Benevolent Woman's Blog

Coming from a Place of Love

Today I am reading in the book of 1 Samuel where Saul was anointed king over Israel. From almost the beginning, he feigned a love of God. This was indicated whenever Samuel came to him and during his inability to fully carry out God's command. He always referred to our sovereign Lord as "Your Lord".

After admonishing him, Samuel had to clean up the mess that he had made, and all the while Saul was greedy, unrepentant, full of pride, and rebellious, among some of his demeanors.

1 Samuel 15: 22-23 speaks volumes of the anger of the LORD and the treacherous nature of Saul's spirit. Please reference this for a clearer understanding.

To Obey or Disobey

What really stood out was how much Samuel loved Saul and how totally different in character they are. Samuel had been a priest since he was a child, left in the care of Eli. He obeyed the Lord fully, even up to slaughtering king Agag because of God's righteous judgement. Meting out the punishment for Agag's past behaviors.

The Bible didn't say that the LORD ever commanded him to do it, But Samuel knew God's will and Saul did not carry out the task. He was also keenly aware that Saul's disobedience would have led to destructive consequences for all of Israel. Nor was it written that Samuel had ever killed anyone before, remember he was a priest, but because of his love for God, he didn't leave Saul's abandoned responsibility undone. He didn't hesitate or doubt.

Taking Responsibility

It made me think of us as humans. when someone does wrong, we may correct them and if it is a monumental task, admonishing is as far as we will go. Very few say, I will take the accountability upon myself to rectify this situation. Most are okay with just leaving it undone, and even more so, saying what they would have done (lip service).

I could write longer about what the Holy Spirit has shown me from our time together, but it would be exhaustive. I will take this lesson to heart that when you truly love Him, you will go above and beyond to perform the commands that He gives you. God is good.

Self-Absorbed Spirit

There is a spiritual component because it has clearly been shown that Saul's sins created viscous cycles and so many were affected. One example that stood out was when he made the oath that no one should eat or drink anything until he avenged HIMSELF. It almost got his own son Jonathan killed, although Jonathan would later die anyway, possibly because he chose to follow his father into battle knowing that his father would ultimately not prevail.

But I digress...The Israelites were keenly aware of how serious the oath to God was in that when it was over, they slaughtered the animals and ate them raw with the blood in it. Further transgressing the commandments of the LORD.

God was so merciful that knowing their hearts, He did not hold this against them. And in all things Saul consistently blamed everyone else. Even when he was given the opportunity, Saul never truly repented, nor turned his heart to God.

Originally written January 24, 2022.

Benevolent Woman

Comments

When the LORD Goes Before You!!!

When the LORD Goes Before You!!! “Know [without any doubt], that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked (stubborn, obstinate) people. Remember [with remorse] and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness; from the day you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. And at Horeb (Sinai) you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 9: 4-8, AMP). Many of us focus on Moses' fasting for forty days and forty nights. But he had to go back up for a second time, for forty more days and nights, hewing two tablets of stone himself, as he fasted and prayed for the lives of the Israelites, including his brother Aaron. In God’s mercy they spent forty years in the wilderness, and He was not wrong if He would have condemned them to eighty years. Before we procee...

You Will Not See, Hear, Nor Understand!!!

You Will Not See, Hear, Nor Understand!!! I listened to Celestial of “The Master’s Voice Prophecy Blog” outline the heinous and agonizing acts of ICE agents, including sexual harassment, abuse, and even murder against men and women. Yet many act surprised when there are individuals throughout history such as Margaret Sanger, who openly promoted eugenics. Using birth control and abortions to limit the reproduction of “unfit” populations. Even past events, such as those that happened in the Atlantic Slave Trade and Cape Colony, known as “Bushmen hunting”, included mass murder, expropriation of land, forced labor, and child abductions. What was done in the Congo by Leopold II. Who extracted his fortunes in deliberate torture and killings. The colonization of the Americas, as Europeans spread diseases which the natives had no prior exposure, thus succumbing to these incubating carriers. In some instances, infections spread to animals, causing occurrences as “the great famine” in Ethi...

Sanctify Your Vessel in Holiness!!!

Sanctify Your Vessel in Holiness!!! People say that they love their family and friends and believe that it gives them the right to overlook evil. That they should hold themselves higher than God Himself by saying, “I absolve you of your sin”. Who would ignore the Holy Scriptures because they feel sorry for them and because they themselves are full of transgression. So that while they overlook wrongdoing in others, the same should be done unto them. I spoke to my daughter, that my children will say, I love my brothers and sisters, but you don’t love each other enough to warn them of impending judgment. A judgment that has two outcomes. Darkness and torment in a lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels, where the worm dieth not. Where you have been given a new body that will withstand torment that only God can inflict, that will never be utterly destroyed. A horror that lasts forever. Or the reassurance given by God Himself. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor e...