SERIES
Sojourn: Toward an Enduring City
2017-01-01T11:00:00-06:00
3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. 4 The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.”
8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” 9 The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?” 10 But Saul swore to her by the LORD, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” 11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” 16 And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”
20 Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.
31:1 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
God has designed each one of us with a unique personality. The Apostle Peter was a man designed to be passionate. Sometimes righteous and sometimes foolish, we see his passion pour out in the Gospels. We see it in his eagerness to walk on water (Matthew 14:28-29), in his boldness to both contradict Jesus (Mark 8:32-33; 14:31) and confess the truth about Jesus (Matthew 16:16), and in his zealous attack on those arresting Jesus (John 18:10-11). Given who God made Peter to be, it is surprising to read Peter’s command to us in 1 Peter 2:11, “to abstain from the passions of the flesh.” Could there be a more difficult and counter-intuitive command, especially for Peter who was so prone to passion?
But Peter did not command us to be passionless; rather, his command is to trade one set of passions for another. The Christian life is not meant to be an ascetic, passionless life of disciplined restraint. God has a way of giving new life to the raw stuff of our personalities, skills, interests, and resources; of shaping them to reflect His character and share in His mission. We see this transformation in Peter himself when we turn to the book of Acts. After witnessing Jesus’ death and resurrection, Peter’s passions shift from pride to praise, from being self-centered to being Christ-centered. Perhaps the most dramatic example is how Peter publicly preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ and rebukes the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem in Acts 3:11-4:22. Peter’s passion is no longer aimed at proving himself to God and man and preserving his life, but is aimed at proclaiming God to man come what may. He moved from giving into old, fleshly passions to giving unto new, spiritual passions.
What accounts for this change in Peter’s passion? Ultimately, it was the work of the Holy Spirit in Peter’s heart (Acts 2:4). And undoubtedly, it was due to his experience of knowing Jesus and bearing witness to his death and resurrection (Acts 3:15; 4:20). But Peter’s holy passion for Jesus Christ was also a direct result of his deep awareness of his sin, and his soaring awe of the forgiveness and salvation that was his through Christ alone (Acts 3:19; 4:11-12). At the most personal level, Peter was rescued and transformed; and so, too, were his passions.
As we enter a New Year, spend some time reflecting on who God made you to be. What are your passions, skills, interests, and resources? Pray for the Holy Spirit to do His work of revealing how they may be transformed this year. What old, fleshly parts of you need new, spiritual life? But more than this prayerful introspection, pursue prayerful re-inspection of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Soak your soul in the rich wonder of God made man, made to suffer, and made to rise. Remember: He did it for you. And then sing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!”
*If you are looking for Bible reading plans for the New Year, be sure to check out these options from Crossway, Ligonier, and the One Year Bible.