Important "Whole-Bible" Associations

The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and Saul gathered all the army of Israel and camped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. He asked the LORD what he should do, but the LORD refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets. Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.” His advisers replied, “There is a medium at Endor.” [1 Samuel 28.4-7] 

Why did Saul ask for a woman who was a medium?

The short answer is this: because Saul rejected God (Who had rejected him) and turned headlong into idolatry.

Now, for the long answer based on some important "whole-Bible" associations... 

Not only did Saul consult  a woman who was a medium, but he ate with her. This is highly significant and further telling of idolatry.

Saul fell full length on the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel’s words. He was also faint with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, “Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life. Now do what I say, and let me give you a little something to eat so you can regain your strength for the trip back.” But Saul refused to eat anything. Then his advisers joined the woman in urging him to eat, so he finally yielded and got up from the ground and sat on the couch. The woman had been fattening a calf, so she hurried out and killed it. She took some flour, kneaded it into dough and baked unleavened bread. She brought the meal to Saul and his advisers, and they ate it. Then they went out into the night. [1 Samuel 28.20-25]

There is another story in the Bible that sheds light on Saul's idolatry regarding the medium at Endor. That story is when the women of Moab seduced Israel's men into idolatry:

While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people. [Numbers 25.1-3] 

Notice that it was the women of Moab responsible for Israel's idolatry and food was involved. 

Should this information come as a surprise to us? No, not at all because food was involved in the original sin, and, it was the woman who was first deceived and then who persuaded her husband to join in. 

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. [Genesis 3.6]

Afterward, God warned of the dangerous control women could wield over men involving food:

Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” [Genesis 3.16-19]

It must be understood that God's curse upon mankind was not gender-specific, but binary. The woman alone did not carry the responsibility for the original sin (which was in fact idolatry - not trusting God alone), but shared it with her husband who willingly participated. They both had different roles, but the idolatry was the same. Both sexes failed regarding idolatry and now both sexes must remain mindful each other's potential respective roles in it!

Woman cannot point her finger at man any more than man can point his finger at woman regarding their mutual deception into idolatry (sin). The Bible however, generously provides all the information we need to know where to be on high alert for idolatry: it often involves a man and a woman and food.

We all know sex sells. Woman can use sex to control man. Man is precariously vulnerable to the allure of sex. Additionally, food is the fodder of relationship: the resulting relationship of eating together can be good or it can be evil, but sharing food together establishes emotional ties beyond casual acquaintance. It is not remarkable then that men find themselves in constant struggle with women and food. Nor is it remarkable that women find it easy to control men with their womanhood and food.

The seemingly outdated Bible practices of separation between men and women, present even in the New Testament, should now be seen in their relevance today. Women cannot help that their form and beauty attracts men and neither can men help that they are attracted to women. Both must be on high alert that their mutual attractions, even though they do not have to, can lead to idolatrous disaster. Women cannot help their nature to nurture with food any more than men can help their hunger. Both must remain mindful that food is an area of relationship that can lead to good or lead to evil outcomes.

So, for Saul to call for a woman medium is not remarkable. For Saul to eat with this woman medium is not remarkable. These two factors, although not exclusive to, are commonplace in idolatry and therefore provide ample reason to be aware of their influence and therefore the potential of idolatry. This is indeed the fallen nature of mankind - for men and women alike (this is a good place to note the importance of the marriage relationship and food (offered to idols?) as addressed by the Bible).

Saul, was not hearing from God, and so, in his impatient desperation, committed spiritual adultery (idolatry) in associating and eating with an idolatrous woman. Aaaaaand, it did not go so well... Saul would soon be dead.

As seen in Saul's idolatry, both he and the medium were operating outside of God's law. One cannot be blamed any more than the other - both were guilty - both were in complete disobedience to God. 

While it is true that God placed certain restraints upon men and women respectively resultant to their failure in the Garden of Eden, there remains an order in gender that is not designed to punish one sex more than the other, but is designed to point mankind to Christ.

The way of woman is to control man instead of obeying God. The way of man is to be controlled by woman instead of obeying God. It is all about who is in control. Jesus said:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Imagine that.

Father, there are so many things that for so many years we have overlooked in the Bible. By "cherrypicking" certain passages and verses, we have missed the bigger picture of all the Bible and the undeniable references to idolatry throughout its pages. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear as we look to and follow only Jesus Who redeems us from the blindness and deafness of idolatry as we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it.

Jesus In The Story Of David And Abigail

“Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the LORD your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling! When the LORD has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the LORD has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!” [1 Samuel 25.29-31] 

In this passage, Abigail prophesied to David both the death of her husband and her marriage to David. Here then is how it played out:

When Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal was throwing a big party and was celebrating like a king. He was very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything about her meeting with David until dawn the next day. In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone. About ten days later, the LORD struck him, and he died. [1 Samuel 25.36-38]

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the LORD, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin.” Then David sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife. [1 Samuel 25.39] 

How do we find Jesus in this story? (He IS there...)

In verse 39 above David gives us a clue: "Praise the LORD, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself."

"Doing it myself" is the pinnacle of idolatry. It is the epitome of "doing it my way" instead of God's way. Anywhere we find such idolatry is where we might find Jesus as God's antithesis, Who said:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

In this light, there is a third thing Abigail prophesied: "don’t let this be a blemish on your record." Had David taken matters into his own hands, it would have been an idolatrous act - an act of his own way, and not the indisputable, miraculous power of God.

Furthermore, the fact that Abigail mentioned stones shot from a sling served to remind David of the time he killed Goliath, not with his declared proven method of clubbing his enemy to death, but with a stone shot from a sling... i.e. God's way, not his own.

Father, I never imagined I would find Jesus in David's circumstance with Abigail. But there He is. May I be found intent to live life Your way - the Way of Jesus - and not my own (or anyone else's). May I be found giving up my own way (the way of mankind), taking up my cross (the Way of Jesus), and following Him. So be it.

We Have "Reasoned" Ourselves Blind

One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. David asked the LORD, “Should I go and attack them?” “Yes, go and save Keilah,” the LORD told him. [1 Samuel 23.1-2] 

David is on the run from Saul and yet he is commissioned to rescue the people of Keilah from the pillaging of the Philistines. Does this not sound familiar?

This was almost exactly what was happening to God's people when the Midianites were pillaging them and Gideon (who was also hiding) rescued them. It would behoove us to understand the reason why this was taking place in Gideon's situation:

When they cried out to the LORD because of Midian, the LORD sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt. I rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who oppressed you. I drove out your enemies and gave you their land. I told you, ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me.” [Judges 6.7-10]

As is documented in Judges 6.7-10, would it not be entirely Biblical to conclude that Israel was being pillaged again in 1 Samuel 23.1-2 because they had fallen into idolatry again? Based on all the Bible reveals about Israel's history with idolatry, we should think so. And, here is why...

So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah. Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him. Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!” So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men. But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the LORD what he should do. Then David prayed, “O LORD God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him? And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell me.” And the LORD said, “He will come.”  Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?” And the LORD replied, “Yes, they will betray you.” [1 Samuel 23.5-12]

Even though David rescued Keilah from the Philistines, God said they would betray David to Saul. Why would the people of Keilah do that? Because that is how idolatry works. It is blind and it "bites the very hand that feeds it."

The danger of idolatry is that it blinds its participants in order to pillage them, and then causes them to reject the very one(s) sent to deliver them from being pillaged. It was not surprising then that Israelites would betray David to Saul because Israel had not been loyal to Gideon either.

As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god. They forgot the LORD their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them. Nor did they show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon), despite all the good he had done for Israel. [Judges 8.33-35]

A negligent reader of God's Word will miss this critical association. A haphazard attitude about all the Word of God will keep God's people and future generations just as blind and ignorant and pillaged as Midian and Keilah. And, just as God's people rejected Gideon and David, so they rejected Jesus Christ Whose message was every bit about singular worship of God alone as was Gideon's and David's. Jesus said it like this:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

God's people are still rejecting Jesus' demand to forsake all others and follow Him. Should we be appalled? Should we be surprised? No, we should be contemplative - Jesus Himself declared it would be so and indeed was duly rejected to prove it:

You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. [Matthew 7.13-14] 

In light of all the Bible teaches about trusting God alone, it is purely the work of a strategic campaign of deception to convince God's people not only not to reject today's modern idols, but instead, to embrace and protect them thus betraying loyalty to God alone. Debt, insurance, medicine and technology are the flagship industries of modern idolatry and, unfortunately, religion serves largely as the "mothership-idol" protector of them.

The casual reader of the Bible will unquestionably accept that it was just an ungracious deed for Keilah to reject David. The question "why?" will never be explored. However, when a person actually reads the Bible without predisposition, denominational bias, or religious mindlessness, that person will sincerely question why Keilah would betray David and will subsequently understand that idolatry answers that question just as it does every other question "why?" regarding Israel's repeated and persistent sin.

The apostle Paul confirms the problem of idolatry:

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. [1 Corinthians 10.14]

As does John:

But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! [Revelation 9.20]

Lest we are tempted to discount idols as merely trinkets of the past, we should consider David's own words in his Psalm written contemporary to the event described in the subject passage above: 

“Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.” [Psalm 52.7] 

It cannot be denied that debt, insurance, medicine and technology ALL represent the wealth of mankind today. Unwary people trust wealth instead of God. Religion makes this misplaced trust "okay" by deceptively teaching that God gave these industries that revolve around wealth. Is it any wonder then, that the Church today is just as pillaged as is the world by debt, insurance, medicine and technology?

Why are we being pillaged by debt, insurance, medicine and technology? Because we blindly trust them instead of God. We need and have a Deliverer... but, we have rejected Him in deference to our idols! We have rejected His call to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him! We have reasoned ourselves blind!

Father, may this glimpse of the truth of Your Word grow into a mighty flood of revelation in our lives revealing the idolatry that is actively pillaging us today. May we be found repentant for our idolatry and believing in Christ alone - giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Him. So be it.

Quite Enough

I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. [Psalm 34.1] 

...Said the man of whom it was said "he is a man after God's own heart."

Father, it is quite enough today to declare Your praises! You alone are good. You alone are God. So be it.

Prove Your Faith When Everyone Is Watching

Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!” [1 Samuel 17.41-47] 

Consistent with all the Bible, the story of David and Goliath is about idolatry.

Now, before you think I have lost my direction and become unnecessarily fixated on idolatry, look at what Goliath did, "And he cursed David by the names of his gods" Uh-hmm... idolatry!

Goliath's incitation of the names of his gods changes everything about this story.

David's actions, following his words, tell the remarkable story of faith in God alone. We should pay close attention to David's weapon of choice for taking down Goliath: a sling. Is this not a bit odd since David touted his ability with a club?

But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. [1 Samuel 17.34-35]

Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. [1 Samuel 17.38-40]

Is it possible that David was so intent on the victory being God's alone that he chose at the last minute to use a sling instead of a club just to prove "that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!"? David's actions revealed that he neither trusted in Saul's armor nor in his own proven abilities with a club. David also knew everyone was watching.

THINK! Although David had a sling with him, we have no Biblical record that suggests he was an expert with it. We know from the Bible that he was an expert on the harp and we have David's own account of his expertise with a club, but we have no indication from the Bible that he was an expert with a sling. The Bible has always been clear however that although David had the sling with him (in his shepherd's bag), he had no stones in that same bag! Why would an "expert" carry a gun without bullets - a bow without arrows - or a sling without select smooth stones? Hint: he wouldn't.

The fact that David rejected Saul's armor (and sword) and his own club as his weapon of choice to take down Goliath is proof-positive that David was intentional that the glory for killing Goliath went to God alone and not himself. David was keenly aware of how idolatry works! Idolatry does not care what we trust so long as it is not God alone! Goliath threw down the gauntlet by inciting the names of his gods (because that's what idolatry does) and David brilliantly responded in faith in God alone... again, because everyone was watching.

I used to think that David must have been a true expert with a sling. I have even written convincing articles to that end based on my own suppositions. But today, after much more reading of God's Word and realization of idolatry's role in the whole Bible, David's actions are in perfect alignment with God's 1st Commandment: "You must not have any other god but me." David not only believed this but was intentional in proving it using his own life as the example. David proved his faith while everyone was watching.

It could be said here that David fulfilled Jesus' demand to give up your own way (the way of man's armor, or our own abilities), take up your cross (ignoring death's threat), and follow Me (God's indisputable miraculous way), long before Jesus said it. 

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

How absolutely revelatory is that?

Father in heaven, may my life prove Your powerful intervention in the lives of those who believe and trust You alone. As You continue to reveal the role of idolatry in the history of Your people, may I rightly conclude its significant role today. May I not only resign to giving up my own way, taking up my cross, and following Jesus, but intentionally seek opportunities to do so for Your glory. So be it.

Ignorance Is Not Bliss

One day Samuel said to Saul, “It was the LORD who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the LORD! This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. [1 Samuel 15.1-2] 

As random as this instruction from God may seem, it reveals truth we need to understand today. To fully understand this truth however, we must dig deeper...

In Exodus 17 we find the history of Amalek opposing Israel:

While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. After the victory, the LORD instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the LORD is my banner”). He said, “They have raised their fist against the LORD’s throne, so now the LORD will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.” [Exodus 17.8-16] 

Who was Amalek?

Timna, the concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to a son named Amalek. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Adah. [Genesis 36.12] 

Who was Esau?

Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The LORD answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. And the LORD told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins! The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau. Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born. [Genesis 25.21-26] 

What was Esau's deal?

“I have always loved you,” says the LORD. But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” And the LORD replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob, but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.” Esau’s descendants in Edom may say, “We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins.” But the LORD of Heaven’s Armies replies, “They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness,’ and their people will be called ‘The People with Whom the Lord Is Forever Angry.’ [Malachi 1.2-4] 

Why did God reject Esau? 

Now, we are getting somewhere... 

God's recorded disdain for Esau is not random and it is not a mystery. Esau is well-known for selling his birthright for a bowl of soup (Genesis 25.27-34). As the Bible documents, this action showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn. The rights as the firstborn he held in contempt were rights assigned by God. Esau placed his hunger above God's way (birthright) thus making a god of himself and thereby ignoring the 1st Commandment. But that's not the end of it...

Later, Esau married local Canaanite women showing further contempt for God Who had already addressed that very subject:

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. [Deuteronomy 7.1-6]

So, the bottom line is this: God will not overlook idolatry. Amalek's treatment of Israel went deeper than just the encounter at Rephidim. The people of Amalek were descendants of Esau who blatantly embraced idolatry, first, by placing his own hunger above God's established birthright order and secondly, by marrying into idolatry.

As Jacob (Israel) foreshadows the Church and Esau foreshadows the world, we should not be so quick to dismiss idolatry as only an "Old Testament" problem. Yes, the 1st Commandment lays down hard law:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.2-3]

But Exodus 20.2-3 is no less demanding than Jesus' words:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

God's delayed decision to settle accounts with Amalek (subject passage of this article above) should come as no surprise because of wording found in the 2nd Commandment:

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

If God lavishes love for a thousand generations on those who love Him, what might be expected by the generations of those who do not love Him (understanding that the context of "love" in Exodus 20.2-4 is not having idols). Would not the opposite of lavishing love be damning hatred? And, would not damning hatred play out in curses rather than blessings? And would that not explain then why curses continue passing from generation to generation today? And would that not indict the Church of idolatry as it experiences curses just like the world?

Jesus' demand to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him was not a "New Testament" thing. It was very much a continuation of the "Old Testament" demand "You must not have any other god but me."

Esau's rationale that the birthright would be no good to him if he died of hunger is no different than Saul's rationale that the sheep and goats could be used for sacrifices to God. The key word in the previous sentence is "rationale." Rationale does not change God's demand for exclusive trust in Him alone. Our rationale today gives us no right to defensively claim that God uses our own creations to provide what God specifically said He alone would provide.

As the 1st Commandment serves as the flagship of the entire Old Testament, so Jesus's demand that we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him is the flagship of the New Testament. Both demands are one and the same. Idolatry is the antithesis of both.

This is not new teaching but rather the teaching that has been lying overlooked in the pages of the entire Bible all along. God's people have grown woefully ignorant through their overwhelming neglect of God's Word, willfully indoctrinated by their "cherry-picking" only passages that support their predispositions, and therefore wrongly instructed in the true Biblical ways of God. Not ironically, the popular religion that allows such Bible-less-ness is wickedly intent on the destruction of God's true Church by their digression into commonplace worldly idolatry:

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me... [Hosea 4.6]

To prove I am not "cherry-picking" here myself, let's just read more of the context of Hosea's well-known passage above:

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. [Hosea 4.6-7] 

God's demand for total annihilation of Amalek was not random. The curses that even God's people experience today are not random. It can all be Biblically traced back to idolatry. Ignorance is not bliss.

Father in heaven, may Your people get serious with Your written Word, and, in so doing with Your Living Word, Jesus. May we comprehend that giving up our own way is indeed giving up on self-preservation (idolatry) so that the undeniable, indisputable resurrection power of the cross might be seen in us. Help us. So be it.

God Is Glorified In Selfless Obedience

The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the LORD’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.” “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” [1 Samuel 13.6-14] 

Satan is opportunistic when it comes to our fear. Count on it. When fears come, be need to pay close attention!

Idols (including the idol of "self") play on our fears, bolster our doubt, question God's Word, and incite us to act independently of God and His Word when times of fear come.

Every fear we have is an opportunity to see God's glory, unless of course, we begin to act upon our own ways and/or solicit help elsewhere, other than from God.

In contrast to Saul's succumbing to fear above, we find in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer. Their response to fear was much different.

In short, Jonathan and his armor bearer faced their fears head-on, but not in foolish or arrogant bravado. Theirs was not a heady suicide mission either, but instead a strategically calculated plan of attack, against insurmountable odds (2 against 20), dependent entirely upon the help and leadership of God.

“Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the LORD will help us, for nothing can hinder the LORD. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”  “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”  “All right, then,” Jonathan told him. “We will cross over and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are or we’ll kill you,’ then we will stop and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come on up and fight,’ then we will go up. That will be the LORD’s sign that he will help us defeat them.” [1 Samuel 14.6-10]

When fear entices us to doubt God and turn to idols (including the idol of "self" and its ways), we miss an opportunity to see God glorified through our lives. Not only did Jonathan and his armor bearer defeat the 20 men they encountered, but their fearless obedience ignited a 'domino-effect' of uncontrolled fear among their enemies. God was glorified in their selfless obedience.

Contrast the events described in this article to modern "believers." We find every good reason to rely on our advanced ways of problem-solving (our intellect, our idols) and no reason to intentionally put ourselves in a situation where only God can see us through. Instead of defying fear in calculated defense of "faith in God alone," we rely on perfectly reasonable human solutions and call it good - and worse, we call it God's doing. That is the exact train of though Saul followed and got rebuked for. In contrast, it is everything Jonathan avoided.

Father in heaven, help us to see the contrast between Saul and his son, Jonathan. Help us study Jonathan so that we might emulate his confident faith seeing how his resignation to his own ways foreshadowed Jesus Who said give up your own ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. So be it.