March 24, 2010 1Samuel 5-9:10

I like the way God used the ark of the covenant to create fear in the Philistines. Everywhere it was taken, the people suffered health problems and life was not good. At one point, they even put it in the temple of their god, Dagon, the fish god, half man and half fish, and when they went back in the morning, the statue of Dagon was knocked over. Finally, they decided to return it and used two cows to do the job. Their soothsayers even told them that if the cows took the ark one way that it was of God. If the cows took it another way, it was not of God. Of course the cows didn't stop until they had gone the way of God.

Samuel ruled or judged Israel for 20 years. He never stopped talking and listening to God. The Philistines still provoked the Israelites, but the Lord kept them at bay. When Samuel was old, he appointed his sons as judges in Israel. (There is no mention of Saul's wife.) Unfortunately, they were not the best of people and the Israelites knew it. The told this to Samuel and asked him to appoint a king just like the other nations had. Samuel took it to God and God told him what He thought and Samuel passed on the information. It wasn't good. Their lives would become base and sinful. The people refused to listen to Samuel, they wanted to be just like the other nations! Again Samuel took it to God and God said to give them what they asked for. Be careful what you ask for...

A Benjamite named Saul was a strapping and impressive young lad. Saul's father lost his donkeys and wanted Saul to find them. He told him to take a servant with him to look for the donkeys. They looked and looked and looked. Finally they came to a town where there was a seer or prophet and decided to ask him where the donkeys could be found. Saul was concerned that they didn't have an offering to give the seer. The servant had some silver which he said they could give the man of God. Saul thought that was good enough so they set out to find the seer.

Tomorrow read 1Samuel 9:11-12:18