Women in the Word

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1/25/2017 7:27 am  #71


Re: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 13

S: The Lord has sought a man after His own heart (13:14)
 
O: The issue isn’t that Saul had sinned, for the Lord will forgive sins.  The issue is one of the heart.  Even though it was the Lord that had made Saul king, his heart wasn’t set on the Lord.
 
A: The question that I have to ask myself is, am I a woman after God’s own heart?  Do the things that sadden God, sadden me?  Do I hat the things that God hates?  Do I love the things that God loves?  More importantly, do I love the people that God loves?
 

 

1/25/2017 10:00 am  #72


Re: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 13
 
Scripture
13:11-12 Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.' So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering."
 
Observation
He had to do something. I don’t know if he was afraid, if he just wanted to win for his own glory, or if he just wanted to do whatever it took to keep the support of the people. But, he figured the ends justified the means. He knew he needed God, and for some reason felt he could get away with approaching God on his terms instead of honoring God’s commandments.
 
Application
It would be terrifying to have faith in this circumstance. I mean those chariots had blades coming out of the wheels that would slice people up who were fighting on foot.
 
But, we can’t lose heart and lose faith in God to the extent that we choose to sin to solve our problems.
 
Mark 8:36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
 
We also can’t come to God on our terms. Our society tries to decide that they can come to God without repentance, or come to God while still loving the world.
 
We must worship God how He says to worship Him. People try to find God in their own way. Some people forego church and say they find God in nature, or they can better worship God in nature than in a building.
 
Well, we certainly should worship God in nature. I do. I love to hike and I have a nice view from my home; I think of God all the time I see the incredible beauty He created and I do actively think of Him and worship Him while I view it. I was watching an educational movie and I thought that the movie almost seemed to worship nature and I thought how I worshiped the most high God who created all nature.
 
But His Word says not to forsake assembling together with the other saints for reading of the word and the breaking of bread (communion). So, who am I to decide that I don’t need to do it that way. Now, I am not speaking of situations where someone cannot attend church, but when people simply choose not to attend.
 
Kneel in Prayer
Lord help me to trust You even when the odds are stacked against me and even when I cannot see a way out. Help me to always seek to honor You and give me the strength through the power of Your Spirit to always stand in You.
 
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Saul had a heart that reflected Israel’s heart rather than God’s. A man after God’s own heart, honors God above all. God is still looking for men and women who honor him first. How is your heart today?
 
That sometimes is a challenge. I caught up in the physical world, my task, my issues, and the pressures pushing down on me, and it is easy to not prioritize and thing about honoring God above all else. I think I have a heart to do so, and when pressed I would choose to honor God over doing something dishonorable to get out of a bad situation. And I pray that God would always give me the strength to do so. But, it is not always easy to keep God’s honor at the forefront of those daily actions.

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1/26/2017 10:12 am  #73


Re: 1 Samuel

Just a quick post of my initially thoughts. I want to take more time to chew on the application and what I need to hear and change in my heart around these verses. But these are my initially thoughts.

1 Samuel 14

14:6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few."
 
O: Jonathan was a man of great faith, and we will see later, that he was a man of insight as well. I think he sometimes is under-appreciated in our study of the Bible.
 
A: Never underestimate what God can do for His glory and His purposes.
 
14:24 And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, "Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies." So none of the people had tasted food.
 
He acts in prideful anger. Now, it is about him, not about God’s plan for Israel or seeing God’s name glorified among the pagans. It was not about protecting Israel or honoring God, but about honoring himself.
 
His sin has consequences as seen in verses 30 and 32.
 
14:30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great."
 
His sin checked, or lessened what God would have done if he had acted wisely and righteously.
 
14:32 The people pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood.
 
O: His foolishness placed the people into temptation and led them into sin.
 
A: Romans talks about how as Christians we can use our liberty to cause other people to stumble. The passage was talking about eating food sacrificed to idols and that, although this was not sinful, it could cause other believers to be shaken in their faith and cause them to do things they feel guilty about.
 
“Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died” (Romans 14:15)
“Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.” (Romans 14:20)
 
The point I was thinking about was to not destroy the work of God by our actions. We should make sure that our behavior does not destroy the work that God wants to do the lives and hearts of others. It can be sinful behavior, but it can also just be foolish behavior, or even perfectly appropriate behavior that might still cause confusion or upset to another. So we need to live pure, wise, considerate of others.
 
Philippians 2:3-4 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
 
14:35 And Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first altar that he built to the LORD.
 
O: Does not seem to be someone whose heart was inclined to regularly seek God
 
A: Do I?

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1/27/2017 7:35 am  #74


Re: 1 Samuel

I completely forgot to post yesterday!

1 Samuel 14

 S: “It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” (14:6)

O: Israel saw again and again how God was powerful enough to deliver them from their enemies even when the odds were stacked against them.

A: God still does mighty work today. And He still uses ordinary people like me to do so. I need only to trust Him and follow Him.

 

 

1/27/2017 7:35 am  #75


Re: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 15

S: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”  (15:22)
 
O: We can offer sacrifices without the right heart attitude.  It is in our obedience that our heart is revealed.
 
A: This passage calls to mind the song “Offertory” by John Ness Beck.  The text of the song is from Micah 6:6-8.
With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?  Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?  Shall I give him my firstborn for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuZRz3eaJNE

 

1/29/2017 9:07 pm  #76


Re: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 15

Scripture
15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
 
O: I see two points. (1) They saved the best for themselves. (2) They coveted what was God’s, what belonged to God and what was owed God.
 
A:
(1) We save the best for ourselves: the best energy, time, money, things and give God our left overs.
 
I need to wake up and think first of God’s agenda and stop letting my desires fill my heart and my thoughts. I need to pursue His agenda without division or distraction.
 
Now, I do want to add that some of you are probably emotionally and physically exhausted with what is on your plate. And if you don’t find time with God, it may not be because you are not giving Him your best, but just because you have so much on your plate that you are empty and have nothing left to emotionally and energy wise. Maybe you are not just wasting time on TV or the Internet, but are just so tapped out you have nothing left to give and need to veg out.
 
First, remember, there is not condemnation for those who are in Christ Romans 8:1. There is a difference between conviction and condemnation.
 
Condemnation is from the enemy. Remember, works are not the goal, they are the outcome. Jesus paid all the penalty for our failures. Conviction is God showing us what we need to change or what is unpleasing to Him so we can repent. But we are not condemned, we are saved, loved and forgiven by the blood of Christ and loved so much that while we were God’s enemy He loved us, pursued us and died for us.
 
Now, maybe instead of vegging out, you need to be filled up. You are empty by the end of the day and maybe instead of giving more you need to seek being filled back up. Some ideas that don’t require energy or concentration are:
 
- Sing worship songs quietly to yourself, or listen to worship songs while sitting still in a quiet place.
- Just pray. Not concentrated prayer where you are trying to focus on some formula or right way to pray. Just pour out your thoughts, heart, emotions, and fears, anything, to God as you would to a dear friend.
- Ok, and, yes, try to read the Bible. Maybe don’t try to do a SOAK or some type of interpretation or analysis. Maybe just read a Psalm, a Gospel, or one of the epistles. Or, you can just even our readings for just devotional purposes and to just read the story.
 
2) We hold back the best part of our hearts. We don’t let God into every area or we want to hold onto things or treasure our sinful heart attitudes or thoughts. We refuse to sacrifice them, we spare them, just as Saul spared Agag.
 
3) We covet what belongs to God. God is owed our obedience, allegiance, control and sometimes even His glory. We want to elevate ourselves or make ourselves look good instead of wanting people to look through us to see God at work in us and therefore to bring God glory.

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1/29/2017 9:19 pm  #77


Re: 1 Samuel

Week of January 30
This Week’s Reading Assignment

Post your input below this post.
S.O.A.K. any verse of your choosing.

Monday
Reading: 1 Samuel 16
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 16:7
Good Morning Girls: Introduction to the Week
Optional GMG Discussion Question: Even Samuel, a godly man, was judging who should be king based on outward appearances. God does not see what man sees. God sees everyone’s hearts. Tell of a time when you wrongly judged someone based on their outward appearance. What did you learn from this experience?

Tuesday
Reading: 1 Samuel 17
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 17:45
Optional GMG Discussion Question: David contrasted Goliath’s weapons with the name of the Lord God. David was bold, not in his own strength but in God’s. In what area of your life do you need to be reminded that the battle belongs to the Lord?

Wednesday
Reading: 1 Samuel 18
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 18:1
Optional GMG Discussion Question: As the firstborn son of Saul, Jonathan would have been the heir to the throne, yet he had no jealousy of David. Jealousy divides. Do you struggle with jealousy in any of your friendships? Confess this sin today.

Thursday
Reading: 1 Samuel 19
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 19:10
Optional GMG Discussion Question: From this point until the day Saul died, David was a fugitive on the run for 20 years. What Saul meant for evil, God meant for good. God was making David into a man of God. How has God used a difficult situation in your life for good?

Friday
Reading: 1 Samuel 20
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 20:42
Good Morning Girls: Devotional and Video
Optional GMG Discussion Question: God took David on his journey alone, to teach him a greater dependence on Him. When have you gone through a time of learning greater dependence on God? How did it prepare you for your future trials?

Last edited by TBG (2/04/2017 11:13 pm)

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1/29/2017 10:44 pm  #78


Re: 1 Samuel

Samuel 13

S: vs 13-14 And Samuel said to Saul "You have done foolishly." You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel Forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. "The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.

O: Verse 13 - Saul was impatient and took things into his own hands. He knew he should have waited on Sammuel but thought just this time, he could handle it on his own. He took his eyes off of God. Verse 14 - This is God's description of David, a man with many faults, but a man whose spirit was sensitive to God's will. 

A:
 These two verses really hit home for me this weekend. Over the last couple of days I've been fighting the desire to loose focus in this bible study. This past Friday, I did just as Saul, I acted on my own without waiting on God. I asked God if it was okay to make a purchase - in which I was supposed to do. However, I didn't wait to get my answer. I thought I could just go ahead and apply for the special financing whether I got it or not, I wouldn't order the item. Well, by the end of the day. I just had to have it and went ahead and ordered the item. Let me tell you...about an hour after I got home from work, I was spiritually sick. I knew what I did was wrong. I wasn't after God's heart. I was following my own thoughts. One thing I can say and will ALWAYS say is go to God when you have wronged him. I did just that. I apologized for not waiting on his answer, asked him to forgive me for not being sensitive to his will, asked him to forgive me from being disobedient. By Saturday, I was feeling better and had a peace. I know I'm going to have to work out the payment plan, I know it'll be a small struggle - but it's okay. In spite of my faults I know God will see me through. That's what a Parent does. He's my Father. That was the mistake that Saul made. He knew he was wrong but did nothing to correct it. In all the mixed emotions I'm sure he carried, not one time did he seek Samuel or God's advice. He was following his own heart... not God's.

K:  Father, I thank you that you have continued to be patient with me. Father my desire is to keep a spirit that is sensitive to your will. When I get caught up in worldly things, help me to be patient when I seek your advice about them. My time isn't your time. I have to understand that. Father, I also know when your answer is no, you know what's best for me. I just want to do your will. 

DQ: God is still looking for men and women who honor him first. How is your heart today? I'm struggling...I want to honor God completely; but far too often I fail at being disobedient in studying his word and making quality time with him. This is something that I have to steadily work on.

Last edited by cochrans (1/29/2017 11:18 pm)

 

1/29/2017 11:10 pm  #79


Re: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 14

S: Verses 8-10: Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. 
 If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.”

O: The assault of Jonathan and his armor-bearer on Michmash was an act of faith, not a silly adventure. The response of the Philistines, come up to us was taken as a sign that God was leading and would grant them victory.  The taunting words of the Philistines were turned into a challenge for the men to display their faith in God.

A: If we would just ask God first and wait on his answer. When he answers we should act on faith that God will carry us through. No matter what it is. That's what I love about blind faith. You have no idea how it's going to turn out. You just know as long as you have God. It's going to be okay.

DQ: The only thing that hinders God is unbelief. Have you made God too small in your life? In what area do you need to trust God more? I need trust God more in things that I know I don't have control over. If I trust him in things that are fairly simple and easy, then I need to trust him in things that aren't. Bottom line is: If you trust him in one thing - then you should trust him in ALL things. I'm really working on this. Control is the key word here for me...

Last edited by cochrans (1/29/2017 11:23 pm)

 

1/30/2017 8:11 am  #80


Re: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 16

S: But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.  For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (16:7).
 
O: In 1 Samuel 9 and 10, we find that Saul was handsome and tall, but his heart wasn’t turned to God.  David was handsome and was “a man after God’s own heart.”  Both men were handsome, it was their hearts that differentiated them.
 
A: Peter writes, “but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:4).  Am I focused as much on my heart as I am on my outward appearance?  I can be the most beautiful woman who ever walked on the earth, but if my heart is not right, it would all be in vain for I would be ugly in the Lord’s sight.
 

 

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