I'm Following Jesus – Page 1483 – Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Sunday, April 12, 2020
Chapters: I Samuel 15-17
Message: Just Go!

Hello My Friend,

Happy Resurrection Day! I’m repeating the first verse to this song again today, “Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior! Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord! Up from the grave He arose, With a mighty triumph o’er His foes. He arose a Victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!” Amen! When Jesus gave His life on the cross He promised eternal life to all who accept His sacrifice as the payment for their sin alone. Praise God! There is not one single thing we can do to be saved from eternal death and hell other than believe on the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, (Romans 10:9-10). Amen! Now, even though God promises eternal life to all who believe, He did not promise that the road until that happens would be nice and easy. “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” – Mark 13:13.

Yesterday, we read about Saul and how he kept offering sacrifices to God, and how God decided his lineage would not hold throne after him. Well, God decided to prove him one more time, He sent Samuel with orders, Saul, send the army to Amalekites, kill every living thing, take nothing of theirs, and kill the king also.

“Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.” – I Samuel 15:1,3,7-11.

“and would not utterly destroy them:” Why did God want them destroyed in the first place? This was the great battle that the Amalekites fought with Israel in Rephidim, when Moses held up the rod of God on the hill until Israel prevailed against them, (Exodus 17:8-16). “And it grieved Samuel;” Not only did Samuel grieve that Saul did these things and now was rejected by God, he also grieved for the people who would suffer because he did not obey God. Now, Samuel had the difficult task of telling Saul that God was going to choose a new king.

“And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.” – I Samuel 15:14,19-22,28-29.

“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent:” God’s repentance is not the same as mans, God feels great grief in one of His own turning on Him, but He is righteous and just, and will not continue to watch His people go against His commands, without repentance. Repentance for man is feeling great grief and remorse for sin, and stopping it all together. “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” – Revelation 3:3.

We must understand that even though God may take things from us should we turn to a live of unrepentant sin, we will not lose our salvation. It is very hard to watch the ones we love lose so much because they refuse to repent, but if they do not repent, then there is nothing we can do about it. God has made His decision, and He will not repent. This was very hard for Samuel, God had to tell him to let it go, and move on.

“And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.” – I Samuel 16:1,6-7,11-13.

“fill thine horn with oil, and go,” We cannot let those who refuse to obey God and lose their blessings to stop us from doing what we are called to do. Saul, at any time could have repented, but only has himself to blame for losing what God had given him. “Look not on his countenance,” Some of God’s, in fact, most of God’s servants do not look at all qualified to do the job He calls them to do. And if you think a secular job is not something that God calls you to do, think again, everything we do has God’s hand in it. Now, David was the complete opposite of Saul, he was handsome and small, but he had something that Saul lacked in for a while, faith and trust in God. Now, the strange thing about God is that when He calls us to do something, it often becomes a challenge. The second Samuel anointed David with the oil, the Spirit of God came upon him, but it left Saul, and he knew it did too. In fact, so did his servants, and oddly enough David would becoming his armorbearer.

“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.” – I Samuel 16:14,17-18,21-23.

“and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.” Of course, this is the devil. God is not really an evil spirit, He just allows the devil to afflict us once in a while. Why? To prove us. To see if we are going to repent and turn to Him completely or if we were just along for the ride while the blessings are coming. God’s freewill gives us a choice, do not ever let anyone tell you that God gives no one a choice to be saved from eternal death, it is their choice, and ignorance means the same as not believing at all. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” – Acts 17:30-31.

Now, there is no greater story to tell of God’s great power and strength in the smallest of people than David and Goliath. Here stood this nine foot tall giant on the other side of the valley, not only was the entire army afraid of Goliath, so was Saul. Goliath challenged Israel, if they could defeat him then the Philistines would become their servants to Israel. David’s father sent him to the troop to bring food, David could not understand why they were so afraid of them. After all, they had God on their side.

“And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” – I Samuel 17:3-4,8,11,20,26.

“and left the sheep with a keeper,” Do you see how David being a shepherd, made sure that the sheep were taking care of when he was not there? Well, this is what Jesus does with us. He is the Good Shepherd, He takes care of His sheep by sending us pastors and ministers. Every man who accepts the call to lead a church is known as the under shepherd, and He is responsible for making sure Christ’s are fed and nourished, and He will be held accountable for leading any of His sheep astray. Even people like me who teach the Word will be held accountable if I ever erred from the truth. “that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Of course, this did not go well, his own brothers pretty much told him to shut up and go home, David did not listen, to them.

“And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.” – I Samuel 17:32-33,37,40,43,45,49.

“Go, and the LORD be with thee.”You see? Saul was not stupid, he knew the power of God just as much as David did, but he let his pride take over and never did return to the LORD. “Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?” David did not fear Goliath because he knew that God was with him and would give him the strength to do exactly what Goliath proclaimed to do to anyone who fought him. God gives you strength that you cannot believe given the right timing and faith. In fact, it is the strength of Christ in us that while we may be weak, He makes us strong. “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” – II Corinthians 12:10.

Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your mercy and grace, and for eternal life, which You have given me when I accepted Your Son as my Saviour. Thank You, Jesus, for taking my place on the cross, for dying for the sin I am guilty of, and for giving life beyond the grave. You paid the price for my sin, and for that reason I pray that You keep me faithful and always serving. Lord, Watch over me, guide me, keep my heart tender and always humble to You. Keep me as the apple of Your eye, the one who lives by faith and not by sight. Teach me, discern me, grow me, and show me what to learn, follow, and teach so that I am a blessing to others. I love You, and ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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