The Knowledge of God.

1 Samuel 3-4, Romans 4

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. – 1 Samuel 3:7 ESV

Young Samuel had been dedicated to God by his mother. She had turned him over to Eli, the priest, and given him to the service of God. So Samuel found himself “ministering to the Lord under Eli” (1 Samuel 3:1 ESV). He even slept in the tent of meeting, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Because of his relationship with Eli and his close proximity to the Tabernacle and the sacrificial system, Samuel would have had plenty of exposure to the things of God. But the text tells us, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord” (1 Samuel 3:7 ESV). This does not mean that Samuel did not cognitively know about God. He would have had a strong mental awareness of God. The Hebrew word for “know” is yada and it can refer to “knowledge through personal experience.” The text goes on to say that “the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him” (1 Samuel 3:7 ESV). Samuel did not have an intimate and personal knowledge of God at that point of his life. In fact, “the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision” (1 Samuel 3:1 ESV). At this point in the history of Israel there were few who heard from the Lord directly, so their knowledge of Him was academic rather than personal. But all of that was about to change. This young man was going to have a personal encounter with God Himself. God audibly called Samuel on three separate occasions, but the young man mistakenly concluded that it was Eli's voice he was hearing. But the fourth time “the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel!, Samuel!’” (1 Samuel 3:10 ESV). God spoke to Samuel. He desired to have an intimate and personal conversation with him. Not only that, He revealed to Samuel His plans concerning Eli and his two wicked sons. “And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about God?

In spite of all that God had done for the people of Israel, they seemed to have no knowledge of Him. Their relationship with Him had become little more than religion and ritual. They had His law, but rarely kept it. They knew His requirements regarding the sacrificial system, but followed it more out of fear than loving obedience. Their sinful behavior, chronicled in the book of Judges, had led to an ever-increasing silence on the part of God. He rarely spoke and seldom revealed Himself or His will through visions. As a result the people really didn't know God. He had become little more than a legend recounted in stories told by the old. But God was there. He was simply waiting for someone who would not only hear Him, but listen to Him when He spoke. He had been waiting for someone who would believe Him and, in faith, act on what He told them. In other words, God was looking for someone like Abraham. Paul tells us, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3 ESV). Abraham had also had a personal, intimate encounter with God. He had appeared to Abraham at the burning bush and spoken to him audibly. But not only did Abraham hear God, he listened to what He said and stepped out in faith, leaving his homeland and setting out to a foreign land, trusting in nothing more than the word of God. He believed God's promise “that he would be heir of the world” (Romans 4:13 ESV) and the “father of many nations” (Romans 4:17 ESV). Paul makes it clear that “in hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told” (Romans 4:18 ESV). He believed God. Why? Because he knew God. He had a personal relationship with God. And he believed God to be trustworthy and reliable. “He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:20 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about man?

It is interesting that Samuel is juxtaposed with the people of Israel. Here is this young man, who had a personal and powerful encounter with God, contrasted with the people of Israel who seem to have long ago forgotten who God was and all of which He was capable. When they lose a decisive battle with the Philistines, rather than turn to God in prayer, they send for the Ark of the Covenant. They assumed their defeat was God's doing, but they make no attempt to talk to Him about their situation or seek His will regarding what they should do. Instead, they bring the Ark of the Covenant into their camp, treating it like some kind of talisman or good luck charm. In essence, they turn the Ark into a representation of God, making it nothing more than a common idol. Because they didn't have a personal knowledge of God, they put their trust in an inanimate object that was never intended to be worshiped or used as a stand-in for God. They viewed the Ark the same way the Philistines did, seeing it as a symbol of their God. When the Philistines got word that the Ark had arrived in the Hebrew camp, they said, “A god has come into the camp. Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these might gods” (1 Samuel 3:7-8 ESV). Sadly, the Israelites seemed to have no better knowledge of God than the Philistines did. They didn't understand how God works. They didn't have a personal knowledge of His ways. And as a result, they not only lost the battle, they lost the Ark.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

Abraham believed God. He trusted what God had to say. He placed his hope in the promises of God. He relied on the word of God. All because he had a personal knowledge of God. That is what I long for in my own life. He has revealed Himself to me through His Son, Jesus Christ. He has placed His Spirit within me. He has provided me with His written Word. I regularly hear from Him, but I must learn to listen, trust and obey. My knowledge of God must go beyond the academic and cerebral. It must become intimate and personal. “Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19 ESV). In other words, God did not allow any of the words He spoke to Samuel fall to the ground unfulfilled. He brought about all that He predicted. He fulfilled all that He promised. And Samuel grew to trust God more and more. As I hear God speak and watch Him work, I grow. As I see Him fulfill His will in my life, my faith grows, and I learn to listen more carefully and obey more quickly. I become increasingly more convinced that God is able to do what he has promised to do.

Father, You are reliable and trustworthy. You are powerful and personal. You speak, but too often I fail to hear. Or I hear and refuse to listen and obey. Help me to have the attitude of Samuel, so that I always respond, “Speak Lord, for your servant hears.” I want to hear You, trust You, and obey You. I want to believe, based on nothing more than what I know about Your unwavering character. May my personal knowledge of You grow greater and greater with each passing day. Amen

Here We Go Again.

Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52

“They were totally amazed, for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.” – Mark 6:51-52 NLT

After all the leftovers had been picked up after the feeding of the 5000 and the crowds had been sent home, Jesus told the disciples to head back across the Sea of Galilee to the town of Bethsaida. After spending some time alone in prayer, He would meet them there. This out to bring to mind another recent trip across this same lake. That time Jesus was with them and a storm blew in unexpectedly, catching them in the middle of the lake. The disciples thought they were going to drown, but Jesus was asleep in the boat. They woke Him up and He calmed the storm. They were blown away at what they had seen. And it was all about to happen again. But this time, they were alone. Jesus was not with them. They had seen a lot happen between these two events. They had witnessed the healings of the demoniac and the woman with the issue of blood, Jairus' daughter being brought back to life, and they had been given power and authority to perform the very same kind of miracles themselves. And just a few hours before, they had witnessed Jesus feed thousands of people with just a few loaves and fishes.

Now they were in a boat in the middle of the lake in the middle of the night. I'm sure they were thinking, "This can't be happening again!" And even if their faith did kick in and they remembered how Jesus had saved them the first time, they had to worry about the fact that He wasn't asleep in the boat this time. He was nowhere to be found. Evidently, this storm was not as bad as the first., but they were having to work hard to row against the wind and waves. Jesus sees them from the shore. Mark tells us that He began to walk on the water, but had every intention of walking right past them on His way to the opposite side. He wasn't heading their way in order to save them. He must have known they were safe and would make it to the shore eventually.

It was dark, rain was coming down in sheets, and the wind was blowing hard. The sudden appearance of what appeared to be a man walking on top of the water unnerved them. They were terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus calmed their fears. He spoke to them. He even invited Peter to step out of the boat and walk out to meet Him on the water. Which Peter did, until he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on the waves and wind. Then he sank. But Jesus rescued him and they both make it safely to the boat. Much has been made about Peter's adventure of walking on the water. But it's interesting that neither Mark or John record that part of the story. Their main emphasis is on Jesus, words. "Don't be afraid. Take courage! I am here!" (Mark 6:50 NLT). And Mark makes note of a special point of interest. He tells that when Jesus climbed into the boat and the waves immediately stopped, that the disciples were totally amazed. Matthew records that "the disciples worshiped him" (Matthew 14:33 NLT) and said that He must really be the Son of God. But Mark simply says, "They were totally amazed, for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracles of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in" (Mark 6:51-52 NLT). Those two accounts seem to be in contradiction to one another. Did they worship or did they doubt?

The real point of this story seems to be their surprise. They were totally amazed at what they had seen. Mark makes mention of the miracle of the loaves. But this was just the most recent miracle they had witnessed. These men had seen Jesus heal the demoniac and the woman with the issue of blood. They had even personally done some of the same things when Jesus gave them power and authority to do so. They had watched as Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead. And not too many days prior to this one, they had watched as Jesus calmed the storm on the very same lake with just a word from His mouth. And yet, they were shocked and surprised at seeing Jesus walk on water. I think they did worship Him. I think they did say, "You really are the Son of God!" (Matthew 14:33 NLT). But it was all after the fact. It was as a result of what He had just done. It seems that their hearts had not grasped the significance of all that had happened up until that point. They did not anticipate or eagerly expect Jesus to do the miraculous, but seemed to be surprised each time He did something out of the ordinary. Their worship was retroactive not anticipatory. It is interesting to note that Jairus came to Jesus expecting Him to heal his daughter. The woman with the issue of blood anticipated something miraculous happening if she could just touch the hem of Jesus' robe. The crowds flocked to Jesus expecting Him to heal the sick. Yet the disciples were blown away each and every time Jesus did something unexpected or extraordinary.

And we can be guilty of the same thing. Too often we fail to anticipate or expect the miraculous from Jesus. We call Him our Lord and Savior. We acknowledge Him as the Son of God. But we don't eagerly expect Him to do the unexpected in our lives. As a matter of fact, we are usually surprised when He does – pleasantly so. But a true understanding of who Jesus is anticipates the miraculous. Rather than being surprised by the power of Jesus, a person of faith expects and anticipates it. He looks for it. This was the problem with the disciples. They were still living with doubt and fear. When the storm came up, they didn't expect a miracle, even though they had already seen Jesus do something before. When Jesus came to them walking on the water, they were shocked. They had failed to learn the lesson of the loaves. Jesus is not limited by anything. As the Son of God, He had power over demons, disease, and nature. He even had power over the molecular structure of bread and fish. Nothing was impossible for Him. So expect Him to do the impossible.

Father, Your Son should not surprise us. His power should not catch us off guard or shock us. We should eagerly anticipate it and expect it as a normal part of a life lived with the Son of God. May our worship be anticipatory, not retroactive. May we live looking forward to what Your Son will do, not just worshiping what He has done. Help us to live expectantly. Amen.