"On every page of the God-breathed writings are many thoughts that stretch out like long, clear arms of light across the darkness, discovering things otherwise hidden and illuminating wider areas than those of the immediate context. They are searchlights. I have selected one in each chapter of Scripture, for at least one central thought in every chapter should arrest the mind and affect the life," wrote G. Campbell Morgan, a skilled, wise, warm-hearted Bible teacher who conducted a classic 3-year study called Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible. Here is the fruit of that research—summarized, illustrated, and amplified with useful details—on all 66 books of the Bible.
1 Samuel 1:11 "If you will give...I will give." These are the central terms of the vow Hannah made to God. A proper and beautiful passion for motherhood drove this devout Jewish woman to the Lord in prayer, and God used her prayer as His way of raising up a consistently godly leader for His people in strangely difficult times. This pre-natal dedication of a life to God's service was an act of faith that produced definite results in the life of Samuel, the child to come. Often parents ask when to begin addressing their children's relationship to the Lord. Does not Hannah's story present a somewhat startling answer to that inquiry? With all the spiritual influence of such a vow upon her, think how carefully she would guard both herself and her child so he would be worthy of the high service to which he was dedicated! Parents who truly believe that "children are a heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3) give them opportunities in life that children thought of otherwise don't tend to receive. Such dedications of children cannot ensure the faithfulness of the children themselves, but it makes it very difficult for those children to go wrong ultimately. This is a great subject worthy of careful pondering.
1 Samuel 2:18 "Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy wearing a linen ephod." The Hebrew words translated "as a boy" emphasize that Samuel at this time was quite a young boy. He is placed in contrast with the sons of Eli, the high priest, who were desecrating their office and bringing religious life into contempt throughout the land by their gluttonous and immoral lifestyle. Yet God saw to it that here in the Tabernacle was a lad being prepared to elevate the religious and political life of the nation. Samuel, however, had no knowledge of God based upon personal and first-hand communion with Him. His service was simply waiting upon Eli in all the details of everyday life at the Tabernacle, under the inspiration of his mother's love. This is the true line of religious activity for children. The Boy of Nazareth, long afterwards, was surely ministering before the Lord when He went down with His parents and continued in subjection to them (Luke 2:51). It should always be the aim of all who care for little ones to help them understand the sacred beauty of doing everyday things as to the Lord. It is by such devotion in ordinary things that they are being prepared for some hour when the call of God may come directly through His Word or people, and so the way will already be open on their part for cooperation with Him.
1 Samuel 3:10 "Speak, for Your servant is listening." These were the words with which Samuel yielded himself to God, receiving His Word for the nation. Samuel is described as still a boy who "did not yet know the Lord, nor had the Word of the Lord yet been revealed to him" (verse 7). All that changed in an evening. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus tells us the tradition is (whether true or not) that Samuel was about 12 years old, the age at which a Jewish boy came to be knows as a son of the Law (bar mitzvah); that is, began to be directly responsible. Instructed by Eli, Samuel answered God the third time He called, submitting himself by his own will to God. Thus yielded, Samuel became the instrument of divine action in a remarkable way for, like Moses, he was not a judge only but also a prophet and a priest. Samuel's simple opening words to God reveal the one true attitude of those who are called by God to deliver His Word: a wholly-surrendered life that listens to God speaking through His Word. Too often we fail because we do not listen to God's Word before we speak. With best intentions we attempt to interpret the will of God by a general knowledge and quick observation of the circumstances of the hour. God still speaks to those through whom He would make known His will, and it is for them to wait upon Him in diligent prayer and study of His Word. Only then will there be authority in the message they deliver.
1 Samuel 4:22 "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken." It was a dark hour for Israel when the Philistines routed them in battle, killing 30,000 Israeli infantrymen and the two wicked sons of Eli, from whom they took the Ark of the Covenant. A woman in the anguish of childbirth understood the central tragedy, for the highlighted words are hers. Her husband and father-in-law were now dead, but the more terrible fact was that the Ark was taken. The glory had departed from Israel, meaning the symbol and pledge of God's presence among His people. To that Presence they owed everything. If that was gone, Israel had no glory, for the nation had neither might nor wisdom apart from its relationship to God. The perpetual spiritual significance of this is obvious: the people of God in every age have no glory except the true presence of God in their midst. If that is lacking, they are poor indeed. A so-called church may be rich in earthly goods, but they are poor, blind, naked, and miserable when the living Lord is not clearly among them (Revelation 3:14-22). And there is no mistaking the absent. Even men of the world know when an elaborate and spectacular organization is devoid of true power, and hold therefore it in contempt. Sensing the presence of the Lord may seem mystic, defying our explanation, but it isn't when God's people reflect God Himself by obeying His revealed Word.
1 Samuel 5:11 "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place." This short chapter shows how God is able to become His own witness when His people fail in their testimony to Him among the nations. To Israel the Ark was the center and symbol of their national life, yet in itself was devoid of power. When the Israelites lost 4,000 infantrymen in an early battle with the Philistines, they hoped to save themselves simply by bringing out the Ark in another battle. That, however, was a superstitious use of the Ark that proved utterly unavailing. The Ark was not a lucky charm that could be used to deliver disobedient Israel. But God would not permit the enemies of His people to trifle with it. As Jesus said long after this, if His disciples became silent, the stones themselves would cry out (Luke 19:37-44); since the Israelites were unfaithful witnesses to God, here He made the Ark, the symbol of His presence, the occasion of His judgment upon His enemies. Thus the Philistines were made to feel that though, for the moment, they were able to conquer and break the power of Israel, they still had to deal with Israel's God—and that was an entirely different matter! This highlighted cry of the people to their Philistine lords to send the Ark away was the result of this conviction. God consistently breaks through to human consciousness, not always in ways we could describe as supernatural, but always with certainty and conviction. This fact may give us encouragement, but must not be used as an excuse for the unfaithfulness of those who should be His witnesses. If the Israelites had been obedient to God, the Philistines would never have taken the Ark.
1 Samuel 6:12 "The cows took the straight way in the direction of Beth-shemesh." These words record a remarkable fact that was conclusive proof to the Philistines of God's action and power. When the people protested to their lords about the Ark's continued presence in their midst, the lords held council and sought the advice of diviners on appeasing the wrath of the God of Israel. It is clear they were aware of Israel's history and God's central place in it. The counselors advised sending back the Ark to Israel, accompanied by offerings indicating their humble acknowledgment of the plagues that came upon them as direct acts of God. Their method of sending back the Ark was as an experiment that successfully concluded with the observation highlighted. The cows selected to pull the cart carrying the Ark and the offerings were milk cows not trained to pull loads. They traveled placidly without protest for a considerable distance, even though their newborn calves were penned at home, going straight up to the first city of Israel from where they were. To those who have eyes to see, God constantly bears witness to Himself by turning the natural courses of men and things into extraordinary events He knows will make us think.
1 Samuel 7:12 "Thus far the Lord has helped us." A dark period in Israel of twenty years is passed over without detail. It would seem there was no definite center of worship, for while the Ark was resting in the house of an individual, the Tabernacle was probably dismantled. During this period Samuel passed from youth to manhood, and now approached the hour of his leadership. This was ushered in by the lamenting of the people after God. Samuel, therefore, called the people to turn away from their idols and return to God. By direct intervention at Mizpeh, where the Israelites repented, God repelled a major attack by Philistine army and allowed Israel to regain control over all the cities the Philistines had taken from them. Samuel then set up a commemorative stone he called Ebenezer, stone of help, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." That included all the experiences Israel passed through, not the victories only, but the discipline and suffering also. This man of clear vision recognized the beneficial purpose and method of God's government. To look back honestly is to see that God has always been acting for our highest welfare, even through calamity and sorrow. The light of that backward look is meant to fall upon the present and give us confidence for the future.
1 Samuel 8:5 "Appoint a king to lead us, just like all the other nations have." In this chapter we come to the dividing line in the national history of Israel, whose particular character and glory to this point was being created by God as a theocracy: the Lord was its only King. Israel inspired awe among the nations when its people obeyed God, but that proved to be seldom. Their persistent disobedience created the necessity for temporary saviors known as judges, which were approximations tending toward a human king. Now the time came when the people demanded that Samuel, their last judge, give them a king just like everyone else. The childish tone of their request reveals the evil of it: Israel's glory and power to this point was precisely because they were not like every other nation. By failing to submit themselves completely to God's rule, they failed to realize its amazing breadth and benefits, so they sought conformity to the ways of other nations. It was a sad fall. There is but one King who is able to govern humanity perfectly, and that is God. Who knows better than the Creator what is best for His creatures? Humanity's only hope for peace, prosperity, true freedom and fullness of life is the Kingdom of God, the topic of Jesus' first recorded sermon on earth (Matthew 4:17) and His last before ascending to heaven (Acts 1:1-3). God has appeared in human history as Man, and "has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). He will govern the world in righteousness through that Man. That makes it certain that men and women who trust Him will find liberty and life in all strength and fullness.
1 Samuel 9:16 "I have regarded My people because their cry has come to Me." This is the reason God gave Samuel for allowing His people to have a king. His perfect counsel for them was that they have no king other than Himself, but they failed to realize this high possibility. Their God knew them; He carefully regarded them. Their cry for a king had come up to Him, and that cry should be answered. He would give them a king so in the long process of experience, they would learn the folly of their choice. When men and women fail to rise to the height of the purpose of God and clamor for something lower, He gives them what they ask and then watches over them as they work out their low choice to its ultimate conclusion, and thus are some eventually brought back to His purpose with a full understanding of its perfection. One thing more important than any other in our lives is to begin all our prayers by asking we be taught to desire only what God desires for us.
1 Samuel 10:24 "Long live the king!" Literally, "Let the king live" was the cry of the people when Saul was presented to them as "the one whom the Lord has chosen." It expressed the satisfaction of the people that their request was granted, their recognition of God in the appointment, and their submission to the king's authority. Such submission was wholly right. If men and women desire a king, their first duty is to obey the king. The apostle Paul recognized that ancient duty when enjoining obedience to kings and all in authority (Romans 13:1-7). The king's duty was, and is, to recognize that his authority is a delegated authority, "for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God" (Romans 13:1). If he fails to do so and dares govern without righteousness and justice reflective of God's own, the time will come when God will act to remove him from power. All human history testifies to the truth of these things. Individual men and women in authority, with all their choosing and planning, never escape God's final authority and power. That is the one and only ground for confidence in human affairs, and it is a rock foundation.
1 Samuel 11:13 "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplished deliverance in Israel." It seems that Saul, sending everyone home after his coronation and going down to his own house in Gibeah, did not take up the active responsibilities of his kingship until something drastic happened. The Spirit of God came upon him with great power when he heard of the dire situation in Jabesh Gilead because of Ammonite terrorists, enabling him to gather the army and lead them to victory. The closing sentences of the previous chapter mention that certain Israelites disparaged Saul when he was made king. In this day of great victory, the people suggested now would be a good time to kill those complainers. The possibility of greatness in Saul is manifested in that he refused to mar God's victory by going along with mob sentiment. When we contrast this attitude with what will come when he grows jealous of David, we realize how great was his fall. At this time Saul had a true outlook. He took no credit to himself for his victory. He knew deliverance had come from God. What right had he to put men to death because they were not loyal to him at first? Where there's an acute sense that God corrects what is wrong when it is right to do so, there's no room for revenge. To be aware of God's rule is to be patient and magnanimous in one's dealing with others. That kind of magnanimity will do more to make a throne secure than all methods of oppressive tyranny.
1 Samuel 12:23 "As for me, God forbid that I should sin against Him by ceasing to pray for you." Notice first what Samuel did not say: that he would be sinning against the people if he failed to pray for them, although that would be true in a secondary sense. Samuel's main concern was not sinning against God, who always wants His shepherds to pray for their flock. God wills to use our prayers as a means to how He acts. When we cease to pray we, in a sense, limit God; when we pray we open His way to act. It may seem to us as though our praying could not possibly make any difference to God's putting forth His divine power, even though it might possibly affect His will. As a matter of fact, the reverse is true. No prayer of ours can change the will of God, which is always "good, acceptable, and perfect" (Romans 12:2), but His Word makes it clear that He wills for our prayers to make it possible for His power to operate in ways impossible apart from them. When we cease to pray as we are commanded to, we sin against God first because we hinder Him in that we do not help Him. God forbid that we ever sin against Him or others by ceasing to pray for the spiritual and physical good of people desperately in need of our prayers!
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| 1st of 3 Strikes Against King Saul |
1 Samuel 13:13 "You have acted foolishly." What had Saul done? At the beginning, when Samuel anointed Saul as king, he sent him to Gilgal and told him to wait for Samuel to give him specific instructions from God (1 Samuel 10:8). The same thing happened here (and probably many other times through the years), but Saul grew tired of waiting and took matters into his own hands, violating a clear commandment in Scripture. The circumstances he found himself in were particularly trying, for the Philistines were amassed against him in numbers far beyond his own. Saul's soldiers were slipping away daily to avoid the upcoming fight so Saul took it upon himself to act like a priest (he was not) in an attempt to use religion to keep his army intact. Saul's impatience, presumption, disobedience, and self-sufficiency cost him his kingdom. As Samuel said when he came on the scene as Saul finished his showy sacrifice, "Now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you" (verse 14). However dark the day or difficult our circumstances, we are never justified in following our own ideas when they conflict with divine instructions. Since God's commandments express utmost wisdom, anything that controverts them is ultimately foolish.
1 Samuel 14:45 "The people rescued Jonathan and he did not die." In this act the people represented God by asserting their will against the will of King Saul by setting aside his ruling and thus preventing a great wrong against Saul's own son, the hero of this chapter. Saul's ruling came from a rash oath that was wholly wrong because it hindered rather than helped their pursuit of their enemies, it ensnared Jonathan in an unwitting trespass, and led the people into a sin of their own. When the result threatened was the death of Jonathan, all the deepest things in Israel's national life found expression, and the king was gloriously disobeyed. Such things have often happened in history because deep down in the human heart is that which understands the right because we were made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-31). Under the stress of circumstances, that understanding becomes active. When it does, it is invincible. Presidents, kings, parliaments, and rulers are swept aside and the right thing is done. Those who desire to lead others in right ways may always appeal to this deepest fact in human consciousness. It, of course, will not always be obeyed, but God has not left Himself without witness in the human soul. Whenever we appeal for righteousness and truth, we may know there is an answering appeal within the human conscience.
1 Samuel 15:23 "Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king." God's appointments are conditional. He appointed Saul to the office of king, but that position had been clearly defined for him from the beginning. In God's own words (1 Samuel 8:7), the people were rejecting Him as King when they asked for another king. He did not give them up, however, or resign His position as their King; granting them their request for a king, He had not for a moment ceased to reign. From the first, Saul's job was to do God's will for the people, which depended on obeying God's every Word. When Saul instead leaned on his own understanding and disregarded God's clear instructions, he forfeited his right to rule. In this chapter is the second main time he did that. Therefore God rejected Saul as king. When God today calls people to positions of high responsibility and authority in His service, His Word still makes clear the conditions upon which they will be able to discharge their responsibilities and exercise their authority. If they fail to fulfill those conditions, they become disqualified from that service. We find this principle repeated in the New Testament. The apostle Paul wrote, "Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.... I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
1 Samuel 16:11 "There remains yet the youngest but behold, he keeps the sheep." That is how Jesse expressed what he considered to be David's disqualifications for the office of king. That David was his youngest son removed him furthest from the possibility of responsibility, and his doing the family's most menial work made it most unlikely he should in any sense be fitted for such responsibility. So completely was David out of the running in his father's mind that he had not even been sent for. Yet he was God's choice because although "man looks at the outward appearance, the Lord looks at the heart" (versem:7). All the things men and women count as privileges leading to fitness for position and high service are in themselves of no value to God. He considers the deepest parts of a person: the inner and hidden impulses, desires, and affections. David's supposed disadvantages were advantages because the discipline of his earlier years would make him more free from arrogance than Eliab, the firstborn. David's work as a shepherd was excellent preparation for the true art of kingship. "All kings are shepherds of the people," to quote Homer, well summarizing a consistent biblical theme. God's choices and appointments are always based on the highest and deepest wisdom.
1 Samuel 17:45 "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied!" The contrast is between the equipment of these two very different men. Looking at them apart from that equipment highlights the inequity of their combat. Goliath stood somewhere near 10 feet high and was massive in proportion; David was by comparison a twig. On that level of observation, an onlooker would say this is not war but murder since the youth stood no chance. That was not David's own conception of things, as our highlighted text reveals, because he took account of the equipment of each. The giant came armed with offensive weapons, all in the realm of the physical. The youth also had material weapons, but of a simple nature and he did not name them. What he did name was the name of the Lord of hosts, for David was armed with God and a profound faith in the rightness of His cause. The armies defied were the armies of the Lord of hosts. In His name then he went forth to single combat. David's material weapons were needed and proved superior to those of Goliath since they operated before the sword, spear, or javelin could be brought into use. But it was God Himself and David's faith that gave inerrancy and strength to the slingshot that brought down the giant. This truth is of abiding application.
1 Samuel 18:9 "Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on." The context gives two reasons for Saul's feelings: jealousy and fear. He was jealous because after David killed Goliath, he was drafted into Saul's army and very successful in killing Israel's oppressors, which was fine with Saul until he heard all the women welcome them back from fighting one day with this little tune: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands" (verse 7). What is more, "Saul was afraid of David, for the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul" (verse 12). This is an inexpressibly sad and tragic story. Saul was rightly set aside from a position of trust because of his own sin, but now was filled with hatred of the man called by God to assume that position and fulfill the responsibilities from which Saul had been rejected. The progression of sin unchecked is terrible indeed: out of the first act others inevitably sprout until the whole nature becomes corrupted. Saul stooped to the basest acts in his attempts to rid himself of his rival. In all this we see the blindness that results from sin. Saul seems to have had no consciousness that in persecuting David, he was fighting against God. When we become aware of sin in our lives, we should acknowledge it at once, confess and repent of it to God and anyone else involved, and humbly and patiently deal with the consequences of our actions. What a different man Saul would have been if he had submitted to God's discipline and received David as the appointed king! Even though the opportunity of some special service is lost forever through disobedience, fellowship may be restored and maintained. In some other way God may bless and use those who, having failed, are yet responsive to the deepest intentions of His discipline.
1 Samuel 19:9 "An evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul." This evil spirit came upon Saul when the Spirit of the Lord left him (1 Samuel 16:14). While it is obvious that Saul suffered throughout the rest of his life from a mental disorder, the Scriptures make it clear this malady is attributed to an evil spirit who rushed in when the Spirit of the Lord was withdrawn, but that spirit (like all spirits) was under God's rule, thus literally described as being "from the Lord." The tendency of modern thinking to deny the influence of spirits on human life is out of harmony with biblical teaching and therefore unrealistic. The spirits that have access to human souls are entirely evil; they are spirits of lawlessness. There is but one Spirit who brings to the soul purity, wisdom, and strength, and that is the Spirit of God. Those evil spirits, however, are under the control of God. They are permitted to act, but only as He sees fit for His high purposes. Their leader, Satan himself, had to get God's permission before testing Job (Job 1-2) and the apostle Peter (Luke 22:31-33). No created being, whether angelic or human, escapes the government of God.
1 Samuel 20:17 "Jonathan...loved him as he loved his own life." The friendship of David and Jonathan is one of the most beautiful and noble of all time. Its beauty is enhanced in the sacred Scriptures because it is set in relation to an exceedingly dark background, which is where love shines brightest. From the account of the beginnings of this friendship right after David killed Goliath, it seems that Jonathan's love for David was earlier than, and the inspiring cause of, David's love for Jonathan. In fact, their friendship had even finer expression in Jonathan than in David. There was, perhaps, less selfishness in it. Jonathan was heir-apparent to the throne of Israel, but he knew God had chosen David for that position. He joyfully submitted to the divine will and remained David's friend, loving him more rather than less because he was the Lord's anointed (1 Samuel 16:1, 13). Jonathan loved David as he loved his own life or soul, which is the essence of godly love: loving your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:36-40). Such love is not common, but is unmistakably beautiful when it appears. Happy is the man or woman who finds a true friend in this sense, but happier still is he or she who becomes such a friend to someone else! David was blessed by Jonathan's friendship, but in the deep experience of his own soul Jonathan was supremely blessed in his Christ-like love for David.
1 Samuel 21:12 "David ... greatly feared Achish king of Gath." This is a strange story about David, and yet not strange in that it is so true to human experience. Fear and faith are constantly antagonistic. The triumph of the one is always the defeat of the other. This is a rare time in David's exemplary life when fear triumphed over faith. In fear of Saul, David fled where he had no business fleeing: the stronghold of his people's enemies, in the very town where Goliath came from! There David was filled with fear of King Achish, and we have the sad picture of God's anointed man feigning madness in a crafty yet dishonorable attempt to protect himself. These were days of great strain for David; judging simply on what man is able to endure in his own strength, we cannot wonder that the tension reacted upon him. But there was no need for David to depend upon himself. Faith might have triumphed over fear of Saul. Had it done so, David would not have sought refuge with Achish and reduced himself to such unworthy expedients for securing safety. While David's experience in Gath calls out our sympathy because we have so often yielded to fear and then resorted to foolish methods to manage our messy situation, the lesson is not to take refuge from any peril among the enemies of God's people and purposes. That means, finally, that fear is wrong. Faith in God is the strength of righteous action, and there is no reason for any other attitude of mind than perfect confidence in Him.
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| Cave of Adullam |
1 Samuel 22:2 "Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him." David fled to Adullam, a large, easily defensible cave in Israel, when he left Philistine territory. That cave soon became a rallying ground for what was a sorry crowd at first: men in distress, in debt, and discontented gathered around David. Probably from Saul's viewpoint they were unfit men who were a menace to the existing order of things, but it is more likely they were as they were from the chaotic condition of Saul's kingdom: their distress from a false method of governing, their debt from oppressive taxation, and their discontent from righteous indignation over prevailing wrongs. The true kingliness of David is seen in the effect he had on these men. They became an orderly company of mighty men, filled with the high heroic spirit capable of unshakeable loyalty and glorious deeds. This applies as a parable in modern times: King Jesus is still rejected by men and women, though appointed by God. Through this time of rejection, He is gathering about Him those in distress, in debt, and discontented. He is progressively changing them by His rule into mighty men and women who will stand by Him and serve Him well until the day of His earthly coronation. The phrase "cave of Adullam" has come to mean a place for the disaffected. If such people gather about God's King, their discontent will be made the dynamic of human deliverance.
1 Samuel 23:14 "Saul sought David every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand." Here the historian is declaring a great fact about the history of David. He was the object of Saul's bitter hatred, but was perfectly safe in God's keeping. This chapter is packed with episodes that reveal the difficulty of David's position. Saul, still nominally king, was devoting all his strength to persecuting David, but the affairs of the kingdom were in hopeless confusion. While David in exile was popular with the people, their fickleness was manifested by the treachery of those from Keilah and Ziph, made worse because they had reason to thank him. Nevertheless, David trusted in God and displayed the true patriotism of a king by protecting Israeli cities from Philistine attacks. Jonathan came to David in hiding during this stressful time "and encouraged him in God" (verse 16). David as the anointed future king was learning that while he would not be free of persecution, he would be delivered from it. To be in the will of God among men and women who disobey that will is inevitably to be persecuted: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12). Their persecutors will ruthlessly seek to harm and destroy. But they are powerless. God will never deliver His servants ultimately into the hands of His enemies. There came the hour when great David's greater Son was "delivered over by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23), but that was to the pathway that led to final victory (Hebrews 2:8-18).
1 Samuel 24:12 "May the Lord avenge me on you, but my hand shall not be against you." In this chapter we have the account of how mundane circumstances suddenly put Saul in the power of David. It would have been easy for him to take the life of his enemy, and so put an end to the bitter experiences through which Saul was making him pass. From the standpoint of worldly wisdom, David missed his opportunity and prolonged his suffering. From the standpoint of true wisdom that results from faith in God, he acted rightly. To kill Saul would have been to take things into his own hands, which brings disaster. It is always better to wait for God than attempt to hurry His purposes by actions dictated only by the appearance of fortuitous circumstances. That is perhaps one of the hardest lessons for the human heart to learn, yet more harm than we think is done to God's work by zeal without knowledge. The tempting hour comes when we have the chance to get even, wipe out old scores, and end our suffering by some swift act in the dark. Let us be very much afraid of such hours! They always conceal perils far greater than those from which they seem to afford opportunity of escape. It is always better to wait for God. Humbly remember that He sees all, but we only a part.
1 Samuel 25:29 "The life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God." This is how Abigail expresses her understanding to David of how his life fits in the will and power of God. The first and simple meaning of her declaration is that the life of the man chosen by God to be king would be safe in His keeping. "The bundle of the living" is a poetic description of all things precious to God, and therefore held together by His preserving power. The idea of close fellowship with God is suggested by the statement that He Himself in a sense is included in that bundle of life (yet still distinct from His creation). David's life was bound up in that bundle with the Lord God. How perfectly safe is any life when it is thus bound up with God Himself! The strength of that bundle comes not from any special ties, but from the identification of God with all included in the bundle. In Abigail's wise words we see a glimmer of the great privilege of fellowship with God, which finds its full exposition in the New Testament. In Christ, God has identified Himself with man—and man with Himself. That is the meaning of eternal life. Those who have that life are indeed bound up in the bundle of life with God. They live one life with Him. In that is their safety. Because of that union, the bitterness and harshness of the Sauls and Nabals in this world cannot prevent God's people from coming ultimately to enjoy all the good that is in the will of God for them.
1 Samuel 26:21 "Behold, I have played the fool." Saul said this in a moment of mental and spiritual illumination. Once again his life fell into the hands of David, yet David refused to slay him. From a safe distance David brought that fact to Saul's attention, along with the wickedness and unreasonableness of pursuing him so relentlessly. Then suddenly the whole truth became clear to Saul about himself and his actions: he was a foolish man doing foolish things. To him had been given the greatest of opportunities and resources. Saul received the Spirit of God, the friendship of Samuel, and the devotion of men whose hearts God had touched, but he had so acted that the Spirit departed from him, Samuel was unable to help him, and the hearts of his people turned away from him. Saul's main problem was leaning on his own understanding instead of obeying God out of faith and love. That made him become an evil-tempered man mastered by hatred and fighting against God's revealed will. He truly had played the fool. So does every man and woman who fails to believe that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10). The very gifts of God are of no value when they are not received and held in that holy, cleansing fear.
1 Samuel 27:1 "David said to himself, 'Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul.'" Once more we see David gripped by fear and dwelling for a time among the Philistines. Long and weary indeed had been his period of suffering. He twice was merciful to Saul, but became afraid Saul would revert to his deranged self yet again. There came upon David a depression that tempted him to lose hope that he could remain in Israel, which is why he returned to live among his enemies. It was a sorry period. David made occasional raids upon other ancient enemies of his race, and with success. To hide that fact from the Philistines and make them believe he was a traitor to Israel, he resorted to telling untruths. When a man is mastered by fear through a failure of faith and consequently occupies a false position, he is always in grave danger of violating some principle of his loyalty. David lost for a time the clear vision of God that made him strong against Goliath. This period in David's life suggests a contrast between David and his greater Son. David was the anointed king, yet was persecuted by the rejected king. All this was repeated in the history of Jesus, yet no fear ever made that Anointed One cross over to enemy territory to find personal safety. He often spoke of the fact that men would kill Him, but always concluded by affirming His ultimate triumph. Because of that triumph, those of us who trust Him "are more than conquerors through Him" (Romans 8:37), no matter what fears we face.
1 Samuel 28:16 "The Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary." Saul's visit in the day of his trouble to the witch of Endor was one of the worst manifestations of his degradation. When faced with dire calamity, Saul knew the insufficiency of his own wisdom and the uselessness of human advice so he longed for a voice from the spirit world. To grasp it he turned to a woman whose practices were condemned by the law of God. It is strange that this chapter is often cited in defense of the occult, but not by those who actually read it since it clearly condemns what Saul did. The witch herself obviously had nothing to do with bringing up Samuel from the dead. She commenced to practice her black art with her usual deceptions, but was startled beyond measure when Samuel actually appeared. He did not come in response to her call, but was sent by God to rebuke Saul for his unholy traffic with these evil things and to pronounce his doom. Samuel's words are full of solemn significance. God, departed from a man, becomes his adversary. As Samuel explained to Saul earlier, "Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king" (1 Samuel 15:23). Saul's rejection of God led to God's rejection of Saul. God does not depart from a man until the man has departed from Him. Then, in the interest of righteousness, God is against that man.
1 Samuel 29:4 "The commanders of the Philistines were angry with him." These commanders were angry with Achish, king of Gath, for allowing David and his men to join the Philistine army as they prepared to march against Israel. They quickly realized what naive Achish did not: the danger they were exposed to, for they were familiar with the song that boasted of David's killing "his ten thousands"—their own people! Yes, Achish put in a good word for him as a refugee fleeing trouble from his homeland, but the commanders figured David would try to curry favor with Saul by betraying the Philistines in the midst of battle. On the basis of policy, their objection was justified. Achish formed a high estimate of David and a strong affection for him, but was compelled to yield to the majority. It was not in the purpose of God that His anointed king should be placed in such difficult and compromising circumstances. Here we see God acting on David's behalf along the line of perfectly natural emotions. He made the wrath of the commanders praise Him in that it accomplished His purpose. God's Kingdom rule operates everywhere, controlling all circumstances and all people, who often contribute unknowingly to the realization of His will.
1 Samuel 30:24 "As his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike." David and his mighty men, wonderfully delivered by God from being attached to the Philistine army, looked forward to a happy greeting from their families when they marched back to their home base at Ziklag. When they approached the city, no one was there! The city was burned and all the people, animals, and articles of value taken away. These battle-hardened men "lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep" (verse :4). Their emotions were so out of control, there even was talk of stoning David to death, "but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God" (verse 6). With prayer and guidance he moved his men forward and they were completely successful, punishing their foes and rescuing all their own. In the course of this rapid and strenuous action, 200 of his company were completely exhausted and unable to ford the swollen brook Besor, so they waited there with the extra gear of the 400 who were able to cross with David. When those men returned victorious, some among them wanted to withhold any portion of the extra spoils from those who had been unable to accompany them all the way. This David strongly forbade and on the spot laid down a law that is impeccably correct. The measure of personal responsibility in a righteous campaign is to put forth one's full strength. That those men at Besor had done. Those who went all the way had done no more. Therefore, they were all to share the spoils. This story has warning and comfort in it. If a man rests at Besor when he has strength to go forward, he is derelict in duty and no share of the spoils should come to him. If he puts all his strength into the enterprise and stops at Besor because he has no strength left, he has done all and may honorably share in the triumph.
1 Samuel 31:6 "So Saul died." This closing chapter of 1 Samuel is draped in black and covered with ashes. It tells the tragic last act in the drama of a king who was a ghastly failure. Imminent defeat at the hands of the Philistines drove Saul to uttermost desperation. Wounded in the final fight and fearing that the last blow would come in the worst way imaginable by the enemy, he ordered his armor bearer to run him through with a fatal thrust. Upon his servant's refusal to do that (perhaps he recalled David's godly fear of taking Saul's life), Saul died by his own hand physically, as he already had to God's purposes by his own sin and folly. Suicide is the ultimate act of cowardice: the last act here on earth of men and women who dare not stand up to life with what God sets before them. It has been wisely said that suicide often comes not from the hatred of life, but rather the love of it. Certain men and women, because they cannot live what they consider a full life on their terms, decide to play God and wickedly choose not to live at all. One of the chief values of 1 Samuel is the solemn lesson we learn from the life and failure of King Saul. Great advantages and remarkable opportunities are in themselves no guarantees of success. Unless the heart be firm and steady in its allegiance to principle and loyalty to God, those things will end up as burdens, crushing the soul and bringing ruin to the man or woman to whom they come.
1 Kings 1:36 "Amen! So says the Lord God of my lord the king." As the days of David ran out, trouble arose in the kingdom through his son Adonijah. A telling statement is made regarding his lack of training: "His father had never displeased him at any time by asking, 'Why have you done so?'" (verse 6). Adonijah now sought to secure the kingdom for himself, and was joined in his rebellion by Joab and Abiathar. David took prompt action, however, and Solomon was crowned king. When David gave his instructions to his loyal men, he said concerning Solomon, "I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah" (verse 35). Benaiah, the new head over the army, answered with the highlighted verse, thus showing himself to be a man who understood what matters most. His hearty "Amen!" signified his personal agreement, but he knew the supreme importance of God's approval. No elections are really valid and no choices of any lasting value unless the Lord says so too.
1 Kings 2:46 "Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon." Solomon's first act as king was characterized by the best side of his nature. In dealing with Adonijah he showed clemency and dignified authority. The deathbed charge David gave Solomon revealed his understanding of the secret of true success by calling his son to absolute loyalty to God. The part of his charge in dealing shrewdly with Joab and Shimei has been severely criticized, but that criticism is unwarranted. David knew those men by long experience and took seriously their danger to the state now in Solomon's hands. He was able to manage them in his lifetime and kept his personal promises to spare their lives, but saw fit to bring them now to Solomon's attention. He left the details of how to deal with them in the hands of Solomon, being assured of his wisdom. David's words concerning the death of each were prophetic rather than vindictive. Events soon proved the accuracy of his insight. Adonijah's request for Abishag, interpreted in the light of Middle Eastern customs, was a movement toward a second rebellion in which Joab and Abiathar were again implicated. Solomon acted in the highest interests of the kingdom by how he dealt with these treacherous impulses. Adonijah and Joab were executed in accord with strict justice, while Abiathar and Shimei were shown mercy. Abiathar was deposed from the priesthood and exiled to his home town; Shimei was kept under observation at Jerusalem under generous conditions, but broke his parole and paid the penalty. The highlighted words that conclude this chapter vindicate these actions of the new king. There are times when, in the interest of establishing a true and just government, the sternest measures are the most kind.
1 Kings 3:12 "Behold, I have done according to your words." This was the answer of God to the request of Solomon, when appearing to him at Gibeon in an unusual conversational dream. He commanded Solomon in that dream to ask for a gift. This appearing of God to the new king was all of grace and at a crucial time. The first paragraph of this chapter reveals at once the strength and weakness of Solomon. He was strong in that he "loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David" (verse 3). The weak side of his nature was manifested in his affinity with Pharaoh and marriage with his daughter. Politically it seemed an astute move, but it was unutterably foolish. The perils of mixed motives and a divided heart are very grave. This appearing of God gave Solomon a great opportunity, and the gift he asked for was a triumph of the highest side of his character. Humbly realizing his inadequacy for the great task of ruling God's people, he asked for an understanding heart to discern between good and evil in governing them (verse 9). God's answer was full of gracious kindness. He let Solomon know how pleased He was that he made this noble request and gave him what he asked, adding to that the things he might have asked for himself, yet showed his wisdom in passing by. Long life, wealth, and victory are good things when they come as the direct gifts of God. Should a man or woman from selfish motives choose them rather than the ability to do God's will, they would prove curses rather than blessings. In the case of Solomon, so long as he sought the highest, these lower things served as means of blessing to his people.
1 Kings 4:25 "So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree." These were the golden days of the monarchy. For awhile the people had rest from war, and the king devoted himself to the careful organization of his kingdom, ruling with the understanding heart God granted him. The system of government as set forth in this chapter is remarkable. Solomon was the chief officer, but he gathered around him a company of fellow officers of state, each responsible for his own department. The highlighted text emphasizes the peace and prosperity that characterized this period. Such a time is always one of peril to a nation because it is under circumstances of adversity, when a strain is put upon life, when its people are most likely to realize and practice their dependence on God. Life is not intended for ease in the sense of anything approaching indolence. Days of prosperity should never be days when service ceases. Life is such a rich gift from God that there is always room for fuller realization, and all enrichment should but create opportunities for more complete development. That was the meaning of the Garden of Eden with its work. That will be the meaning of the Kingdom of God when fully established on earth: not laziness, but strenuous activity in the fullness of strength. Luxury, producing languor, destroys; abundance, inspiring endeavor, makes for permanence.
1 Kings 6:38 "So he was seven years in building it." Once Solomon had set the kingdom in order, he turned his attention to building the Temple, which was his work by divine appointment. The time was now opportune for the reason he gave King Hiram: "The Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune" (1 Kings 5:4). In this chapter we have a comparatively brief, but very impressive account of the Temple construction project. In all essentials this Temple was patterned after the Tabernacle's central building. It was, however, twice its size and built of solid material, seeing that the nation was now settled in the promised land. The time occupied in its construction was 7 years. Like the Tabernacle, its chief splendor was within, where everything was encased in gold, neither wood nor stone being visible. The magnificence of this small Temple, for small it was by comparison with temples erected to other gods, may be seen from the fact that the amount of gold used was 600 talents. A talent is about 75 pounds, and with gold commonly selling for nearly $1,000 an ounce, only one talent of it would be worth about $1,000,000. These must have been great years for Solomon. With loving devotion, he was carrying out by God's design one of the dearest desires of his father's heart: establishing a lasting witness to the Lord God as the source of Israel's strength and prosperity.
1 Kings 7:1 "But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house." It's impossible to escape the contrast between these words and the previous ones, for they run together without any chapter division by our chronicler. That is not to suggest the Temple was built hurriedly in 7 years since the details given leave no doubt that it was done thoroughly, but this remark does show the place that Solomon's own personal comfort and luxurious tastes had come to occupy in his life. His house took almost twice as long to build. It is often by such simple, stark facts that we gain insight into a person's heart. However strong our zeal may be for God and however accurately we may carry out our spiritual responsibilities, if the proportion of time and possessions devoted to our own ease and comfort is greater than the proportion devoted to God's service, our master passion is surely selfish rather than godly. In the case of our Lord's Great Commission, this is even a more searching test. Solomon did fulfill his obligation as far as the Temple was concerned, even though the love of self played so large a part in his life's activities. We who love the Lord today, however, have never fulfilled our obligation while any region of the earth remains unevangelized, or any human soul is yet without the knowledge of Christ/Messiah.
1 Kings 8:10 "The cloud filled the house of the Lord." This shining of the glory of the Lord in the Temple Solomon built was a radiant manifestation of God's grace. Careful consideration of the whole account of the Temple's existence reveals that in permitting it, God was accommodating His methods to meet human frailty, as He had done in the appointment of the priesthood and the establishment of a king. When David brought up his idea of building a Temple, God pointed out to him that such a building was not by His request or command (2 Samuel 7:5-7). Nevertheless, God had permitted the building and now filled the house with His glory. The one unchanged link between the Tabernacle and the Temple was the Ark of the Covenant. When that sacred symbol of the divine presence found a resting place in the Temple, the glory cloud filled the building. Over all human failures grace triumphs; this shining forth of the divine glory in the new Temple was proof of that great truth. The human attitude making that possible was the loyalty of the king and his people to the Lord, expressed in their desire to give the Ark its proper place at the heart of the city. When a heart is loyal to Him, God acts in grace, even when the methods of expression are not in themselves of the highest. That explains many of the manifestations of divine glory in church history amid systems and methods that were not in close harmony with the simplicity that is in Christ.
1 Kings 9:2 "The Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon." This second special appearance of the Lord to Solomon was very significant because it came at a critical time. Solomon had finished all the work prompted by his desires, both godly and self-centered. He had completed the House of God and his own house. It was the hour when the accomplishment of work means the relaxation of effort. That is always a perilous hour, and the greater the work done, the graver the peril. A life that has been full of activity demands some new interest when that activity ceases, and will find it: either high or low, noble or ignoble. The Lord came at this point in Solomon's life and informed him that He heard and honored Solomon's lengthy prayer at the Temple dedication, but for all to remain well, important conditions needed to be fulfilled day by day. Thus was the king called to a new sense of responsibility for his own life and the administration of his kingdom. Alas, the sequel is a very sad one. The conditions were not kept, either by the king or people, which eventually led to the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the people from the land. This teaches God's people of all time to heed all those tender and strong methods by which our Lord is always seeking to deliver us from failure. When one task is accomplished, He never leaves as a prey to the perils that follow. For us in Christ, He is always at hand and available, no longer needing to come in special ways. Our duty is to listen to His Word and continue faithfully in His will.
1 Kings 10:1 "The fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord." It is well to pay attention to these words, for they reveal the main reason for the visit of the queen of Sheba. She came from over 1,000 miles away because reports reached her that accounted for Solomon's wisdom and greatness by his relationship to God. It was not the story of his magnificence that attracted this Arabian queen, but his fame "concerning the name of the Lord." Her visit revealed to her what the rule of God really meant. Arriving, as she did, in the time of the nation's peace and prosperity and getting answers to all the hard questions on her heart, she was at a loss for words in expressing how far this visit exceeded her greatest expectations. She did, however, beautifully express to Solomon what she now knew by experience to be the secret behind his kingdom: "How blessed are your people, how blessed are these your officials who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, He made you king to maintain justice and righteousness" (verses 8-9). These were great days in Solomon's reign. True fame for the servant of God is when people are attracted through him, not to him (or her), but to the God whom he (or she) represents. It is an evil hour when, concerning the servants of God, people are attracted by them rather than directed through them to God.
1 Kings 11:9 "The Lord was angry with Solomon." What a tragic sentence that is! The reasons for it is this chapter's account of Solomon's degeneracy and doom. His commercial enterprises led him into alliances with surrounding nations and, following Middle Eastern customs at the time but disobeying Mosaic law regarding kings, he multiplied wives for himself. As Moses warned, that turned his heart away and he built temples for the false gods of those women that he eventually bowed before in his old age. Solomon reigned as long as David did, 40 years, but did not live as long because he failed to take God seriously when He said, "If you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as you father David walked, then I will lengthen your days" (1 Kings 3:14). It is a tragedy that the man who had build the Temple, and in priestly dignity had presided over its dedication, crying to God for His abiding presence, would allow himself to be seduced by the lower side of his nature and forsake his first loyalty to God. The anger of the Lord against Solomon was not merely passive, for we are told He raised up 3 specific adversaries against him: Hadad (verse 14), Rezon (verse 23), and Jeroboam (verse 26). All this was divine judgment, yet it was the natural outworking of the evil heart that came to possess Solomon and then the people through their king's bad example. King Solomon's life was full of promise, but it ended in failure and gloom because his heart turned from loyalty to God in response to the seductions of his sensual nature.
1 Kings 12:14 "My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." In this and the following 4 chapters, we have the appalling story of the breakup and degradation of the nation. It covers a period of about 60 years, from the disruption after the death of Solomon to the corruption under Ahab and the coming of Elijah. The seeds of strife had long been growing. The occasion of the actual division arose with the accession of Solomon's son Rehoboam and the rebellion of Jeroboam. Both men were unworthy, as the folly of the one and the pragmatic idolatry of the other prove. Jeroboam led a protest movement against the burdens that had been imposed upon the people under the reign of Solomon. Rehoboam was proud and despotic so he answered the people with the highlighted words. They were foolish and empty. He had no right and no power to rule as a despot. The terrible division of the kingdom was the result. This story demonstrates remarkably that despotic power is not hereditary. Solomon had gained such power by the sad end of his reign. Rehoboam's desire was to increase its grip and severity. He could not do so. People will strangely submit to tyranny for a long time if a particular tyrant has managed to gain a personal influence over them, but there are limits. Stooping humanity has the persistent habit of lifting itself up after a time. Then despots are swept aside and revolutions result. Such revolutions are often wrong in their methods, but in their assertion of the greatness of humanity, they all contribute to the onward march of God.
1 Kings 13:26 "It is the man of God who was disobedient to the Word of the Lord." This story of the "man of God from Judah" and the "old prophet in Bethel" is a very strange one. The prophet gained influence over the man of God by his claim to speak in the name of the Lord, even though they were instructions contrary to what the man received from God Himself. That, of course, was not a sufficient excuse for the man's disobedience, and swift judgment fell upon him. The prophet retrieved the man's body and gave him a prominent burial as further testimony to the man's prophecy that Jeroboam's idolatrous worship center would be utterly destroyed. He identified the body with the highlighted words, revealing it is possible to be called and sent by God, and yet be disobedient. Moreover, the disobedience may be in some relatively minor detail. The man courageously delivered God's message to King Jeroboam, yet faltered in obeying the less-difficult parts of his instructions. We learn here that no command of God may be disregarded by His messengers, even when an apparent angel suggests a change of method. Perhaps the clearest statement of that truth in Scripture is this: "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). When direct assaults of evil fail to seduce the servants of God, the enemies of our soul will try a different tactic, "for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising that his servants disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). That very subtle form of spiritual attack will be effective unless we are on our guard. God never contradicts Himself in His dealings with His servants. Let us be true to His commands, always refusing to be deflected from the path of obedience, even by someone we think is on our side. 
1 Kings 14:30 "There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually." The supreme tragedy of the situation was that neither the northern kingdom of Israel nor the southern one of Judah was right. In the north, a false system of worship had been set up as a cynical political expedient, and the people were being swiftly corrupted there. In the south, the people were "doing evil in the sight of the Lord" and provoking "Him to jealousy...with the sins they committed" (verse 22). Thus the whole nation was steeped in idolatry and completely failing in their divine mission to testify to the surrounding nations of God's power and purity. Unenlightened peoples—unenlightened through this very failure—became a scourge in the hands of God to bring judgment on His people. This is seen by the invasion and humiliating depletion of Temple treasures by Pharaoh Shishak. Moreover, the long civil war highlighted above was another method of divine retribution. When the nation failed to employ itself in fulfilling its divine purpose, it expended itself instead toward its own destruction. To fail to fulfill God's purpose is not only to be useless, but also to retard that purpose. Therefore the chosen instrument must itself pass under the destructive power of God.
1 Kings 15:14 "Nevertheless, Asa's heart was loyal to the Lord all his days." King Rehoboam of Judah was succeeded by his son Abijam/Abijah, who for 3 years continued in the evil ways of his father, but his life was cut short. With the accession and long reign (41 years) of his son Asa, there was a measure of halt in the nation's downward spiral. The partial reform under his influence preserved Judah from the speedy spread of corruption that was taking place in Israel to the north. The highlighted statement of the chronicler is a revelation that Asa's purpose and intention were right. His will and power were not equal to his intentions, however, so his reforms were not complete. He went a long way when he removed his grandmother, Maacah, from her royal position and destroyed the abominable image she erected, "but the high places were not taken away" (verse 14). This is the record of a faulty life, but one in which the deepest thing (desire) was right, so Asa's influence proved to be far more a blessing than a curse. While it is necessarily true that the highest life will fulfill its desire by carrying out the high purpose, it is encouraging to discover that God accepts, values, and makes use of those whose desire to do His will, even though they don't fully manage to do so.
1 Kings 16:30 "Ahab ... did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him." The worst corruption of the northern kingdom was under the reign of Ahab, a veritable incarnation of evil. The chronicle of the kings of Israel is tragic in the extreme because they were all bad. This chapter mentions Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, and Zimri. Of those, two were murdered and the last torched himself along with the palace rather than face Omri the army commander, Ahab's father. Further rebellion ensued, but Omri overcame Tibni and reigned in continued evil for 12 years. Then came Ahab. He united with his pagan wife Jezebel in the exercise of power, and under her influence gave himself and his people over to the most appalling forms of idolatry. Under their joint reign Israel sank to the same level as the surrounding nations. Its testimony as a nation was completely destroyed. The truth of the one true God was denied by the multiplication of idols and shrines. The call to holiness and righteousness was silenced by the awful corruption of the court and the people. There was hardly a ray of light, for although a remnant loyal to God still existed, their testimony was overwhelmed by the abounding pollution. This history gives the heart solemn pause, for it shows how complete may be the ruin of the most highly privileged peoples if they are deflected from absolute loyalty to the Throne of God. There is no safety for man or nation apart from the liberty that results from complete devotion to the rule of God.
1 Kings 17:1 "Now Elijah the Tishbite." This sudden introduction of Elijah illustrates the startling and dramatic way he broke in on the national life of Israel. He came like a bolt from the blue or more like a steady blaze of light amid great darkness. We don't know about Elijah's nationality or family background because the issue is not who he was, but what he was. His coming was the initiation of a new method in the divine government: prophetic authority. There had been prophets before, but with the appearance of Elijah, the office was elevated to supreme national importance. From this point onward, the prophet was superior to the king. A few kings would arise whose hearts would be set on national spiritual reform, but their work would be directed by the prophets of God, through whom the divine will would now be made known. The first recorded words of Elijah declare his authority: "As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word" (verse 1). He announced the fact that he spoke as the messenger of the living, enthroned Lord. In the simplest ways God protected His messenger and provided for all his needs in the difficult days of judgment to come. God continues to break in upon human affairs and assert Himself through His appointed messengers who accurately deliver His recorded Word. Men and women may refuse the message and persecute the messenger, but it is the Word of the Lord by which they live or die, according to their response to it.
1 Kings 18:18 "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied, "but you and your father's family have." Ahab, the corrupt king of Israel, met Elijah for the first time under severe circumstances. The drought Elijah prophesied had gone on for 3 long years. During that period Elijah had been preserved by God, away from the court of the king. Then, by the direct command of God, Elijah appeared to Ahab. The king greeted him in a surly manner, saying, "Is it you, you troubler of Israel?" (verse 17). That is a tacit confession that the terrible drought was not from natural causes, but a direct judgment from God. His question seethed with resentment and anger. Elijah turned the king's nasty greeting on its head, replying immediately and directly with the highlighted words. Apart from the national sins resulting from Ahab's corrupt practices, there would have been no judgment. The troubler of a nation is never the man or woman who, in loyalty to righteousness, brings God's Word to bear on its practices. It is rather he or she whose influential policies lead the nation into corruption. Those who stand for God and protest against sin are always troublers to those who are doing the evil, but that is a very different thing from troubling the nation. The destroyers of a nation are wicked officials, and those who trouble them are rendering the highest service to the nation, even if they are persecuted and their message, for the time being, is generally refused.
1 Kings 19:5 "Get up and eat." This story here of Elijah is very human and appeals to us because it is so true to life. The previous chapter's account of his showdown with the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Jezebel's cult prophets is full of majesty. With calm dignity and clever wit, he stood against the combined evils of a corrupt government and pagan religion. God vindicated His Word through Elijah before all the people with fire. The immediate slaughter of those false prophets aroused the wrath of Jezebel to such a degree that she sent a direct message, full of fury, to Elijah. He overreacted. The man who had stood erect, confronting all the forces of evil, now fled in a panic for his life. Notice how tenderly God dealt with his overwrought and fearful servant. Before entering into serious dialog with him to correct his false attitude of fear, He commanded him to eat, thus ministering to Elijah's physical weakness. As King David wrote, "The Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. He Himself knows our [human] frame; "He is mindful that we are but dust" (Psalm 103:14). Often the way to spiritual strength and mental restoration is physical renewal. As we serve the Lord here on earth, there can be no divorce between physical and spiritual health. Physical weariness may be the culprit behind a breakdown in spiritual vision. Let us remember these words of God to His servant who suffered the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back: "Get up and eat." He had much to say and reveal to Elijah afterwards, but He prepared him by renewing his bodily strength. A wonderful, understanding God is ours!
1 Kings 21:19 "Have you murdered and also taken possession?" Ahab allowed the selfish and corrupt coveting of his evil heart to go along with his wife's plot to murder the man who had what the king wanted. Now that Naboth, the godly vineyard owner, had been slandered and stoned to death, Ahab confidently strutted onto the desired land to take possession of it. But men do not so easily possess the things they obtain by unrighteous methods. Right there, in the midst of the coveted garden, Elijah confronted him. The last recorded time they saw each other was when God vindicated Elijah against Ahab and Jezebel's false prophets, and then ended the drought with a tremendous rainstorm. One can easily imagine the mixture of terror, guilt, and anger in the voice of the king as he exclaimed, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" (verse 20). Thus God perpetually confronts the evildoer and spoils for him the gain of his wrongdoing. Elijah rose to the full dignity of his prophetic office. There was neither fear nor faltering in the doom he pronounced on both Ahab and Jezebel. Wicked men and women may outwit others by deceit, slander, theft, and even murder, but the last word is always with God. He cannot be outwitted or deceived. The highlighted question that Elijah asked rings with holy satire, for there is a taking that never results in possessing. Ahab never possessed Naboth's vineyard. He temporarily held it, but that very fact became to him a torment. However fine its vintage, for him the grapes were sour and poisonous. Nothing is ever possessed except that which comes by righteousness and truth as the gift of God. The meek, not the overlords of injustice, will inherit the earth. That which is gained by fraud is never truly possessed. 
