The Plumbline

To get a handle on our passage today, let me give you just a little background.  Israel had allowed the unthinkable to happen - they had compromised their stand with God by taking on the worship of idols and the practices of the lands around them.  This was something God had warned them not to do.  As a result, they lost something of great value to them - the help of God in the midst of their battles - to them this was the Ark of the Covenant.  Now, they are surrounded by some pretty fierce attackers - the Philistines.  The armies of the Philistines were known for their superior weaponry, often causing great fear or panic in all those they faced in battle.  The Israelites are facing this huge army of Philistines - not having done so well without God's presence, they hope the return of the ark might have "changed their fortunes".  Samuel is addressing them in this chapter - seeking to see if the Israelite's jubilation over the return of the ark was just...

There is a long story in the Bible about the plight of David, chosen by God to be the next king of Israel, being ruthlessly pursued by the King Israel had hand-selected for the job, Saul.  If you have ever read the accounts, you know the history reflects Israel seeing all the surrounding nations with kings ruling over their countries.  They want to have the same - so they insist to God his rule is not enough - they want a man to stand as king.  Although God discourages them from doing this, he allows it.  They appoint Saul - a good man at first, but he was out of his mind at times - a character trait no one wants in their king.  God works behind the scenes to raise up the one he will anoint to replace Saul - David.  Until such time as Saul is ready to step-down from his throne, David must serve Saul.  His service starts in the courts of his throne-room, playing his harp to soothe the king.  It is this very service which has him right in the place ...

 "Salvation" is only gibberish to the wicked  because they've never looked it up in your dictionary.   Your mercies,  God , run into the billions;  following your guidelines, revive me.  My antagonists are too many to count,  but I don't swerve from the directions you gave.  (Psalm 119:155-157 The Message) In nursing, there are certain medications administered for the very purpose of acting as "antagonists" to some other medication in the body.  The purpose is to "bind" something of harm to your body, such as too much narcotic, an over-abundance of a particular electrolyte, or a blood-level of medication that is harmful at a particularly high level.  The antagonistic effect of the medication actually ends up saving your life!   Sometimes we view people and things in our lives who function as "antagonists" in a very negative sense.  I challenge you this morning to consider if perhaps the "challenging" thing ...