April 25, 2012 (1 Samuel 30-31; 1 Chronicles 10; Matthew 12)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” 1 Chronicles 10: 13-14 NLT
Observation: Saul was the poster child for what not to do. He not only did wrong, but he also failed to do right. He ran the kingdom his way, until he got himself into a mess he couldn’t get out of, then he would consult God. He consulted God as a last result and tried to use God like one of his servants. God finally had enough of Saul’s disobedience and turned His face from him and closed His ears to Saul’s request. When the Philistines attacked all of Saul’s hope was lost. He had forsaken God one too many times and his reign was about to end. Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s commands and arrogantly rejected the Lord’s guidance.
Application: Although Saul failed in many ways his failures can be a great teacher for us. We can heed the lessons that Saul never did. We can seek God first, not last. We can look to Him for guidance in every area of our life and consult Him daily. We can surrender 100% of our lives to Him and hold nothing back from Him. We can obey His commands, keep ourselves from wrong and strive to do whats right. Saul’s life serves as a warning to us that persisting in ungodly ways cuts us off from God’s help. Calling upon God will be useless unless we repent and turn from our ungodly and rebellious ways. His ears are open unto the cry of the righteous and His right arm is strong to defend them.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me everyday. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayers. Thank You for the guidance You provide through Your Holy Spirit. I praise You for the protection I receive from Your strong right arm! I seek You first and now for guidance. You know well the struggles I face and I need Your Holy guidance to lead me. You are my strength and my God, I trust You and put all my hope in You alone, in Jesus name, Amen!