Samuel was the last of the judges and the most beloved of
them all. His tenure was a good one but
his sons were not like their father, so who would follow him was part of the
reason that the people clamored for a king.
He was remembered by the people as a good man and a righteous judge who
loved the Lord and served the people.
Most of all, his legacy was the anointer of the first two kings of
Israel. He was bold in that even though
he had anointed Saul he also confronted him in sin and denounced him. His mission in some ways began with speaking
faithfully a hard word from the Lord concerning the man who had raised him and
ended in doing the same with the man he had anointed king. In all things he was faithful to do and say
all the Lord told him.
Jesus took children seriously, that is one of the reasons
our denomination continues the practice of infant baptism. We are told that we must approach the Lord
like children but that does not mean we are to continue as children but are
expected to grow and mature. We must lie
down all that we think we know in order to receive truth from Him. Children come with faith and trust and
innocence and we come with doubts and questions based on what we think we know
about the world. We live in a world that too often treats children too much
like adults, sexualizes them and abuses them, robs them of their childhood and
their innocence. We need to consider how
the church can be part of the solution, a safe place, a place that takes
marriage vows seriously, that calls parents to be more intent on their
obligations to their children than to making more money. We have much to think and pray over in this
matter.
Prior to the unleashing of the seven angels with the seven
final plagues there is worship in heaven.
His righteousness and justice must be praised before judgment. It is the basis for justice, that
righteousness has been violated. Would
this have been righteous if His Spirit had not been poured out on all flesh and
all on earth receive an opportunity to know the truth? It would hardly be considered righteous if
God judged the earth and its inhabitants if they had no way of knowing
Him. I know that creation tells us of a
creator but does it give us enough to know Him and come to Him? The glory of God fills the heavenly temple and
none can enter it until the judgments are complete. Let us come in faith to the one who has sent
His Son to die for us that we might escape judgment but let us also go and tell
in order that no one could say that we failed in telling them.
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