To Encourage You

1 Samuel 10:7-8 “Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”

There are many aspects to following Jesus, and we must abide in Him daily in order to find our way.  We see some allusions to this in the verses above. Immediately after Samuel anoints Saul as Israel’s first king, He gives him three commands that are typical of the commands any believer may receive from God.  The first command was “do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.” In this command we see that Saul is told to use his own discretion.  There would be things that “his hand would find to do,” i.e., opportunities would come his way to serve the Lord, and when those opportunities came, he was to just do them.  How like any Christian’s experience this is as we go throughout our day?  We may find our self in a situation where we have an opportunity to encourage someone, help them in some way, or give to their need.  We are told as much in Galatians 6:10 where it says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” In other words, there is no need in such cases to mentally wrestle with what to do.  If we see a need, if God sovereignly puts it in our path, we can respond as seems right to us.  This is one way we follow our Lord.

But then note that Samuel gives Saul a very specific command when he says “go down before me to Gilgal.” This isn’t a command like the first one.  He doesn’t say, “if you have opportunity to go to Gilgal then do it.” He doesn’t say, “if you feel like going to Gilgal, then go.” No, he tells him in no uncertain terms to just go there.  Likewise, the Scriptures have many such very specific commands to us.  God has told us many things that we are to do and many things we are not to do. There’s no reason to wonder about them.  We are to simply obey. For example, we are told in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”  In other words, going to church isn’t something we should just do if we feel like it. It’s not something we should wonder about as we consider what God’s will is for our lives. No, we are each commanded very clearly to not neglect meeting together as the body of Christ. God has told us to do this, and we are to obey.

But then note Samuel’s last command to Saul, namely, “behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.” Here Samuel tells Saul to wait. There were additional commands that Samuel, as God’s prophet, had to tell Saul, but Saul was to wait until then to know what they were.  Likewise, for every believer in Christ, there are times when following Him means that we must wait. Often this involves times of prayer, of seeking, of looking to Him for guidance when we just don’t know which way to turn or what we should do.  It’s the idea expressed in these words from Lamentations 3:25-26 as the writer waits upon his Lord: “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”  In such cases it is not wise to act rashly, to go off with an attitude of “Ready. Fire. Aim.”  No, sometimes we must seek the Lord in humble quietness of heart and wait for Him to show us the path we are to take.  The Lord has promised to lead us. He’s told us that “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). But sometimes to hear that voice, we must wait patiently for Him to speak. 

May God help us to follow Him and to discern what following Him looks like in the many situations of life we face.