted, and refused to listen: “And in that day you will cry out because your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day” (1 Sam 8:18, ESV). In other words, God is saying through his truthtelling prophet Samuel, “See? I told you so.”
Takeaway: Do we think this pattern somehow skipped our days? Do we think, “That’s other people, not us! We’re smarter than those people.” Um, okay. Folks, Sauls are nothing new. They’re the result of sinful, blind, stubborn people demanding what makes them feel good rather than what’s true and good for them. And God gives people over at times as judgment. That’s not feel-good theology, but it is Bible 101.
Intro: It was a long time ago now, but it was my first semester in seminary. One of my first classes was Spiritual Disciplines. After class began the first day, the professor who was to become a mentor to me, spoke some of many words that I still carry with me. “I teach several other courses, but this is my favorite one. ‘Why?’ you might ask. Because you can learn a great deal of theology but lose your first love, why you’re here, and why God called you to serve.” Bam! It was a mic drop moment for me. He then assigned us the 6-7 books we had to read for that term—some great stuff from John Owen, Richard Baxter, J.I. Packer, and more. I devoured that stuff. It’s still on my shelves in my library at home today.
That professor has since gone on to be with the Lord, but I want to share a story about the first exam he gave us in that course. He told us how he memorized Scripture and walked us through his method. One of first pieces he memorized was Psalm 19. So, here’s how this relates to the exam: “I want you to use the English translation of your choice, memorize Psalm 19, then write it out word-for-word on a piece of paper. Then, grade yourself via the honor code by opening your copy of the actual text, and mark down any/all errors. The point is not to be pedantic; the point is for us all to remember the lessons of Psalm 19. Theologically speaking, it’s about general and special revelation. But in plain terms, it’s about why I’ve designed this course. Because you can learn a great deal of theology but lose your first love—about why you’re here, and why God called you to serve.”
Until that term, I had not memorized Psalm 19, but I did then. And it’s still with me today. Sometimes when I don’t know how to pray as I ought, or when I’ve blown it spiritually, or if I’m angry, sad, or depressed, Psalm 19 washes over me. I see God’s general revelation in nature but then His special revelation in Scripture. In Army parlance, we might term them implied and specified tasks. That is, there’s the big picture evidence of what to do vis-à-vis the mission. And then there are all the associated tasks that are linked to that to be successful. Here’s Psalm 19 (ESV):
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Encouragement/takeaway: Those first (6) verses are what we call in theology general revelation. They say, in short, that God has revealed Himself to all men, everywhere. There is no “innocent man on a remote island,” etc. And then the following verses are special revelation; they unpack the specifics of Scripture, God’s revealed will, the posture of humility before the holy, what discipleship looks like, the requirements of the gospel, etc. Specified tasks and implied tasks, in other words.
My professor was teaching me and those other men all those many nights ago in the lecture hall, about how to keep the main thing the main thing, how to not lose focus, how to persevere in the faith, but it all goes back to maintaining that first love, that call to love God and those He puts in our path. I miss you, Dr. C. I truly do. And one of my goals is to see you again one day, and say, “Thank you.”
Questions: For what is the Apostle Peter most known? Is it for his walking on water? For his impetuousness? For his being crucified upside down under Rome in the 1st century A.D? For his threefold denial of Jesus on the night of His betrayal? I don’t know the answer, but I suspect it’s not for his (Peter’s) teaching in his two epistles. And yet Peter’s two epistles are packed with wisdom.
Therefore, I would like to explore just three verses from 1 Peter 2. Specifically, I would like to concentrate of Peter’s teaching on two specifics:
Transparency
Discipleship
Text: “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Pt 2:1-3, ESV).
Teaching: There’s so much in these three verses about the essential marks of Christians–transparency and lives of discipleship/learning/renewal.
See the commands from Peter? What does he say we’re to put away? Malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. How much church drama could be prevented if we all did what we’re taught right here?
Deceptivenss should be no part of Christian ministry; all should be open and transparent. We should welcome open books, open examination, and open dialogue. Do our churches welcome that? Is there a climate of openness and transparency? Per Scripture, churches should.
Secondly, Peter teaches us to grow up into salvation. That’s discipleship. We pay a great deal of lip service to discipleship in church circles often, but people know it when they encounter true depth rather than mere blatherskites. “What you win them with is what you win them to,” is a phrase I think captures the idea. If discipleship is reduced to sentimental story hour, don’t be surpised if you have intellectual pygmies rather than equipped saints. But if your discipleship goes verse-by-verse through Scripture, if the regulative principle of worship is practiced, and if there’s a climate of transparency and oversight, watch the Lord bless that ministry.
Takeaway: Transparency and discipleship. There’s no substitute, if the longing is for a biblical body of called-out saints.
Question: Ever heard of a counterfeit? Perhaps it was a piece of paper currency (see below, e.g.). This is the way counterfeit is defined:
c. 1300, countrefeten, “pretend to be,” from countrefet (adj.), Old French contrefait “imitated” (Modern French contrefait), past participle of contrefaire “imitate,” from contre- “against” (see contra-) + faire “to make, to do” (from Latin facere “to make, do,” from PIE root *dhe- “to set, put”).
The Apostle Peter wrote to address, in particular, Christians dispersed across what is now present-day Turkey. Why? To encourage them to persevere. But there was a way they’d know if they were the real deal.
Textfrom 1 Peter 1:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Pt 1:3-7, ESV).
Observations: Will we notice how understated Peter’s opening salvo is? These persecuted Christians, dispersed across Turkey, fearful of political persecution, might be grieved just a bit by “various trials.” Um, yes! We need to know our church history; we need to know what it cost to be a believer in their generation. It could easily have cost them their lives, and the lives of their families. In sundry cases, it did.
How different from our day! For that, we should be grateful, right? Or should we? A case could be made that fake Christianity (i.e., no Christianity at all) is a plague upon the house of professing Christianity in much of the West. That is, nothing stinks quite like hypocrisy.
Encouragement: This is what Peter’s teaching us, dear ones, namely, that our genuineness will be tested.
May we come forth like the man David described in Psalm 19:14, ESV: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart/be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
Press on, Christian pilgrim, and prove you’re the real deal.
Context: Rome, Italy. Circa 60-68 A.D. The Apostle Peter pens two letters of the New Testament. Their themes revolve around several related themes: perseverance, endurance, suffering, and contending for the truth amidst false worldviews. For this short piece, I just want to focus on perseverance.
Text from 1 Peter 1:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Pt 1:3-9, ESV)
Connections for Us: No matter how many times I go through this text, it encourages me because Peter, a man who was such a saint of the Lord also had some really bad days and nights. He denied the Lord three times, e.g. He walked on the water . . . for a bit. But then, once again, his faith waned. We could go on. Peter was, dare we say it, a fellow sinner, a man with feet of clay. Can you relate? I certainly can.
Encouragement/takeaway: In the opening salvo of his first letter, Peter reminds us of a few things:
God keeps His people (1 Pt 1:3)
We are guarded by no one less than the triune God (1 Pt 1:5)
Perseverance is rewarded (1 Pt 1:6-7)
In short, we are to press on in persevering faith, knowing that our Commander is good, gracious, and sees our labors. Rest in that truth, and work hard.
MIND & MATTERS 