March 30 - 1 Samuel 13-14: Hand-in-Hand with God

Saul and Jonathan are an interesting father/son contrast:

Saul:

• "took charge" (13:9)
• "I took things into my own hands" (13:12)
• "a fool thing to do" (13:13)
• "your kingly rule is falling to pieces" (13:13)
• "you didn't keep your appointment with God!" (13:14)
• "did something really foolish that day" (14:24)

Jonathan:

• "Maybe God will work for us. There's no rule that says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop God when he sets his mind to it." (14:6)
• "we'll know God has given them to us" (14:10)
• "God has turned them over to Israel" (14:13)
• "working hand-in-hand with God all day" (14:45)

Looking at the snapshots of these two men, there's a lot of "I" in Saul's narrative and a lot of "God" in Jonathan's.  The words ungodly and godly come to mind to describe these two.  Saul wanted what he wanted, but deceived himself into thinking he was following God by going through the motions of sacrifices (burnt or casting lots for his son's life).  "...He only heard his heart asking what he could do in the moment to make things go better for him." [Crabb]  Jonathan, on the other hand, tended toward God-centeredness.  He seemed to understand that we are "living every moment of our lives in the presence of an all-seeing, all-hearing God...that we are responsible to Him and dependent on Him." [Bridges]

"Ungodliness may be defined as living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of one's dependence on God.  You can readily see, then, that someone can lead a respectable life and still be ungodly in the sense that God is essentially irrelevant in his or her life... A person may be moral and upright, or even busy in Christian service, yet have little or no desire to develop an intimate relationship with God.  This is a mark of ungodliness." [Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges]

Ouch.  That hits home with me.  Too many moments of my day are lived in my agenda, my plans that do not acknowledge my utter dependence on God.

"O Lord,…

When thou wouldst guide me I control myself,

When thou wouldst be sovereign I rule myself.

When thou wouldst take care of me I suffice myself.

When I should depend on thy providing I supply myself,

When I should submit to thy providence I follow my will,

When I should study love, honour, trust thee, I serve myself;

I fault and correct thy laws to suit myself,

Instead of thee I look to a man’s approbation, and am by nature an idolater.

Lord, it is my chief design to bring my heart back to thee.

Convince me that I cannot be my own God, or make myself happy,

nor my own Christ to restore my joy,

nor my own Spirit to teach, guide, rule me…."

[The Valley of Vision]