“In the beginning, God…” Genesis 1:1

We think that if we have this or that all will go well in our lives therefore, we plan, work hard, save, then obtain that which we think we will make our lives better. Then, when the obtaining is harder than we thought it would be; we cry out for God’s help in succeeding with our plan.  Sometimes we believers expect God to comply with our plan and call it faith in God.  After all, we asked God to bless our plans, right? We didn’t leave Him out of the process.  Later, when a glitch in our plan may cause the whole acquisition to collapse and fail we cry out to God to deliver us and make things right for us. Ah, but friends, how fickle we are as humans and immature in our walk with God to think, from our perspective, that we know what is best for us. But here we are, living our own designed plan, without first consulting the One who designed us.  “In the beginning, God…” 

God knows us from the inside out and outside in. God created us, knew us before we were a twinkle in the eyes of our parents!  God loves us more than we can imagine.  We are always on God’s mind.  God knows our hearts and knows our human hearts choose what is evil.  God did give us the ability to choose good or evil.  God is faithful to us when we are less than faithful to Him in our choices.  God’s people want a king.  Samuel goes to God for answers.  “Give them a king, but tell them what rights this king will demand of them.”  God bends to the wishes of His people who continue begging for a King so they can “be like other king-led nations.” To us, reading the story, we think, how immature!  God gives them a king; but God chooses who that king will be.

We plan but God decides. God has not and will not give up his sovereignty or authority over the world which He has created.  God listens to our puny human aspirations that He knows will cause trouble for us with faithful guidance to what is best.  We must learn to listen with trust and obedience to mature in our walk with God who created us! 

“In the beginning, God…” God was, is, and always will be God. Newsflash: We are not God even though we are made in His image!  We were created for God.  Until we truly believe and understand that we were created to praise, worship, listen, trust, and obey the Supreme Holy God who knows us and knows what is best, His best, for us, we will never be at peace and contentment in this world.  Trust God, He knows what He is doing.

“In the beginning, God…”  God will always be God. 

Read the next passage with God’s Holy Spirit guiding our thoughts. Watch how God works through his servant Samuel who listens to God and has been listening to God since he was a boy in the Temple.

1 Samuel 9

Samuel Anoints Saul

There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. ² Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.

³ Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” ⁴ So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

⁵ When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”

⁶ But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”

⁷ Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”

⁸ The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.” ⁹ (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)

¹⁰ “Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

¹¹ As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”

¹² “He is,” they answered. “He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place. ¹³ As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.”

¹⁴ They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.

¹⁵ Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: ¹⁶ “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.”

¹⁷ When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”

¹⁸ Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”

¹⁹ “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart. ²⁰ As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?”

²¹ Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”

²² Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. ²³ Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.”

²⁴ So the cook took up the thigh with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined with Samuel that day.

²⁵ After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. ²⁶ They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. ²⁷ As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The people failed to recognize that God alone was their King and that their disobedience to him was the reason for their problems.  Not having a physical human king was not going to be the end-all solution. God knew that the Israelites’ desire for a king was based on their reliance on humans rather than divine strength. So, God chose the king who was humble and teachable and faithful to Him. God works through the least likely to accomplish his purposes.  The more we read God’s Story, we learn this truth about God—seeking, trusting and obeying God is far more important than all of the human strengths we may possess.

Paul, once prideful and boastful about his religious position and human power, was brought to his knees by Jesus who humbled him.  Soon Jesus became his Savior and Lord for Life!  Paul’s life was transformed by Jesus who trained him in the art of love, mercy, and grace.  Here is his testimony:

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

Paul, a learned scholar of God’s Word is quoting the prophet Jeremiah. God’s truth comes full circle for Paul who was lost but now found in Christ and reconciled to God;

“This is what the Lord says:

‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23;24

Our response?

Get rid of all arrogance and pride, God helping us. These attitudes of the heart and mind grieve our Creator who always has THE plan that is best for us and makes us weary and sad.

God’s Plan was created from the beginning!  God so loved the world that He gave us a part of Himself, Jesus, His Son.  Jesus was sent from heaven by God to seek and to save the lost without God as He walked among us. “God with us” then laid down His life for us to save us from the burden and bondage of our sins and set us free once and for all. God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We have no right to be arrogant—we do not deserve nor could we possible earn what Christ did to save us from our sins.  “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees…” says Paul.  All who truly believe, humble ourselves before our God/Jesus/Holy Spirit who loved us before we loved Him.

“In the beginning, God…” and no one else.

Lord,

I pray Paul’s words over all who believe and those who do not yet believe…

“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you(us) with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your(our) hearts as you(we) trust in him. Your(our) roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you(us) strong. And may you(we) have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you(we) experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you(we) will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21(Emphasis mine)

In Jesus Name, for your glory and our good, Amen