My trip through the Old Testament has brought me to 1 Samuel. And I'll tell you--the Bible is anything but boring!
Romance that melts your heart
Murder, cold-blooded and premeditated
Battles that rival any Mel Gibson film
Kingdom threats that shake up, well, even Shakespeare
And speaking of spears . . .
My stopping place today was 1 Samuel, chapter 22 where David hides in a cave from King Saul, who on several occasions sought to kill the young man by hurling his spear in his direction.
Unchecked, unrestrained, vicious jealousy has a way of prompting such actions.
In a previous passage, David told Jonathan there was hardly a step between him and death. This due to Saul's relentless jealousy over David's conquests. He knew the hand of the Lord was with David. And he feared for HIS kingdom. Somehow, Saul had lost sight of Whose Kingdom it really was.
Once anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Saul is now bereft of the Spirit. Remember, this is an Old Testament dispensation when the Holy Spirit did not dwell within man as a permanent gift. The permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit within a believer is recorded in Acts after Jesus ascends back into heaven.
My takeaway:
Guard my heart. Protect my allegiance and devotion to the Lord. While the Holy Spirit will not be taken away from a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is still possible to quench Him and grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30). My mandate is to keep my heart "current" with the Lord. Allow the Spirit to uproot any jealousy or other issues that might be clouding my vision and my open heart response to Him, remembering that I am an important part of building HIS Kingdom.
HIS Kingdom, not MY kingdom.
3 comments:
Thank you for these thoughts. I needed to hear them today. I sense I have jealousy in my heart that likes to masquerade itself as insecurity. I don't like that I see myself in Saul. Your post is timely.
You're not alone, Susan. The Holy Spirit touched a nerve in my heart this morning as well.
Thanks for your openness.
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