THE LORD SPOKE (April 23)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: I Samuel 11-13

This section of the historical record begins with the spotlight on SAUL.

I Sam. 11:6 - "the Spirit of God came upon him in power"

I Sam. 11:15 - "so all the people...confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the Lord"

I Sam. 11:18 - "so all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel"

It was Saul's reconfirmation day but did you notice how the limelight shifted from Saul to SAMUEL? Can you figure out why? Look at Samuel's heart:

I Sam. 12:23 - "...Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right."

I Sam. 12:24 - "Consider what great things he [the Lord, not Saul] has done for you."

Saul set out to show the people the great things he could do for them. Samuel turned their eyes to see what great things He (the Lord) had done for them. And that was the beginning of Saul's end.

I Sam. 13:11 - "I saw [i.e. notice what great insight I have]...[but] you did not come [i.e. you're such a failure Samuel]"

I Sam. 13:13 - Samuel says, "you acted foolishly...You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you." Did you notice? The Lord spoke!

And here's a concluding reminder we all need to remember:

I Sam. 13:14 - "The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart."


New Testament: Acts 24

“A ringleader of the Nazarene sect.” It was calculated to incite a negative reaction against Paul and he immediately responds. First of all, a “ringleader” implies someone who is conniving and fostering sedition. Paul says, they “did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else”.

As to the charge of “the Nazarene sect”, Paul goes back to the same terminology that was used prior to his own conversion (Acts 9:2) when he speaks of them as followers of “the Way”. He quickly defines that as solidly Bible-based (“everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets”) and founded on “the hope in God” regarding resurrection from the dead.

Felix was no stranger to “the Way” (Acts 24:22). Drusilla, his Jewish wife, also had an interest and came to the trial several days later (Acts 24:24). She was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I (the one who killed James and put Peter in prison) and the sister of Herod Agrippa II (the current king and the one before whom Paul will give his defense in Acts 25-26).

Though Paul was allowed to speak “about faith in Christ Jesus... [including] righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come” (Acts 24:24-25 - imagine that in a Roman court of law!), the listeners didn’t let themselves go too far. Their’s was an interest of convenience with dollar signs floating in the background (Acts 24:25-26).

And so, two years passed. Paul had some freedom to receive visitors and we know that Dr. Luke was one of them. Luke probably also used this time to interview eyewitnesses and gather material for his Gospel and the book of Acts (Lk. 1:1-4). Paul himself had just recently written Romans and was soon to write Ephesians so it’s not too hard to imagine what themes were occupying his thoughts. You could almost reconstruct his Bible study during those two years by looking at the OT passages he quotes frequently in Romans and Ephesians.

One thing is for sure - Paul used the time well. No moldering in jail for him. In fact, his brilliant defense in the next two chapters is another indication of where his mind was during those two years. It was a valuable timeout for one of God’s most effective servants.