4 Minute Read + Scripture readings
Today’s Bible Reading:
1 Samuel 28
1 Corinthians 9
Ezekiel 7
Psalms 45
Today’s Bible Verse(s):
1 Samuel 28:9–10 (CSB): “But the woman said to him, ‘You surely know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed?’ Then Saul swore to her by the Lord: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment will come to you from this.’”
Reflections on Today’s Bible Verse(s):
First Samuel 28 tells us a bizarre story. King Saul was flailing about in his leadership and he needed a counselor. Who better to counsel him than Samuel. But there was only one problem … Samuel was dead.
So, Saul found a medium who could conjure up Samuel from the dead. There are interesting issues involved in this event but we’ll save that for later.
The matter I want to draw attention to is that King Saul was seeking the services of a medium … when he had set out to get rid of all the mediums in the land. Just listen to the following verses.
1 Samuel 28:7–10 (CSB): “Saul then said to his servants, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.’ His servants replied, ‘There is a woman at En-dor who is a medium.’ Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes and set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, ‘Consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the one I tell you.’ But the woman said to him, ‘You surely know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed?’ Then Saul swore to her by the Lord: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment will come to you from this.’”
What we see is that a man had determined that mediums were morally wrong and so he set out to eradicate them from Israel. Yet, he privately sought the services of a medium and promised not to bring harm to her.
Our hearts despise this kind of hypocritical behavior, don’t we? If someone pretends to be something in public and yet is something different behind the scenes, we abhor it.
God feels this way, too. He hates hypocrisy. So let’s observe Saul’s behavior and determine in our hearts not to live such a duplicitous life. Let’s pursue holiness not only in our “public life,” but also in the privacy of our hearts as well.
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Lord Jesus, I despise hypocrisy when I see it in others but sometimes overlook it in myself. Help me to see that it is abhorrent to You. May I determine to live a life of integrity, where my private live and public life are consistent … and where both are holy. Amen.
Matt’s Musings 