Each time I read the book of 1 Samuel, I'm always struck by the significance of verse 1 of chapter 3, "...the word of the Lord was precious in those days..." Sadly, that cannot be said of the day and time in which we live. This past week, I've been reading thorough the book again , and I noticed a fundamental difference between the lives of Samuel and Saul, having to do with their view of the Word of God. I believe it explains why one was used of God throughout his life, and the other rejected by God early on. 1 Sam. 3:19, "And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of His words fall to the ground." Samuel counted the Word of God as very precious, and each word, important enough to obey. Contrast this with the life of Saul, who did not obey the word for the Lord, and in 1 Sam. 15:9, we see that in disobedience, Saul did not utterly destroy the Amalekites as God had commanded him to do, but kept the 'best" alive. Saul rebelled against and disobeyed God and His instructions because he was not committed to the Will of God with all his heart. He felt God's Word was good but not so sacred that it must be followed in every detail.
Which category do we fit in? Are we like Samuel or Saul? May God help us to love His Word with all our hearts, to count it precious and to let none of His words fall to the ground!
This is so true. I very much enjoyed reading this post! My girls and I in reading through the Bible together, have been comparing Samuel to Samson and the similarities sadly enough, stop with their birth. Both were given by the Lord to mothers previously barren. Both were under a Nazarite vow, yet only Samuel was dedicated to the Lord after his birth. Throughout their lives, it is evident that Samuel loved the Word, but Samson loved the world.
Our lives too are marked by the object of our love. May we always love the Lord wholeheartedly and with an undivided heart.
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In Luke 24:32, after Jesus had left them, the disciples said, "Did not our heart burn within us....? This blog is dedicated to sharing from my heart things from God's Word and godly ministers that have stirred my heart! ~ Sis. Rebecca Wilson