“For the Lord will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake; because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. 23. Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24. Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things He has done for you. 25. But if you shall do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your king.”
The context of this passage is Samuel’s sermon to Israel after they had chosen a king to lead them instead of God. God allowed them a king, but Samuel knew that this would not solve the moral and military problems of Israel. Though Israel had chosen a king to rule over them, Samuel was still God’s man to influence them to do what was right. Because of Samuel’s influence and godliness, the closing of the period of Judges was more positive. This text shows why Samuel was an important influence on his people, and how we can influence the people in our lives. Though Samuel was disappointed in the people for their choice of having a king “like all other nations,” he vowed to continue to pray for them. Here is specifically what he said: “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.” He said that it would be a sin if he ceased to pray for these recalcitrant people. Samuel influenced them through prayer, for he knew the power of prayer. This is where we come in. No matter how bad things may seem in our world, our families, our jobs, our churches, etc. we need to continue to pray for the people in our lives. Many mothers have lived to see their sons our daughters saved because they did not cease to pray for them. Take Samuel’s advice and do not cease to pray for those who seem to be defying your prayers. Just believe that God is at work in their lives, as He is still at work in our wayward world. Don’t sin by refusing to pray. Though it seemed an impossible task for Samuel, he promised: “But I will teach you the good and the right way.” Samuel continued to teach what was right in spite of the fact that the people seemed to be ignoring everything he taught. Perhaps we need to be reminded here that God has called us to be faithful, even if we do not seem to be successful. I would have quit preaching a long time ago if I had quit doing what God called me to do because people seemed to ignore what I was preaching and teaching. (I have also had to deal with myself in practicing what I preach.) We can’t stop being a voice for righteousness and sanity in a world that has gone sin crazy. I think that Samuel first taught the people the “good and right way” by living in that way himself. We can’t stop living God’s truth or telling His truth. In verse 24, Samuel gave a hint about what he was teaching the people: “Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He has done for you.” He called on the people to fear and reverence God and to serve Him with all of their hearts. This message has not changed and is surely needed from God’s people today. Samuel also called upon the people to remember all that God had done for them. We need to do the same in our lives and to remind others about the same thing in their lives. If we are not careful, we will forget God’s blessings on our lives. While we need to continue to pray, teach and serve, we need to also warn people as Samuel did in verse 25: “But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your king.” The judgement of God is as sure as His love. We need to teach people that God loves them, but we also need to teach people that judgment day is coming – as it did with Israel. In these trying times, we need to remember the influence that one person can have and we can use Samuel as an example. Bro. Joe
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Ecclesiastes 10:1: “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour (odor): so does a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor."
Matthew 13:33: “Another parable spoke He unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” I do not mean to change the word of God, but I want to propose that one dead fly in the ointment would make it stink. I know that if I found a dead fly in anything that I was going to apply to myself, or eat, it would be time to throw whatever it was away. In the same way, it takes only a little leaven, or yeast, to cause the dough to rise. The same is true of events in the world, our churches and our lives. Sometimes it just takes just one bad influence to ruin everything. As the old saying goes: “One rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel.” This has been true in history. There are plenty of historical examples, but one comes to my mind – Adolph Hitler. I am a student, not a scholar, of WWII, and one can’t study that war and not study about Hitler. He was one man who had twisted ideas about human nature, and about Jews, and that one man stirred a whole nation to follow him into the folly of his ideas. Let us say that Hitler was a “fly in the ointment of history.” One thinks of Joseph Stalin, who took the idea of communism and turned it into a murderous weapon against his own people. Both Hitler and Stalin had people who influenced their lives, but they sure muddled things when they were in charge. This has been true in churches. It doesn’t take a whole lot of people to “stir up a mess” in a church. Most of the time it is one person who has an ax to grind, and they grind it for all that they are worth. The problem is that they can usually get other people in cahoots with them, and can stir up trouble for everybody. Sometimes it begins in a Sunday School class, or some other organization in the church, and it permeates the whole church. This is bad but it happens and it happens when a little leaven is put in the dough, or a dead fly gets in the ointment. Now that I have you depressed about the human situation (lol) let me go in a more positive direction. This principle also applies to the good that can be done in the world and in the church. Dwight L. Moody, the great 19th Century evangelist, when asked about how revival starts said: “Every great movement of God began with a kneeling figure.” Great revivals have started because one person caught on fire for the Lord and “leavened the whole lump.” When one thinks of the “Great Awakening” he thinks of Jonathan Edwards, whose sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” helped to stir a nation to revival. Edwards didn’t do it by himself, but his influence was felt throughout the movement. Now I will go to the source –the Bible – God’s word. Of course, we think of Jesus who was one God/man who changed the world, but I want to illustrate this point with a man. This man’s name was Saul of Tarsus. He caused havoc for the followers of Jesus Christ. He was bent on destroying the churches, and his influence was felt throughout the church. But when Saul of Tarsus met Christ on the Damascus Road, and became Paul the Apostle, he was influential in the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the area, beginning at Damascus and reaching all the way to Rome. Paul didn’t do it by himself, but he was the “leaven” that made a difference in his time for the Lord’s work. I will conclude by asking you about yourself. What difference are you making where you are? Are you a “fly in the ointment” or are you an influence for good in your family, your community, your church and etc. Something to think about isn’t it? Bro. Joe |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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