Who Are You Listening To
Scripture Reference: I Samuel 28:7 (KJV)
I Samuel 28:6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. 8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
In order for you to completely understand the importance of what I am asking when I ask “Who are you listening to” the first thing I want to do is brief you of the story between the main two characters that I will use to talk about this which are David and Saul
- At one point David and Saul’s son Jonathan had been close friends. They were as close as brothers. They had even worked together. When Saul first met David he liked him so much that he insisted that he live with him (I Samuel 18:2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.)
o Sometimes our near and dear friends turn against us (Psalms 55:12
For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it
he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself
from him: )
- From the moment he took over as king Saul had been able to
enjoy the luxury of God being on his side and he being easily
victorious in battle (I Sam 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have
obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and
have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.)
o Though God is on our side right now we must always remember
to choose God because in reality we have to chose to be on the
Lord’s side (Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose
you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were
on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but
as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. ) not the other way around.
Some of us think that we are so blessed and that God is such a
silent and resourceful partner then we can act like we don’t know
him but this is not true.
- Somehow Saul allowed the spirit of jealousy to take over him
from a song. He thought he was about to lose his kingdom
because the people praised David in a song (I Sam 18:6 And it came
to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine,
that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king
Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. 7 And the women
answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and
David his ten thousands. 8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased
him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have
ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? 9 And Saul
eyed David from that day and forward.)
o People are jealous of us for the silliest reasons. Here he is the
king and he is so concerned about a song that he allows the
Spirit of God to leave him
- Saul’s son Jonathan wanted to protect David (I Sam 19:2 But Jonathan
Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father
seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning,
and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: )
o Although David was in the world of trouble God yet supplied
- Saul conducted shady business deals with David. Saul offered and soon reneged on one daughter yet another one of Saul’s daughter’s loved David married him and even hid him (I Sam 19:11 Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David’s wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.)
o We make promises then renege for no reason. We also give gifts
with twisted motives
- Saul is really becoming a mad man. He orders the priest to be
killed because he accused them of siding with David (I Sam
22:17 17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the
priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew
when he fled, and did not show it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth
their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.)
o We want to kill the priest by attacking their credibility
- Even though Saul was in pursuit of David. David got close
enough to cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. (I Sam 24:4 And the men of
David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will
deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good
unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.)
o God will not only keep us from harm but he can deliver our
enemy into our hands. Not only did David prove to Saul that he
could catch him if he wanted to but he also proved to the people
assigned to protect Saul that his God was more powerful than
theirs.
- Saul had got so obsessed with killing David that he went to
people that he had put out of the kingdom to seek advice. Saul
had put out the wizards and people with familiar spirits away
from Gilboa where all of Israel had pitched their tents. (I Sam
28:7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that
I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a
woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.)
CONCLUSION
We have to be careful that when we think that we are down and out that we don’t turn to the wrong sources to get advice. We have to always make sure that we choose God as our advisor no matter what. It is not that God is on our side it is that we have chosen to be on His side. Although we may be blessed we need to stay obedient and remember that obedience is better than sacrifice.
Here are a couple of sources that are wrong
Astrologer
Astrologer - (Dan. 1:20; 2:2, 10, 27, etc.) Heb. ’ashshaph’, an enchanter, one who professes to divine future events by the appearance of the stars. This science flourished among the Chaldeans. It was positively forbidden to the Jews (Deut. 4:19; 18:10; Isa. 47:13).
(Isaiah 47:13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. 14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.)
Wizard
Wizard - a pretender to supernatural knowledge and power, "a knowing one," as the original Hebrew word signifies. Such an one was forbidden on pain of death to practise his deceptions (Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; 1 Sam. 28:3; Isa. 8:19; 19:3).
(Isaiah 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. 22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.)
Magicians
Magicians - The Jews seem early to have consulted the teraphim (q.v.) for oracular answers (Judg. 18:5, 6; Zech. 10:2). There is a remarkable illustration of this divining by teraphim in Ezek. 21:19-22. We read also of the divining cup of Joseph (Gen. 44:5). The magicians of Egypt are frequently referred to in the history of the Exodus. Magic was an inherent part of the ancient Egyptian religion, and entered largely into their daily life.
All magical arts were distinctly prohibited under penalty of death in the Mosaic law. The Jews were commanded not to learn the "abomination" of the people of the Promised Land (Lev. 19:31; Deut. 18:9-14). The history of Saul’s consulting the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28:3-20)
gives no warrant for attributing supernatural power to magicians. From the first the witch is here only a bystander. The practice of magic lingered among the people till after the Captivity, when they gradually abandoned it.
It is not much referred to in the New Testament. The Magi mentioned in Matt. 2:1-12 were not magicians in the ordinary sense of the word. They belonged to a religious caste, the followers of Zoroaster, the astrologers of the East. Simon, a magician, was found by Philip at Samaria (Acts 8:9-24); and Paul and Barnabas encountered Elymas, a Jewish sorcerer, at Paphos (13:6-12). At Ephesus there was a great destruction of magical books (Acts 19:18, 19).
(Leviticus 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.)
In fact I am convinced that when we do anything except to call on the name of Jesus first and foremost when dealing with life’s issues we are giving ourselves the grand opportunity to receive the worst information possible concerning our situation.
Let’s take this moment to call on Jesus
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord you know all things. You are certainly able to heal and deliver at your will. I am thankful that you have decided to heal me and deliver me from what had me bound. Again Lord I say thank you. Lord God I pray that you give me the wisdom to seek your word and hear from you and do as you say. This is prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen
Thank You. May God continue to bless you and keep you. Amen
Your Friend
Minister Juan D. Lane Sr.
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