Right . . . Wrong . . . or Questionable?

I am currently teaching 1 Samuel in Sunday school. A great Old Testament book; fast paced and full of history. Samuel was the last great judge/Prophet in Israel, and his life marks the transition from Israel utilizing a confederation of tribes over to a monarch. It also marks a great shift in the nation’s relationship with God. Historically, following this event, Israel would be governed by a good king, then followed by a bad king, and it’s life as a nation was always schizophrenic The people would sin and stray far from God and an invading army would capture them; the people would repent and cry out to God, and He would deliver them. It was a continuous cycle of pain and suffering.

Up until that event, when a threat arose against the people, God spoke through the prophet and he instructed the tribes to send warriors to serve the nation’s need. The ad-hock army would dissolve when the threat had been eliminated and the soldiers would return back home. Each tribe governed itself and there were no taxes or costs of operating a standing government. The Elders were unhappy about Samuel’s two sons sharing in his responsibilities and their dishonesty. They confronted Samuel and insisted that they wanted a king. Samuel reminded the Elders that God himself served as Israel’s king. They replied that they wanted a king in the flesh just as the other nations. Their demand was troubling for Samuel, so he wept and prayed; God instructed him to caution them about the rights of . . . and the great cost of . . . having a king. If they still insisted, then Samuel was to give them a king. The Lord told Samuel that the people weren’t rejecting Samuel . . . the people were rejecting God, but they had been doing that very thing off and on since they were delivered from Egypt.

So as the story moves forward, Saul is anointed as Israel’s first king. Saul even looked like a king . . . he is described as being handsome and “standing head and shoulders above every other man in Israel.” He proved to be a very good military commander and he began as a humble man . . . and a fair and even-handed leader. But as history demonstrates, power corrupts and Saul changed dramatically. He had a personality flaw that just made it obvious that he would come to a harsh end. He disobeyed direct orders from God, and assumed duties that were forbidden him. God rejected him as the king and instructed Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the new king.

Samuel expressed his fear and reluctance about following the Lord’s instructions and expressed concern about how Saul might react and what the people of Bethlehem would say when he showed up there. As a side note, it seems that a prophet showing up in town was not well received as the people associated his presence as an announcement of coming judgment and hardship. As Samuel expressed his concern, God told him to take a cow along and tell folks that he had come to offer a sacrifice. As I studied the material, I was surprised to discover that there has been a considerable controversy over the years about “God telling Samuel to use the cow as a cover.” Personally, I don’t see any controversy . . . God is the only one qualified to declare right and wrong! If He calls a thing right, it is right simply because He calls it right! The truth of the matter is God created and owned every single element found in the story . . . He owned Samuel, He owned Saul, He owned the village of Bethlehem . . . and He owned the cow. He was free to command Samuel to offer a sacrifice . . . anywhere, anytime, and for any reason! God does not need to explain Himself to mankind . . . ever!

The material I read spoke of the moral dilemma of God telling Samuel to “tell a little white lie.” I don’t see that dilemma in the least! My faith screams out to me that when God calls a thing right . . . then it is right, totally and completely. The author of the material I read used a theoretical argument to explain it. He argued that a good family that helped protect Jewish families from the Nazi’s had a similar dilemma when the Nazi’s banged on their door . . . tell the truth and your family dies or lie and the Jewish family lives. Of course, I know which of those options I would personally select in that situation, but none of that even remotely applies to God and His instruction to Samuel.

The thing I find very sad about the issue is that it is so greatly reflects the problem with humanity! Humans rebel against God . . . and in their rebellion find themselves in a mess . . . and then using convoluted and goofy logic tries to blame God!

It Seems to me . . . that I will serve my family well to go on record declaring that God is always righteous, pure, and good! Anything and everything God does is always perfect, even when it is beyond our comprehension. A perfect example of that is His sending Jesus to die for us . . . there is no way the human mind can fully grasp that love, grace, and mercy! What we can do is accept it in faith and allow it to transform us!

It also Seems to me . . . that it is a fool’s errand to try to sit in judgment on anything God has done or said. It is a wise and prudent person who submits . . . and seeks . . . to conform to God’s standards, as opposed to the fool who seeks to question or challenge God in any matter whatsoever!

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