Your Daily Devotional for August 21, 2006

 

August 21, 2006

 

The Testimony of Samuel

By Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye have said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand. And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.”

 

1 Samuel 12:1-5

 

In this passage, the Israelite nation has gathered at Gilgal to celebrate the anointing of their first king. Gilgal had been a place of spiritual renewal since the days of Joshua. As the people gathered together, the Lord began moving on Samuel’s heart to preach a message to these people.

 

We notice in verse three that his message was preached from a pure heart—“witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed.” Samuel had lived a blameless life before God. He had walked in integrity. 1 Thessalonians 2:10 says, “Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe.” There is a big difference between managers and leaders. Managers are people who do things right, leaders are people who do the right thing. Samuel was a true leader—he did that which was right before God and men.

 

Samuel’s message was also preached from past history. 1 Samuel 12:6-7 states, “And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.” Samuel was reminding the people that God had blessed them in the past, and that He still desired to bless them if they would fear, obey, and serve the Lord. In 1 Samuel 12:20 we read, “And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.”

 

This was a time of great change for the nation of Israel. We are also living in uncertain times today. Christians are changing, and many are choosing the path of least resistance for their lives and ministries. They are following the kingdoms of this world. May we determine to seek the Lord and His coming kingdom. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think if we will continue to serve Him in obedience with pure hearts.

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