I have been reading 1 Samuel recently, and there are a few repeated verses whose meanings can't be what I think it is.
Here I took snippets with the particular verses bolded.
Basically I have two questions:
1. Why does it say "the Lord regretted"? does it mean that God feels he has made a mistake?
2. What does it mean by "the distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him"? does it mean something bad/evil can come from God, or that God would purposely give us evil spirit/thought?
If you happen to have read this part of the book before, or want to go read it now.. please share what you find out!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 Samuel 15:
10 Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night.
35 And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
1 Samuel 16:
14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. 16 Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”
23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.
1 Samuel 18:
9 So Saul eyed David from that day forward.
10 And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. 11 And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.
1 Samuel 19:
9 Now the distressing spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. 10 Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Missing the Messiah (Arang Friday, May 1)
Material: Matthew 21:1-17
Highlights
1. Why people in Jerusalem did not believe that Jesus is the Messiah? Because they had not seen the result they expected from a Messiah. They did not believe merely on what prophet had said.
Application for us: Many of us know Jesus through preachers, Christian books, parents, friends, etc. If we don't have a firsthand experience with God, we are more likely to get into dissapointment.
2. Jesus threw out all the people who were buying and selling there and said "My Temple will be called house of prayer"
Application for us: Our body is God's temple. Let's invite God to cleanse us.
3. Childrens in the temple were praising Jesus when they saw Jesus performed miracles.
Application for us: Let us have a childlike heart. Can we express and testify our gratitude for what God has done in our lives?
Project
Choose the book in the Bible on your own. Read 10 consecutive chapters during this 2 weeks (one chapter per weekday), and pick just one topic/verse in those chapter to share during our next meeting. Please put the chapters of your choice down in the comment section of this post.
Let's have a firsthand experience with God!
Highlights
1. Why people in Jerusalem did not believe that Jesus is the Messiah? Because they had not seen the result they expected from a Messiah. They did not believe merely on what prophet had said.
Application for us: Many of us know Jesus through preachers, Christian books, parents, friends, etc. If we don't have a firsthand experience with God, we are more likely to get into dissapointment.
2. Jesus threw out all the people who were buying and selling there and said "My Temple will be called house of prayer"
Application for us: Our body is God's temple. Let's invite God to cleanse us.
3. Childrens in the temple were praising Jesus when they saw Jesus performed miracles.
Application for us: Let us have a childlike heart. Can we express and testify our gratitude for what God has done in our lives?
Project
Choose the book in the Bible on your own. Read 10 consecutive chapters during this 2 weeks (one chapter per weekday), and pick just one topic/verse in those chapter to share during our next meeting. Please put the chapters of your choice down in the comment section of this post.
Let's have a firsthand experience with God!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Good or Bad?
The following paragraphs are excerpted from the book Follow Your Heart, by Andrew Matthews.
There once lived a farmer. He had a son and a horse. One day the farmer's horse ran away, and all his neighbors came to console him, saying: "What bad luck that your horse has run away!"
And the old man replied: "Who knows if it's good luck or bad luck."
"Of course it's bad luck!" said the neighbors.
Within a week, the farmer's horse returned home, followed by twenty wild horses. The farmer's neighbors came to celebrate, saying: "What good luck that you have your horse back--plus another twenty!"
And the old man replied: "Who knows if it's good luck or bad luck!"
The next day the farmer's son was riding amongst the wild horses, and fell and broke his leg. The neighbors came to console him, saying: "What bad luck!"
And the farmer said: "Who knows if it's good or bad luck!"
And some of the neighbors were angry, and said: "Of course it's bad luck, you silly old fool!"
Another week went by, and an army came through town, enlisting all the fit young men to fight in distant lands. The farmer's son, with his broken leg, was left behind. All the neighbors came to celebrate, saying: "What good luck that your son was left behind!"
And the farmer said: "Who knows?"
We can spend our whole lives figuring everything out. "This is good, that is bad ..." It is futile. We label events as "disasters" when we only see one percent of the picture.
The author talks about good luck and bad luck. From Christianity point of view, we can translate it to good blessings and--what we consider--not so good one.
Often times when I get something that I like or has hoped for, I think of it as "God has blessed me, praise the Lord." I think that is fine. James 1:16-17 says, "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
But when I get something that I do not like, or not get something I want, I fret. For example, when an incident happens that requires me to change my routine, takes me out of my comfort zone, hinders me to or fails to achieve some goals. I feel it is natural to feel disappointed or down in the beginning, but usually I let myself get stuck with the mindset of what should and should not happen, what I deserve and not, or why 'good' things happen to other people.. and not me. The truth is, often times I know only "one percent of the picture", therefore cannot make a good judgment of the situation. This is just like what the Proverbs says:
Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."
Proverbs 16:9: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
There once lived a farmer. He had a son and a horse. One day the farmer's horse ran away, and all his neighbors came to console him, saying: "What bad luck that your horse has run away!"
And the old man replied: "Who knows if it's good luck or bad luck."
"Of course it's bad luck!" said the neighbors.
Within a week, the farmer's horse returned home, followed by twenty wild horses. The farmer's neighbors came to celebrate, saying: "What good luck that you have your horse back--plus another twenty!"
And the old man replied: "Who knows if it's good luck or bad luck!"
The next day the farmer's son was riding amongst the wild horses, and fell and broke his leg. The neighbors came to console him, saying: "What bad luck!"
And the farmer said: "Who knows if it's good or bad luck!"
And some of the neighbors were angry, and said: "Of course it's bad luck, you silly old fool!"
Another week went by, and an army came through town, enlisting all the fit young men to fight in distant lands. The farmer's son, with his broken leg, was left behind. All the neighbors came to celebrate, saying: "What good luck that your son was left behind!"
And the farmer said: "Who knows?"
We can spend our whole lives figuring everything out. "This is good, that is bad ..." It is futile. We label events as "disasters" when we only see one percent of the picture.
The author talks about good luck and bad luck. From Christianity point of view, we can translate it to good blessings and--what we consider--not so good one.
Often times when I get something that I like or has hoped for, I think of it as "God has blessed me, praise the Lord." I think that is fine. James 1:16-17 says, "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
But when I get something that I do not like, or not get something I want, I fret. For example, when an incident happens that requires me to change my routine, takes me out of my comfort zone, hinders me to or fails to achieve some goals. I feel it is natural to feel disappointed or down in the beginning, but usually I let myself get stuck with the mindset of what should and should not happen, what I deserve and not, or why 'good' things happen to other people.. and not me. The truth is, often times I know only "one percent of the picture", therefore cannot make a good judgment of the situation. This is just like what the Proverbs says:
Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."
Proverbs 16:9: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
What Do You Want on Your Tombstone?
A friend sent me this "Commitment as a Christian" from a pastor in Africa. I can only hope that will be said of us on our tombstone one day.
As for me, I'm still a long way to go...
“I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me--my banner will be clear!”
As for me, I'm still a long way to go...
“I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me--my banner will be clear!”
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Be near me, Lord Jesus...Light of the World...
The ultimate Light has come to our dark world.
He came in a form of a baby, God wrapped in a flesh, for He is called "Immanuel" which means, "God with us." The ultimate Gift for us all, Him who's light is so bright... that those who their life have been touch by Him have that light also.
He commands us, His followers that "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
A new dawn is coming, a new chapter is coming for us as the new year is approaching. Let's be that Light, to act justly everyday, loving mercy in every way and walking humbly before our God. God came to this world because He loves all of us and He for a reason beyond my own understanding He actually cares for us and wants to save us, so we can be with Him someday in Heaven.
Now the challenge is "How people that don't believe that God is good and loving may see that He is actually good and loving?". We, His people, are the answer. It may seem like a bad plan to leave God's rescue plan to all of us, the imperfect selfish people. Nevertheless that is part of His plan to show that He is good and full of love. But we are not alone, those who has put his/her trust in Christ Jesus has the gift of Holy Spirit that will guide us, renew us, inspire us and convict us. Jesus promises us also that He will be with us to the very end of the age.
So let's us a group in the coming year try to be that light, show our good deeds, be more loving to our friends, our family, people that God has put in our path and importantly strangers. Let's lovingly challenge each other in these areas, to be the Light-bearer to all people. This is not just a cliche that we read in a Christmas card, we can actually do this.
With that I wish all of you a wonderful and a Merry Christmas. Stay warm, share laugh and love with family, friends...
Thank you Lord Jesus.
You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give
We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go
Fill us up with Your spirit and send us out
Fill us up with Your spirit and send us out
Fill us up with Your spirit and send us out Lord
He came in a form of a baby, God wrapped in a flesh, for He is called "Immanuel" which means, "God with us." The ultimate Gift for us all, Him who's light is so bright... that those who their life have been touch by Him have that light also.
He commands us, His followers that "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
A new dawn is coming, a new chapter is coming for us as the new year is approaching. Let's be that Light, to act justly everyday, loving mercy in every way and walking humbly before our God. God came to this world because He loves all of us and He for a reason beyond my own understanding He actually cares for us and wants to save us, so we can be with Him someday in Heaven.
Now the challenge is "How people that don't believe that God is good and loving may see that He is actually good and loving?". We, His people, are the answer. It may seem like a bad plan to leave God's rescue plan to all of us, the imperfect selfish people. Nevertheless that is part of His plan to show that He is good and full of love. But we are not alone, those who has put his/her trust in Christ Jesus has the gift of Holy Spirit that will guide us, renew us, inspire us and convict us. Jesus promises us also that He will be with us to the very end of the age.
So let's us a group in the coming year try to be that light, show our good deeds, be more loving to our friends, our family, people that God has put in our path and importantly strangers. Let's lovingly challenge each other in these areas, to be the Light-bearer to all people. This is not just a cliche that we read in a Christmas card, we can actually do this.
With that I wish all of you a wonderful and a Merry Christmas. Stay warm, share laugh and love with family, friends...
Thank you Lord Jesus.
You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give
We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go
Fill us up with Your spirit and send us out
Fill us up with Your spirit and send us out
Fill us up with Your spirit and send us out Lord
Saturday, December 6, 2008
THE COMPASSION OF CHRIST (RECAP)
Who is Matthew? (Matt 9:9-13)
• A Tax collector, accountant, has a good job, well educated
• One of Jesus’ disciples
• Instant submission (v.9), left everything he has behind and followed Jesus
• Gaul (v.10), invited his tax-collector friends for a dinner with Jesus
Bible Reading on Matthew 9:18-38
v.18-19 Jairus, a leader of synagogue, asked Jesus to come to his place to bring his daughter, who just died, to live.
v.20-22 While walking towards Jairus’ place, a woman who suffered from bleeding for 12 yrs touched his robe. She was considered unclean in the society.
v.23-26 Jesus got into Jairus’ place, people didn’t believe in Jesus, there were asked to leave, and Jesus brought the girl to live.
v.27-31 Continue journey…
Two blind men called Jesus as “The Son of David”, which means The Messiah, to get his attention but Jesus kept walking.
Isaiah prophecy about the ability of The Messiah to heal the blind and the mute in Isaiah 29:18, 35:5, and 42:7.
They followed Jesus, and got healed. Jesus was actually tested their faith and persistence.
v.32-34 The blind men brought their mute/demon possessed friend to Jesus. The mute was healed, but Pharisees accused Jesus using Satan force.
v.35-38 Jesus was doing this whole thing not as a miracle worker, but to show his compassion and healing to the sick world.
Jesus is God, he created the world in fine condition (Genesis 1:31), but all he sees now is sick people and their troubles.
Summary:
Compassion without action is just a pity, or feels sorry.
We need to get out of our comfort zone and do more effort to put our compassion in action.
• A Tax collector, accountant, has a good job, well educated
• One of Jesus’ disciples
• Instant submission (v.9), left everything he has behind and followed Jesus
• Gaul (v.10), invited his tax-collector friends for a dinner with Jesus
Bible Reading on Matthew 9:18-38
v.18-19 Jairus, a leader of synagogue, asked Jesus to come to his place to bring his daughter, who just died, to live.
v.20-22 While walking towards Jairus’ place, a woman who suffered from bleeding for 12 yrs touched his robe. She was considered unclean in the society.
v.23-26 Jesus got into Jairus’ place, people didn’t believe in Jesus, there were asked to leave, and Jesus brought the girl to live.
v.27-31 Continue journey…
Two blind men called Jesus as “The Son of David”, which means The Messiah, to get his attention but Jesus kept walking.
Isaiah prophecy about the ability of The Messiah to heal the blind and the mute in Isaiah 29:18, 35:5, and 42:7.
They followed Jesus, and got healed. Jesus was actually tested their faith and persistence.
v.32-34 The blind men brought their mute/demon possessed friend to Jesus. The mute was healed, but Pharisees accused Jesus using Satan force.
v.35-38 Jesus was doing this whole thing not as a miracle worker, but to show his compassion and healing to the sick world.
Jesus is God, he created the world in fine condition (Genesis 1:31), but all he sees now is sick people and their troubles.
Summary:
Compassion without action is just a pity, or feels sorry.
We need to get out of our comfort zone and do more effort to put our compassion in action.
Monday, December 1, 2008
What's on your wallpaper?
When I worked in SF, I was given the client laptop to use (separate from my company's laptop). I knew I would use it for quite a while, so I started customizing it. One of my favorite things to do is changing the computer screen saver.
As with my other laptops, I set the screen saver to display pictures in My Pictures folder. I want it to display bible verses, instead of other pictures, so.. I have a few templates in Word that I can type in the verses. For each page, I take the screen snapshot and save the picture in My Documents -> My Pictures folder. This is one example:
After a while, I got bored with my wallpaper, too. So I decided to look for a background wallpaper with bible verses in it. Then I found one with this verse in it: Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
At first I thought of this only to help me memorize verses. But what happened was.. after I started working from Chicago, my laptop was used by a team mate in SF, and apparently he never changed this wallpaper. Just a few weeks ago he told me that now the only bible verse he remembered is Matthew 6:19-21, the one on the wallpaper!
I am never sure if he is a believer, but regardless, it's great to know that he now remembers one bible verse :)
I bring this up just as an idea. If you are bored with your screen saver or wallpaper, try this idea. You can also pick a nice picture as a template, add a bible verse on it (by using Paint), and use it as wallpaper. This way, you can change it every week or so, and use that to memorize bible verses :)
As with my other laptops, I set the screen saver to display pictures in My Pictures folder. I want it to display bible verses, instead of other pictures, so.. I have a few templates in Word that I can type in the verses. For each page, I take the screen snapshot and save the picture in My Documents -> My Pictures folder. This is one example:
After a while, I got bored with my wallpaper, too. So I decided to look for a background wallpaper with bible verses in it. Then I found one with this verse in it: Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
At first I thought of this only to help me memorize verses. But what happened was.. after I started working from Chicago, my laptop was used by a team mate in SF, and apparently he never changed this wallpaper. Just a few weeks ago he told me that now the only bible verse he remembered is Matthew 6:19-21, the one on the wallpaper!
I am never sure if he is a believer, but regardless, it's great to know that he now remembers one bible verse :)
I bring this up just as an idea. If you are bored with your screen saver or wallpaper, try this idea. You can also pick a nice picture as a template, add a bible verse on it (by using Paint), and use it as wallpaper. This way, you can change it every week or so, and use that to memorize bible verses :)
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