Category: First Things First Devotional

The people refused to listen to Samuel, “No!” they said, “We must have a king over us.” 1 Samuel 8:19

I am fortunate to have five grandchildren. All of them are three years of age and younger. Three of them are one year old and are at the age where they are getting into everything. They are exploring their world. We have to keep an eye on them at all times in fear they will get into something they should not or break something. We can say “No” and move them away from something that might be harmful to them, but they will immediately crawl or walk back to the object regardless of our warnings. This represents our sinful nature as humans – we like what we are doing and do not want to yield to the warnings. We often continue to return to our sinful behavior even when it causes us pain and suffering.

The Israelites were determined to have a king rule over them regardless of the warnings that Samuel gave them. They seemed to be blinded to the truth. That is the way Satan often works in our lives. He blinds us to the truth so we will keep pursuing the sinful behavior in opposition to God and that for which He stands.

Challenge: When have you been stubborn and demanded “I must have”? God will allow you to make poor choices, but you must understand that poor choices results in poor results. Don’t demand your own way. Seek God’s way and follow His leadership in your life.

“Listen to them but you must solemnly warn them and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.” 1 Samuel 8:9

In our world there seems to be warnings all around us. Warning: small objects, choking hazard; Warning: Alarm will sound when door is opened; Warning: Contains peanuts. The list is endless of the numerous warnings we encounter each day, however the warnings help to protect us and keep us safe.

God was going to allow the Israelites to have the king they desired, but He wanted Samuel to warn them of the dangers of having a king rule over them in place of following God and making Him the King of their lives. There are always consequences and implications for the decisions we make. Sometimes God allows us to make a poor choice even though it may lead to pain and suffering. He can use our poor decisions as a way of teaching us a lesson.

Challenge: You have choices to make. God may allow you to make a poor choice and you will be in God’s permissive will. It is not the best way, but God can still work His good from your poor choices. If you make a good choice then you are in God’s perfect will and you may not have to experience the pain and suffering of a poor choice. Pray that God will reveal His perfect will for your life and that you will make good, wise choices.

But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king. They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods. 1 Samuel 8:7-8

There is nothing much more painful than being fired from a job. A person feels hurt and rejected and that he is not quite good enough. Sometimes a person deserves to be fired because he is not fulfilling his responsibilities or is not doing his job correctly, but frequently a person is fired without legitimate cause.

Samuel felt that he was being fired as the judge and prophet of Israel. The people did not want him to lead them any longer. They wanted a king to lead them so they could be like other nations that had a king. A change in leadership was what they wanted. Doesn’t that sound like the political system in the United States? It seems that no matter who the elected official may be, there is always a group that wants a change. They want someone else to lead.

God affirmed Samuel and told him that the people were rejecting Him rather than Samuel. The people were rejecting God as their king. No matter how much God loved them, protected them, and provided for them, the Israelites seemed bent on following other gods and rejecting the one true God.

Challenge: How have you rejected God by your actions? Instead of rejecting and abandoning God, make Him the “King” of your life. Let Him rule in every area of your life. He will show you the right way to live so you can minister to others and bring honor and glory to Him.

“Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.” When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. 1 Samuel 8:5-6

As a former youth pastor I understand the pressure that many teenagers face to be like their peers. They want to have the same hairstyle, wear the same type of fashion brand shoes, pants, and shirts, and want to go to the same concert or movie. In general they want to be like everyone else so they will fit in and be accepted. One of the worst experiences for a teenager is to be ridiculed and excluded from the group. We often think this is just a teenage problem, but adults often exclude others because of the way they dress, where they were educated, where they live, what type of car they drive, where they work, and even were they go to church. The pressure to conform and be like everyone else extends into adulthood.

This is exactly what the Israelites wanted – a king so they could be like all of the other nations. But this was exactly opposite from what God desired. He wanted them to be different and set apart from all of the other nations. He desired for them to be a people that put God first in their lives and followed Him and His leadership rather than an earthly king.

Challenge: God still has that same desire for His people today. Evaluate your own life and determine if you are seeking the approval of others or God. Have you excluded others for some reason? Pray that God will lead you in the ways of righteousness and that you will follow with obedience.

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. 1 Samuel 8:4-5 HCSB

We just celebrated Father’s Day. God has blessed me with four wonderful children, two boys and two girls. I hope and pray that I have brought them up correctly and that they have learned from me how to live and conduct themselves in a Christ-like manner. It is a challenging responsibility to raise children and bring them up in the ways of the Lord. I pray that I have set a good example for them to follow.

Evidently, Samuel set a good example for his two sons to follow, but they chose to go their own way. They lived lives that were characterized by dishonest gain, bribes, and perverted justice. They were not good candidates to become the next leaders or judges of Israel, therefore the elders from each tribe came to Samuel to request that God appoint a King to rule over them instead of Samuel’s sons.

Challenge: What type of example are you setting for your children? Children must make their own choices. If you have a child who has made wrong choices, it does not necessarily mean you have set a bad example. Ask God to help you to be a shining example to your children and others. May the Light of Jesus shine forth in your life. Watch the video on YouTube of the song “Slow Fade” by Casting Crowns. at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk

The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people of the city chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites removed the ark of the Lord, along with the box containing the gold objects and placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 1 Samuel 6:14 HCSB

There is something about the male ego that does not want to ask for directions or find it necessary to read instructions. A man wants to do it on his own without any help from others. Several times when I have tried to put something together without reading the instructions and assumed I could figure it out by myself, only to find that I needed guidance if I was going to put it together correctly. Without reading the instructions I have usually missed a vital step that needed to be included.

This passage references female cows, so when the people sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering, they were not following the law of God which says, “to bring an unblemished male” (Leviticus 1:3) as a burnt offering. This is an example of doing something with the right motive but still not following God’s instructions. The next verse tells us that the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices. The Levites should have offered the burnt offerings for the people, so again the people were not following the instructions of God.

Challenge: God gives us instructions for our own good and benefit. They guide and help us do things in a way that brings honor and glory to Him. When we fail to follow God’s instructions and do things our way, we often find ourselves in a mess that is hard to untangle. Pray that God will help you know and follow His instructions.

The cows went straight up the road to Beth-shemesh. They stayed on the one highway, lowing as they went; they never strayed to the right or to the left. The Philistine rulers were walking behind them to the territory of Beth-shemesh. 1 Samuel 6:12 HCSB

On family vacation we decided to take a horse ride. We all mounted the big animals and began our ride behind one of the guides with his horse. At one point on the trail my wife’s horse decided he was no longer going to go. He stopped and no matter how much coaching my wife did, he would not move. It was not until the guide came back and took the horse by the reins that he started to move. Animals are unpredictable. At times they seem to have a mind of their own. But God, the creator of all animals, has everything under control and even the animals obey His commands.

Without any guidance the cows quietly made their way to Israel. It would have been natural for the cows to stray into a field to eat or even stop since they did not have someone guiding them. Only God has the power to cause this to happen. We are reminded of how Jesus calmed the sea and caused the disciples to catch a large amount of fish. God is in control of every aspect of creation including the cows, fish, and even the winds. God did not do this to pass the test of the Philistines but rather to show that He is the one true God that has power over all other gods and even the animals of the world.

Challenge: God has everything under control, even when it seems things are falling apart. Listen to the new song by Casting Crowns titled “Just Be Held” that encourages us to “stop holding on and just be held” and “your world isn’t falling apart, it’s falling into place” on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIZitK6_IMQ

Then they put the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the box containing the gold mice and the images of their tumors. 1 Samuel 6:11 HCSB

Have you ever felt guilty about something you did? Have you ever wondered if negative consequences were a result of your disobedience or not doing what you knew was right? We have all sinned and the consequences of our sin can sometimes be hard and painful.

The Philistines had experienced the consequences of their sins for seven months and wondered if it was the result of them having the Ark of God in their possession. The priests and diviners devised a plan to see if the Lord of the Ark of God had actually caused the tumors and recent problems or if it was just a coincidence. The plan was to yoke two female cows that had just had calves to a cart with the Ark of God and then pen up the calves. The natural instinct of the cows would be to stay with their calves. Therefore, if the Lord of the Ark of God was more powerful than the natural instincts of the cows, the cows would return to the land of Beth-shemesh with the Ark of God. They would then know that the recent problems had come from the God of the Israelites. They sent a guilt offering of gold rats and images of the tumors they had experienced in hope that the Lord of the Ark of God would have mercy on them and remove the problems they had been experiencing.

Challenge: Do not put God to a test. Read God’s Word and pray to know His plan and will for your life. Always honor, respect, and worship God alone. Seek to do what is right in His eyes.

The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod, terrorizing and afflicting the people of Ashdod and its territory with tumors. 1 Samuel 5:6 HCSB

I do not remember but my parents tell me of a time when I was just old enough to reach the table and I reached up and accidentally pulled a bowl of hot gravy onto my face and hands. My parents rushed me to the hospital where the doctor told them to put some ointment on my face. I was told that my whole face was one big burn that turned to a scab. My parents had instructed me to stay away from the table, but I disobeyed. The result of my disobedience was pain and suffering.

Pain and suffering is usually the cost of disobeying our parents or God. The pain may not be in the form of a burned hand or face but God allows some pain and suffering in our lives to help remind us of the importance of obeying and worshiping Him alone. God allows the suffering to bring about change in our lives and to make us more like His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Ark of God represented God and any attempt to put other gods before the one true God resulted in pain and suffering. The people of Ashdod replaced Dagon back to his original place of honor. God brought justice by afflicting them with tumors. Some Biblical scholars think that it may have been bubonic plague that God brought on the people of Ashdod.

Challenge: God alone deserves our praise, honor, and attention. You may not have a statue or graven image as a god, but by your actions you may be declaring that other things take priority in your life over God. These “other things” become your god. Evaluate what other gods need to be removed from your life. Pray and ask God to help you focus on Him and make Him the Lord in every area of your life.

After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod, brought it into the temple of Dagon and placed it next to his statue. When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. This time, both Dagon’s head and the palms o f his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso remained. 1 Samuel 5:1-4 HCSB

Dagon was the chief god of the Philistines. They believed that he sent rain and assured them of a bountiful harvest. The Philistines also worshiped other gods. They thought that the more gods they had on their side, the more victories and success they would enjoy. Since the Ark of God had brought victories to the Israelites, they assumed it would also help them.

Notice that the Scriptures tell us that the people got up early in the morning. This indicates that no one would have bothered the statue of Dagon during the night, therefore it was the act of the One true God of the Israelites that toppled the statue of Dagon. He was face down facing the Ark of God in a position of worship and reverence, indicating that the God of the Israelites was greater than Dagon. The God of Israel is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. No other god is greater.

Challenge: The God of Israel is the Lord of lords and King of kings. Have you made Him the Lord and King of your life? How many gods do you have in your life? There should be no other gods before the one true God.