Sonshine's Journal

These next chapters introduce us to Elijah the Tishbite and his ministry. By his own words Elijah said: certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve) there would be no rain for a period of time. And it happened just as God said. 

Fast forward, after the brook dried up, God told him to go to a widow in Zarephath and as he went through the city gates there she was! Notice her response when Elijah asked for some food: “As certainly as the Lord your God lives,” not whom I serve but whom you serve. This widow understood something about this hairy man. Somehow, some way, she knew Elijah had a personal relationship with Yahweh. By her own testimony she ascertained that Elijah served the God of Israel but she did not know Him as her personal God. So why did God send Elijah there? Stop and think. This widow was destitute and she needed to be introduced to this God of Israel so He could reveal Himself to her as the God of provision. 

Who is destitute in your sphere of influence and do they know whom you serve? Are you being sent to them so you can be a witness for Him? 

Some years ago a book was written about when bad things happen to good people. People still ask that question but God has the answer and in today’s reading we see the results of that question. The first mistake comes about when we think people are good. No one is good except God! As king, David made a disastrous mistake in taking Bathsheba to bed and had her good husband killed. God does not turn a blind eye to sin and now the fortunes of David are about to fall. It seemed like such an “innocent” event but God sees not the event, but the heart. And the first consequence that happens is Absalom woos the nation to follow him not David and it escalates until David has to leave the city for his safety.  Along the way we are introduced to two men who enter this scene with stories that should be challenged but they are not. 

First was Ziba who blatantly lied about his master Mehisopheth staying in Jerusalem. Ziba just wanted to ingrate himself in David’s eyes. David believes the lies of Ziba without corroborating the story. Second is Shimei who is a traitor to the core. He curses David and is not corrected. 

So our question is: why is all this bad happening to David? Why do bad things happen to good people? The easy answer is that we are all sinners. Sometimes it is because we take advantage of other’s demise rather than going to God. The second reason is that God allows these to occur to show us today the true depths of sin’s ramifications. A third reason is bad things are the direct result of human actions—hate, poor choices, and selfishness—rather than divine intervention. We may never know the true reasons but what it does tell us is that we are not good, only God is good!  

King Saul and his sons are now dead and the kingship belongs to David. In the midst of the celebrations, one man is killed by God for seeking to “help” the transition of the Ark from one place to the center of Jerusalem. What gives here? Why did God treat Uzzah in this way? The OT clearly tells us that the Ark is holy and thus no one, priest, king or person should touch it. It is God’s presence and to touch it is to seek to touch God. How often do we reach out and seek to touch God in our voices, our actions, and our desire to be more holy than we are? But, this is not God’s way. His way is for us to do as Moses did, remove one’s shoes for this is holy ground. From this very illuminating picture we see David humbling himself and teaching a lesson about holiness to his people. God’s blessing came on Israel when the people had a proper attitude toward Him, which their proper attitude toward the ark symbolized (6:12-19)

The last sentence in this set of chapters is that David’s sons were priests. Will they be like Eli’s sons or more like David? Stay tuned to learn more from our readings day after day. 

Jesus reminded us that there will be wars and rumors of wars. Jeremiah, the prophet, wrote that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked and only God knows it. David has been chosen to lead the next generation of Israel into the future but he has to deal with unexpected news of the death of Saul and his three sons on the battlefield. Into this scene we see a man who has come from the scene of Saul’s death to bring this news to David. There are many inconsistencies in his testimony and a lack of reverence for God’s anointed. David has his soldiers end his life. As we look at this scenario we mourn with David about all of this news.It is heavy on his heart and we carry that heaviness in our own heart. God alone has the right to take a life. Thinking back to Genesis we read that God’s heart was heavy for the sin of the people was great and beyond redemption and so He sent a flood to cleanse the land. 

Does He have to do it again?  What good can come of all this? As we enter the time of Easter we know that God sent His Son to conquer death. There will continue to be the “bad” because the heart is wicked and desperately wicked but there is the “good” when we realize that this too will end when Jesus returns. Are you overwhelmed with the news of the day or are you overwhelmed with the love that God has for you and His gift of salvation through His death on the cross? 

Wise Solomon wrote: “Pro 29:25 The fear of people becomes a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high.” In these chapters we find three men who experienced this; the high priest, Abimelech, King Saul, and David the warrior who had conquered Goliath. All three faced choices in which they either had to trust God or trust in men who will fail. All three failed in their choice and Samuel has recorded the results of that fear. Abimelech is killed by Doeg the Edomite when the Israelites refused to follow King Saul’s command to kill him and the other priests, he killed 85 priests to his shame. 

King Saul was so fearful of Abimelech’s decision to help David that he ordered his death. This would be a thorn in David’s side for years to come. David feared for his life and went to Abimelech to secure provisions for his men. He was given food and Goliath’s sword but in the end that decision cost Abimelech’s life at the hand of Saul through Doeg. Saul would lose his kingship and David would lose the trust of others. 

How often do we not trust God and instead allow fear to guide our decisions? Fear is as the Proverbs verse says; a snare, a trap. Beware of this character quality for it only leads to the deadly d’s of discouragement, death and more. Today, trust God. 

Goliath was a taunter of the Israelites and he made sure that his taunts scared them day after day. We too have our Goliath’s. Satan is ours and he is just as boastful and threatening as the one David faced. Twice David reminded Goliath that he was defying the Lord God Almighty. That is the first step in our victory over our Goliaths as well. Twice David noted: “this uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” [vs 36 and 45]

Sometimes we face the Goliath’s but do we tell Satan that he has defied the living God? David was victorious because he knew who the true God was and the enemy he faced. Today as you face your Goliath’s tell him what he has done and what God will do to him. 

Hannah was a woman with a deep grief on her heart because her womb had remained closed. Many women face this dilemma and it causes pain because children are a gift from the Lord, but how do you face life when that is not given? Hannah took her pain to the Lord outside the tabernacle. While in deep prayer, the high priest Eli rebuked her thinking Hannah was drunk. But, what we want to notice is how she answered his rebuke. While Eli rebuked her for being drunk, Hannah told him that was not true but instead she was in deep pain and anguish. What we need to see is her response did not include the real problem. She left that problem with the Lord and only told Eli about her great distress. 

How often do we pray and others want to know the particulars. Hannah never shared those with Eli but only God. What a beautiful way to keep rumors and/or gossip from happening. We should learn from this encounter how we too share our deepest anguish. Others do not need to know the particulars. What they do need to know is our heart is in pain.

The ways of God are often mistaken, but here we find God responding to a barren woman as only God can do. Why did God choose to allow her to birth and carry this rebellious child is answered in this chapter. “For the child will be dedicated to God from birth till the day he dies.’” Vs 7. What does it mean to be dedicated in the sight of God? As we follow the life of this child, whom we know will be known as Samson, we shake our heads as we read about him. What is God doing? How is that a fulfillment of him being dedicated to God? That is how we often think when God acts and we are befuddled, but remember, beloved, the ways of God are not like the ways of man for His ways are higher than ours. God will use Samson to bring down many unbelievers and God does it today as well. So when something occurs that is out of the ordinary, stop and remember Isaiah 55:9. God says My ways are superior to yours and Samson fills that statement. 

Will you today watch and learn about His ways? Will you seek to understand His ways so you too can be dedicated to Him. 

This is Women’s Month and today we stop to honor Deborah for her part in the overthrow of foreign governments that sought to undermine Israel. She trained the men, she followed them into battle and she honored Jael who singlehanded killed an evil enemy when Barak refused to go into battle without her. The story of Jael’s craftiness is worthy of our read today. She was a modern day MI6 warrior that craftily lured the enemy Sisera into a tent where she offered a drink of milk after which he laid down into a slumber. Then Jael hammered a tent peg into his skull. Deborah said a woman would be given the honor and Jael was that woman.

You never know when God will call upon you to serve Him in extraordinary ways just as we see here in the life of Jael. 

Where is God calling you to serve in extraordinary capacities? Are you ready? 

Just as God raised up Joshua and other male leaders to guide the nation of Israel, He has raised up women to fulfill His plans. Today in our reading we come across Deborah who sat under a tree to offer wise counsel to the people, one of whom as Barak. Now Barak was what we call a sissy for his fear of the enemy was stronger than his fear of the Lord. So, because God had called him to exterminate the enemy and he was fearful, God allowed Deborah to counsel him. She was a wife and a prophetess and clearly gave Barak the news that God had chosen him to lead. But, Barak needed more encouragement. Listen to his words: I will go if you will go with me. “Sigh”….When God calls you to do His bidding, He often doesn’t say go get a woman or any other to go with you! However, Barak did and Deborah went with him with this warning: your victory will be given to a woman not you. 

Beloved, when God calls you to serve, He will provide just what you need. Do you trust God to go with you, before you and behind you? Do you trust Him to provide all you need? Or are you a Barak?