post from tuesday...

here is a recovered post from yesterday (tuesday)

SCRIPTURE: 1 samuel 28:1-25

OBSERVATIONS:
-for me it's like david (imagine he is a life long ohio state guy) has gone to live in ann arbor, michigan. for a season he hides out and plays for the wolverines during their big ten schedule. but now, they are going to play the buckeyes. the coach of U of M fully trust david and thinks... this is awesome... i have their best player now playing for me.

-samuel was the voice of reason for israel... i'm sure that saul was causing all kinds of chaos in samuel's absence.

-saul seems to become afraid whenever he faces the dreaded wolverines... wait, the philistines.

-so this freaky stuff happens in the bible. i can't explain it... but, it happened.

-the relationship between samuel and saul could be another series... remember, samuel was the voice of god to saul. now when saul is scared and not able to hear from god... he does anything to find advice... even wake up the dead.

-this is an amazing paragraph of scripture: "God has turned away from you and is now on the side of your neighbor. God has done exactly what he told you through me—ripped the kingdom right out of your hands and given it to your neighbor. It's because you did not obey God, refused to carry out his seething judgment on Amalek, that God does to you what he is doing today. Worse yet, God is turning Israel, along with you, over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And, yes, indeed, God is giving Israel's army up to the Philistines."

-imagine hearing that god is no longer with you. that you have lost everything. that you will die tomorrow.

APPLICATION:
when we don't follow god's instructions... it leads to desperation and death.

PRAYER:
god, help me to know your directions and follow them. i want to know what you want... so i can do what you want.

milthaler