It's Complicated(S1) : WK 2 - TUE
(1 Samuel 16:2 )
But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
“Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.”
Interesting. Is God telling Samuel to be deceitful? Or is it just a practical reality at this point in the story? Are we supposed to lie to make things easier? Would God tell anyone to lie?
There seems to be a little deception that is happening in this story, but it seems that it has to happen in order to forward God’s plan. The difference between you or I making a deceptive plan and God making one is pretty simple: God is God, and we are not.
I think that it has become pretty popular to lie and deceive to get what you want in this world. We see it in popular culture, we see it in politics, even in academics. This is, I suppose, all well and good if you don’t claim to be a Christian, but if you do claim Christ, then you are going to have to hold yourself to a different and higher standard.
And that is okay. Actually, it is more than okay. The world needs those who will hold the banner of honesty and transparency high and will not compromise themselves for efficiency’s sake. Proverbs 12:22 says that “lying lips are an abomination to God, but they who deal truly are His delight.” This has never changed, nor will it.
How a Christian does something is as important as what they do. We are not afforded the opportunity to simply end-around morality for the greater good. We still have to be held accountable for our actions, even if the intent is correct.
In this story, it seems that God was helping Samuel manage some pretty tricky waters, not by being deceitful, but by working with expectations and making sure that someone was getting to where they needed to be in order to make his will happen. God uses us, particularly when there is something that only we can do, in order to help his will be done in the world.
But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
“Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.”
Interesting. Is God telling Samuel to be deceitful? Or is it just a practical reality at this point in the story? Are we supposed to lie to make things easier? Would God tell anyone to lie?
There seems to be a little deception that is happening in this story, but it seems that it has to happen in order to forward God’s plan. The difference between you or I making a deceptive plan and God making one is pretty simple: God is God, and we are not.
I think that it has become pretty popular to lie and deceive to get what you want in this world. We see it in popular culture, we see it in politics, even in academics. This is, I suppose, all well and good if you don’t claim to be a Christian, but if you do claim Christ, then you are going to have to hold yourself to a different and higher standard.
And that is okay. Actually, it is more than okay. The world needs those who will hold the banner of honesty and transparency high and will not compromise themselves for efficiency’s sake. Proverbs 12:22 says that “lying lips are an abomination to God, but they who deal truly are His delight.” This has never changed, nor will it.
How a Christian does something is as important as what they do. We are not afforded the opportunity to simply end-around morality for the greater good. We still have to be held accountable for our actions, even if the intent is correct.
In this story, it seems that God was helping Samuel manage some pretty tricky waters, not by being deceitful, but by working with expectations and making sure that someone was getting to where they needed to be in order to make his will happen. God uses us, particularly when there is something that only we can do, in order to help his will be done in the world.
- Have you ever felt like God needed you for a specifi thing?
- What can you do in order to be able to continue to follow God in his commands?
- Have you ever been tempted to thwart the truth in order to get something done you want to get done?
by Pastor Timothy Gillespie
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Posted in It\'s Complicated (S1)
1 Comment
I'm sorry but I cannot agree that God would instruct Samuel to be deceitful. That is inconsistent with what I believe God's character is like and how Jesus reflected God's character. I think the old testament writers, at least many of them, did not have a complete understanding of God, or His character, and used their personal experiences to interpret God's messages.