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"Wise Counsel" by Gary Huff
1 Samuel 9:1 There was a man from Binyamin named Kish the son of Avi’el, the son of Tz’ror, the son of B’khorat, the son of Afiach, the son of a man from Binyamin. He was a man of substance and brave as well. 2 He had a son named Sha’ul who was young and good-looking; among the people of Isra’el there was no one better-looking than he; he stood head and shoulders taller than anyone else in Isra’el.
3 Once the donkeys belonging to Kish Sha’ul’s father got lost. Kish said to his son Sha’ul, “Please take one of the servants with you, go out, and look for the donkeys.” 4 He went through the hills of Efrayim and the territory of Shalishah, but they didn’t find them. Then they went through the territory of Sha‘alim, but they weren’t there. They went through the territory of Binyamin but didn’t find them there either. 5 On reaching the territory of Tzuf, Sha’ul said to his servant with him, “Come, let’s go back; otherwise my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” 6 His servant replied, “Here now, there’s a man of God in this city, a man who is highly respected, and everything he says proves true. Let’s go to him; maybe he can tell us something about where we should go.” 7 “But look,” Sha’ul said to his servant, “if we go to the man, what can we bring him? We’ve used up all the bread in our packs, and there’s nothing for us to give the man of God — what do we have left?” 8 The servant replied again to Sha’ul: “See, I have here in my hand a silver quarter-shekel [one-tenth of an ounce]. I will give it to the man of God to tell us which way to go.” 9 (In Isra’el, back in the old days, when someone went to consult God, he would say, “Come, let’s go to the seer”; because a person now called a prophet used to be called a seer.) 10 “Well said,” Sha’ul answered his servant. “Come on, let’s go.”
So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11 Ascending the slope to the town they found girls going out to draw water and asked them, “Is the seer here?”
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We all find ourselves in situations where we need guidance or help. We are careful to choose the person we seek guidance from during these times.
In 1 Samuel 9, Saul wanted godly help. The person who helped Saul was the prophet Samuel. Saul knew the reputation of Samuel for giving godly counsel–and that was enough for him. This causes us to ponder this passage from two directions.
The first direction relates to the person from whom we seek counsel. Are we worried about finding a cultural icon, a “big name,” to give us direction? Are we, perhaps, seeking someone who will help us be “politically correct”? Or, are we seeking someone who is concerned about being God’s person?
The second direction relates to helping others. Are we living in such a way that when others speak poorly of us, no one will believe them because God’s glory is being lived out in our lives? Make no mistake about it, our reputations are based on lifelong dedication to what we believe. If we want to help others, we must establish trust in the form of the love that can only come from God.
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Hymn for Today: "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" by Charles Wesley
1. I know that my Redeemer lives,
and ever prays for me;
a token of his love he gives,
a pledge of liberty.
2. I find him lifting up my head;
he brings salvation near;
his presence makes me free indeed
and he will soon appear.
3. He wills that I should holy be:
who can withstand his will?
The counsel of his grace in me
he surely shall fulfil.
4. Jesus, I hang upon your Word:
I steadfastly believe
you will return and claim me, Lord,
and to yourself receive.
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Thought of the Day: Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct and teach you
in this way that you are to go;
I will give you counsel;
my eyes will be watching you.”
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Please Pray: That many young people in Haiti will be called into Christian ministry.
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in this way that you are to go;
I will give you counsel;
my eyes will be watching you.”
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Please Pray: That many young people in Haiti will be called into Christian ministry.
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