Now if you fear and worship the LORD and listen to His voice, and if
you do not rebel against the LORD's commands, then both you and your king will
show that you recognize the LORD as your God. But if you rebel against the
LORD's commands and refuse to listen to Him, then His hand will be as heavy
upon you as it was upon your ancestors. 1 Samuel 12:14-15
This was part of Samuel’s farewell address.
He was warning the Israelites that they needed to obey God’s commandment—and not
be rebellious. If they refused to listen to Him—refused to respect Him—then they
would face punishment. The Israelites wanted a king like the other nations
around them, not the Lord God as their king. So God gave them a king. King
Saul. Asking for, actually demanding a king, was an act of rebellion—so they
asked Samuel to pray to God for them. He assured them that they were still God’s
chosen people—He would not abandon them. Samuel warned them again.
"As for me, I will certainly not sin
against the LORD by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you
what is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and faithfully serve him.
Think of all the wonderful things He has done for you. But if you continue to
sin, you and your king will be swept away." 1 Samuel 12:23-25
Have you ever been rebellious against the
Lord—demanding something from Him? My mother told me I was her rebellious,
problem child. I remember trying to smoke a cigarette at the coaxing of some
friends who were older. They smoked and thought it was a hoot that I was
willing to try it. I just wanted to please them. I was such a people pleaser
even in my teens. Needless to say I did not enjoy smoking and never took up
that habit. Still Mom was a little worried. Was smoking a rebellious act
against God? The Bible doesn’t tell us…thou shall not smoke, but it does say
that we are a Temple for God.
Don't you realize that your body is the
temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do
not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor
God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Probably more important is that by honoring
my mother and father, I would be honoring God—showing Him respect by obeying
His commandment.
Honor your father and mother. Then you will
live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. Exodus
20:12
It’s spring—and there are lots of wild
flowers in bloom everywhere. Wild flowers—are they rebellious? They grow unruly,
disorderly, uncontrolled, and recklessly abandoned. God created them just as
they are—beautiful. Can we be as beautiful in His eyes as those wild,
rebellious flowers?
Prayer
~ Lord God, regarding Israel, You said, "All day long I opened my arms to
them, but they were disobedient and rebellious." From Romans 10:21. May the people of Israel see
You, Jesus, as their long awaited Messiah. May we all seek to live our lives in
ways that are pleasing to You—no rebellion—even if we feel like a wild flower.
Daily
Bible Reading: Psalms 106-107
©
2017 Text and photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted
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