When I read the Bible...I choose a book and read it through...I don't know how I choose a particular book or if it "chooses me"...I have been reading 1 Samuel...
The first part that stuck out to me was how the people disrespected God...trying to use His ark as a "lucky charm"...Flip! How often we try treat God like our genie...we sit around...ignore Him, until the paw-paw hits the fan, then all of a sudden He's our best mate again...A pet peeve of mine are when you have "friends" that you don't hear from for MONTHS or YEARS...then all of a sudden you get a call, sms, email or whatever from them "how are you doing? whats news? oh...can you please help me with XYX?"...It's like HELLO I don't only want to know you when you need something! BUT we treat God like that! And it's not cool!
1 Samuel 4
1 And Samuel's word came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. 3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from Shiloh, so that it [a] may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies."
They were scared cos they got defeated...and instead of relying on God they wanted to use His ark...bang...defeated...God aint no lucky charm!
Later, in 1 Samuel, I was reading about how the Israelites had NO WEAPONS...they had no way to defeat the Philistines...The Philistines controlled all the weapons and blacksmiths, so that the Israelites could not make any weapons even...they were basically powerless...
How scary is this: 1 Samuel 13
"22 So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them."
THEY HAD NO WEAPONS!!!! But Saul's son Jonothan said
6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."
Foolish bravado? Or Faith? BUT...He still asked God's advice/for God to guide him.
8 Jonathan said, "Come, then; we will cross over toward the men and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands."
And it happend JUST LIKE THAT! The Philistines tuned them...come here so we can give ya'll a beat down...and Jonothan said to his amour-bearer "God has given them over into our hands"...The two of them (along with God) killed 20 philistines right there!
Then the Philistines panicked BIG TIME! WOW! A WHOLE ARMY...and they fell apart...stressed themselves to death :P...ran around like headless chickens and even started killing EACH OTHER!
"20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. 21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. 23 So the LORD rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven."
YOH! powerful scriptures...(as they ALL are :P ) hehe...
Sometimes in life things are going down and WE run around and try to make a plan OUR way...try this try that...and then things go WORSE and we wonder why! When what we SHOULD do is listen for God...wait in expectancy...When God fights for you NOTHING is impossible!!! 2 guys climb up a cliff...whack 20 other guys (something that was quite a feat) and a whole army goes bossies and starts killing each other!
Only now after putting in down here...in a formulated thought (sort of)...does it ACTUALY hit home...WOW!!! The timing of this is AMAZING!! And it's where I am reading at the moment...God rocks!!!
Until next time...stay tuned...Climb the cliff!
P.S. Maybe I can negate the effects of my careless words by writing a book or something... hehe
P.P.S I have been wanting to take up rock climbing for a while now :P
