1 Chronicles
10:13-14
So
Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did
not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking
guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to
death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
I’d
like to stop and talk about this concept of seeking guidance – from the Lord
(and His Word), or from other sources. Let’s face it, just as Saul did, we have
ample opportunity to seek guidance from all sorts of sources. There are those
who will tell you that it doesn’t matter who you ask – or that if you consult a
medium-or horoscopes-or fortune tellers-or tea-leaves...that it really doesn’t matter;
that it is just a joke or for fun. But guess what? It isn’t all a joke and it
isn’t just for fun, it really does matter and it isn’t pretty when we seek
other sources of guidance beside the Lord, His Word and His prophets. Saul’s
mind was clouded, his judgment compromised and he lost his kingdom, his sons
and his life. I heard someone describe this idea of opening up oneself to the
occult as just opening the door and saying ‘come on in Devil and have your way
with my life.’
Luke
6:38
“...For
with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."
6:45-49
“The
good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil
person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the
heart his mouth speaks. "Why do you call me "Lord, Lord," and
not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does
them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who
dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the
stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been
well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built
a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it,
immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."
What
do we read in Luke today? I think it has some common ground with our reading
from 1 Chronicles. We read that as we judge, as we reason, so will we be
judged, so will we receive. And the reading continues by saying that evil
hearts bear evil fruit, and in order to bear good fruit we need to do what he
says. This definitely has bearing on Saul’s example; Saul gave up doing what
God said, he gave up listening to sound counsel and the fall of his house was
indeed very great.
Now,
then the Psalmist has words of wisdom for us today:
Psalm
9:1-2
I
will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I
will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I
will be glad and exult in you;
I
will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
To
give thanks with our whole heart-and to recount the Lord’s blessings is to take
time with the Lord, to act upon his commands, to relive his mercies-to be glad
and exult in the Lord. These are ways in which we can do what he says, live
lives of good fruit and build foundations that cannot be shaken when times are
rough. This is fruitful – in abundance.
Today’s
readings: Psalm 9, Genesis 9:20-10:32, 1 Chronicles 10, Luke 6:17-49
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