March 27 - 1 Samuel 14-15
It’s hard to comprehend that Saul doesn’t seem the least
bit upset that he will kill his son, especially after Jonathan’s heroics.
Luckily the other men jump in and save Jonathan. It’s also hard to understand
that God would punish Jonathan for unknowingly breaking the king’s command when
the other men knowingly broke God’s command. I have to wonder if God truly was
in the casting of the lot this time.
In yesterday’s reading we see that God takes away Saul’s
legacy for a kingdom of all time. Now he rejects Saul as king – but he doesn’t
remove him from the throne. In addition to disobeying God’s instruction, Saul
has gone from a coward who hides behind the baggage to a braggart who sets up a
monument in his own honor. When he hears that God has rejected him, he begs for
another chance.
Just like Moses when he disobeyed, God’s decisions are
final. I found it interesting that God grieved that he had made Saul king.
It is important to note that God did not change his mind
about Saul – in his omniscience he knew all along that Saul would disobey. He
continued on with his original plan. We see that Samuel mourned the rejection
of Saul – I imagine he felt a bit of guilt for not working harder with Saul to
ensure he was obedient. But of course Samuel didn’t know the whole story.
Today’s reading includes four separate texts that are
covered in detail in a book called Hard Sayings of the Bible. You might
want to see if you can find this book for a lot more information about these difficult
passages.
TOMORROW’S TEXT: 1 Samuel 16-17
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