Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 27:9-10, Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?” 10 And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
This witch and this king are good examples of what to avoid. The witch appears to be apprehensive about this stranger (King Saul disguised) and his request, based on the fact that King Saul had cut off the mediums and spiritists. She is exhibiting a type of fear that many of us Christians exhibit. It is a fear that is misplaced. What I mean by this is that we often put more weight on man says he can or will do to us than what we know God is capable of doing to us. The witch is more concern about the physical pain she could experience if caught, with no real care about what she will some day have to answer to before God; so it is with sinners who do not know Jesus. Sadly, this also seems to happen to us as born again believers. We compromise our standards and morals, and we stay silent when we should be proclaiming the Gospel, because we fear man more than we fear God. In Matthew 10:27-28 Jesus said, “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Jesus knew that His followers would experience moments of hesitation because of a fear of man. The Word of God clearly states in Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” Hebrews 13:5-6 also makes is clear, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ 6 So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” As followers of Jesus, it is always good to obey established laws, as long as they do not lead us to violate God’s law; but when it comes down to it, we are to fear God and obey Him, rather than bow down to men. Saul, on the other hand, made this witch a promise that he could not really keep. He promised her that there would be no punishment upon her if she did this evil thing he was asking of her. Who was Saul that he could promise that there would be no consequences for doing that which was evil and in opposition to God’s law? Who are we when we make promises that are beyond our control to make? Saul was about to find out that the One who is in control of all things was about to reveal to him that this would be his last day on earth. The same God who would end his life on the battlefield against the Philistines is the same God that this witch would some day stand before to receive the punishment for her sins. We, as human beings, even as sinners saved by God’s grace, do not have the power to determine what another person’s consequences will be for their evil actions. The one thing we do know for certain is that any person, regardless of who they are, who refuses to accept Jesus as Savior is already condemned and will some day face God’s judgement. Jesus made this clear in John 3:16-18, which reads, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” We must not allow our misplaced fears to silence us when it comes to sharing the Gospel or speaking God’s truth in love. We must also not be presumptuous in thinking that we are more than we are as Christians. Romans 12:3 reminds us, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Galatians 6:3 also warns, “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Let us keep our eyes on Christ, having a reverent fear of Him, and remind ourselves that He is the One that is in control of all things, not us.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
No comments:
Post a Comment