Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Most would consider it third-place loser. Maybe worse. That is, if anyone is still paying attention once the names of first and second place are announced. Few stop to listen for the names of those who landed in third and fourth place. They’ve already folded their blankets and packed their lawn chairs before honorable mention is bestowed. No matter the verbiage in the title, it really isn’t an honor. Losing is still losing. The elaborate name doesn’t make it better. If you care.

She didn’t. Care, that is. She hadn’t come to listen to the traveling preacher speak because she wanted to get her name up in lights. She didn’t even know it was an option. She’d stopped to listen because she was genuinely interested in what he was saying. The fact her name was recorded likely escaped her notice. There was no announcement. No one asked her permission. No royalties injected life into her bank account. No first-edition author-autographed copy of the manuscript was delivered to her doorstep. It was probably like that for all the honorable mentions. Their names were worth writing, their stories weren’t. Nothing except the most important bits. They’d all been reduced to a few meager words that barely scratched the surface of who and what they were. Words that became their definition, the only things we know about them. For her, the words were few. Woman. Damaris. Believer. 

One wonders why the author of Acts bothered to include her name. It’s almost an afterthought. Another quickly forgotten, rarely remembered, never acknowledged name tucked between the impressive stories of all the greats. There’s no clue to who she was. No mention of her past as there was of the possessed slave girl Paul delivered. Not a word about her career like that of the purple cloth dealer, Lydia. No lines lauding her character or actions as listed for Dorcas, the woman whose descriptors include disciple, charitable, and given to good works. There’s nothing written to recommend Damaris. No awards. No accolades. No accomplishments. There’s no way to know who she really was. No past. Only the present. Damaris, a local woman, chose to place her faith in Jesus Christ. She believed. Yet the scant fact was absolutely worth recording. (Acts 9:36-42; 16:11-18; 17:34)

We question how it could be. In our day of social status and public image, it is difficult to imagine such meager facts being worthy of print. They wouldn’t be today. Aren’t. There’s no ticker on your local news celebrating the number of people who believe in Christ for salvation in your Sunday morning service. In truth, we’ve all started keeping it rather quiet. Both outside and inside the church. Perhaps you’ve noticed our altars silently disappearing. There’s rarely an invitation for one to step to the front, making a public announcement that they are choosing to place their faith in Jesus Christ, choosing to change, choosing to step from darkness into light.  Instead, we silently stand people at the exits to quietly pray with those who wish to secretly accept Jesus. No one ever has to know they made the choice. It never has to be public. Not inside or outside the congregation. Not so for Damaris. Everyone got to know. The people then. Us now. With not one particle of information to recommend her, we still have all we need to know in the writer’s proclamation. A woman named Damaris chose Jesus when a faction of the congregation opted out. It doesn’t seem like enough, doesn’t seem to do her justice, doesn’t seem completely fair, but it’s truly all we need to know. Damaris believed. 

Knowing so little about someone whose name appears in such an important text isn’t something with which we are extremely familiar. We can’t type her name in our internet search engine and instantly find her life story. Age. Marital status. Number of children. Job title. It simply isn’t available. The lack of information nearly makes her invisible. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe that’s the message the author was subtly attempting to convey. No matter how much there is to know about you–where you’ve come from, where you’ve gone, what you’ve done–only one thing matters. Faithful belief in the saving, changing power of Jesus Christ. Because, when everything has been settled and you stand before God with nothing of earth to recommend you, the only thing you need to know, the only thing anyone needs to know, will be this–did you believe? 

The wise author of Ecclesiastes, king of Israel, lays it out honestly and from personal experience. He’s tried it all. Had it all. Was gifted with wisdom. Attained knowledge. Engaged in pleasure. Accrued achievements, accolades, and wealth and possessions. He worked hard. Yet, at the end of his writings, he came to the same conclusion we can make from the seemingly unimportant mention of Damaris. None of it matters. Nothing earthly is of any great eternal importance. Every act, both public and private, will be judged by God. The only thing that mattered then, matters now. Do you believe? (Ecclesiastes 1:12,16; 2:1-11; 18-24; 12:8-14; Acts 17:31)

It’s what defines you. Whether or not you believe changes you. Your words. Your actions. Your attitudes. It changes your motives. Just like Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. We know it best for the Beatitudes, but they aren’t the only thing Jesus said there. He said a lot more. A lot about how we view ourselves and how we are known on earth. A lot about how hard we work to ensure people view us in the best possible light–whether or not it’s true. A lot about how much effort we put into reimagining ourselves, building our brand, staging our status. Jesus has some very pointed words about it. Words that make me think Damaris got the best deal of the lot of us. She can be known only for the one thing that mattered most. We, in our world of social media, can be known for a thousand things, but we may not be known for the thing that really matters. Whether or not we believe.

You see, friend, the sign of a true believer isn’t in a social media feed overflowing with your generous acts of charity, pious prayers and Scripture quotations, or records of your faithful fasting. Jesus said the one who wears a sandwich board advertising their own goodness and magnanimity has already received their reward. Earthly accolades. Media attention. Public awe and adulation. If you are engaging in spiritual or charitable acts to beef up your social resume, you have missed the brief. Instead, the sign of a true believer is in quietly serving, secretly giving, privately praying, silently fasting. They desire no acknowledgment or reward for their efforts. They seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness alone, not caring if their names are ever mentioned. They confidently rest in what they know to be true about themselves and their God. They believe. (Matthew 6:1-8; 16-18; 33)

There is no greater reputation, no bigger story, no more important legacy to leave behind than the fact that you are a believer. There is nothing else that matters. Your house and car and boat and bank account are wholly inconsequential in eternity. God doesn’t care what level of education you received, which office you inhabited, or whose hands you’ve shaken. You can’t name-drop your way into Heaven. The things that impress your neighbors have no effect on God. None. The only thing that matters, on earth and in eternity, is whether or not you believe. 

So. Do you? Do you believe? Not in some lukewarm, passive way. Actively. Do you actively believe? The way Damaris believed. The way that calls you out from a group of unbelievers, mockers, and scorners and sets you apart as a believer. Do you know Jesus? Really know Him? Have you believed in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins? Are you living in the power of His resurrection? Does anyone know you believe? Does everyone? When God judges the world, will your every action and inaction withstand His scrutiny and prove you believe in Him? Whether your name is up in lights or listed as honorable mention, are you focused solely on what really matters? Have you sacrificed the notoriety of earth for the celebrity of Heaven? Do you identify with Damaris as a believer? Does that one word define you? Upon close inspection of your innermost self, can you honestly say you believe? (Acts 4:12; 10:43; 16:31; Jeremiah 32:39; Psalm 119:6; Galatians 2:20; Romans 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17; 5:5; John 1:12-13; 3:16)

The slap of sandals pounding down the hardened dirt road rang out as the ten men raced into the village. Single-minded determination etched their faces. Hope and faith-filled their hearts. Even though they couldn’t see the results yet, they knew it would happen. They didn’t have to see to believe. There wasn’t a Naaman among them. They didn’t hesitate at Jesus’ command. They didn’t need an enormous, ostentatious ceremony. They didn’t need a special prayer spoken over them or the laying on of hands. The words Jesus spoke were enough to bring about instant obedience. Within seconds of Jesus’ words, they wheeled around, tripping over one another in their haste to get to the temple. Show the priests. Hear the pronouncement that they had been cleansed. Their leprosy was gone. They could return to their normal lives. (II Kings 5:1-27) 

With every step they checked their physical status. Studied one another. Examined their own distorted appendages. Evaluated how they were feeling. At any moment they anticipated the change. Somewhere between the entrance to the village and the priests at the temple, there was going to be a miracle. They knew it. Jesus’ reputation preceded Him. His healing abilities were known far and wide. The lepers knew, had always known, if they could just speak to Jesus, they would be healed. And they believed it. Completely. Even though they didn’t see or experience immediate change and healing, the ten lepers clung to their faith and kept running, doing exactly as Jesus told them to do. Going to show the priests they were healed, even when it hadn’t happened yet. 

No one is to say exactly when their healing occurred. Step 9 or step 99. But it happened. As they traveled, they were healed. Appendages were restored. Skin was healed. They looked like new men. Whole men. Excitement and exhilaration rushed through their hearts, exploded in their minds. They were back! Back to their families and friends. Back to their homes and lives. Back to their flocks and herds and business stalls. Back to celebrations and feasts. After a few seconds of staring in near disbelief at one another, they turned and sprinted the last few yards to the temple. This wasn’t a time for standing around inspecting one another. This was a time for jubilant celebration. They urgently needed to see the priest. They had festivities to plan. It was the most important thing they could think of to do. At least for nine of them. 

Excited and relieved to have his illness healed along with the others, the tenth leper, a Samaritan, didn’t join the final sprint to the temple. The Bible doesn’t tell us why. We can only speculate. Perhaps, being a Samaritan, visiting the temple wasn’t so important to him. Maybe he didn’t have a wife and family to return to. Perhaps he wanted to speak to priests closer to home. Or maybe it was simply that his mama had instilled far better manners in him. Maybe her voice echoed in his head reminding him of the debt he needed to pay. A debt of gratitude. Due now. While he could still go back and catch Jesus before He was enveloped by the next crowd or moved on to the next town. The priests would be available later in the day. They would be there tomorrow if he found it necessary to go then. The priests weren’t the ones who deserved his gratitude. They hadn’t healed him. Hadn’t done anything for him. Only Jesus had. 

Wheeling on his heel, the Samaritan ran in the opposite direction as his fellow former lepers. Racing back to where Jesus was, the man skidded to a halt, garments swishing around his ankles. He meant to be on his knees before he started talking, but his heart overflowed before he hit the ground. Glory to God! Thank you, Jesus! Bowing with his face to the ground at the feet of the One who had literally saved his life, words of gratitude erupted in an unquenchable flow. Thanks. Praise. Glory. Gratitude. For himself. For the others. Jesus had made their faith become sight, cleansed their bodies, restored their lives. All of them. They had all received these gifts. Yet he alone came back to offer thanks.

One wonders where the other nine found themselves at that moment. Were they already leaving the temple to scurry home, embrace their wives, kiss their children, greet their friends and neighbors with the news they were whole again? Did some head straight to their places of business to see how things were faring? Did they rush out to kill the fatted calf and proclaim a celebration in honor of their newly healed bodies? Did they pause, in all of the excitement, to silently pray a prayer of thanks for their rescue? Did they speak to their families about the power of faith in God? Did they mention Jesus at all? His power? His mercy? His grace? Was He the centerpiece of their stories or just a supporting actor as they took center stage? 

The Samaritan’s singularity did not go unnoticed. Jesus was keenly aware of their glaring absence. In questions etched with disappointment and a touch of indignation, Jesus wondered where the other men were. There were ten of them. Ten lepers. Ten outcasts begging for cleansing. Ten men with the faith to believe in His power and head off to the priests before seeing their request granted. Ten men whose bodies had been completely restored. Ten men who could now choose to go anywhere, do anything, speak to anyone they chose. Yet only one chose to return. The Samaritan. 

Where were the others? Where were the men from Galilee? Why was it only this foreigner who came back and gave glory to God? Why was it that, when the prayers were answered, the wishes granted, the desires of their hearts given, why had only one returned to give glory to God? Hadn’t their mama’s taught them better? Hadn’t the scholars briefed them? Didn’t they know their purpose on earth, the desired result of their healing was not to give them a special gift or endow them with a lovely lifetime of pleasure? Didn’t they know why they were there in the first place? Didn’t they know their sole purpose in life was to bring glory to God? And what better way to do so than to fall on their faces before Jesus in glory and gratitude? And why was it that a foreigner, a Samaritan, clearly knew what they didn’t? They were healed, they were here, not to simply go on about their lives seeking pleasure and prosperity. The sole purpose of their miracle was to bring glory to God. (Luke 17:11-19)

Admittedly, I wish I knew the rest of the story. I want to know what happened to each of those men over the next 10 years. I want to know where they ended up. I want to know if they ever realized the reason they were given the gift they received that day. I want to know if they ever found their true purpose, the actual meaning of life. I want to know if they went on to live the remaining days of their lives in a way that brought glory to God. I’m uniquely interested, because it isn’t normal for us. Not for any of us. Not the lepers then. Not us now. Gratitude is often an afterthought. Something given grudgingly or in hopes of keeping the lane open for future blessings. To be grateful and give glory to God for what He has done while humbly stepping out of the limelight is something that requires intentionality. It’s a learned art. But it’s what we were placed on earth to do. Glorify God. (Isaiah 43:6-7; Ephesians 5:15; Romans 15:6; I Corinthians 6:19-20)

 It isn’t exactly a mainstream idea. Instead, selfishness and greed are the prevailing postures of our day. Celebrities and slogans, podcasts and books encourage us to chase glory and acknowledgment and praise, to build up our following, gain publicity, become influencers for others so we can bask in their love and honor and worship. Hoard it for ourselves. Refuse to share it. Not with others. Not with God. Friends, that’s not why you are here. You aren’t here to make a name for yourself, build buildings in your honor, or leave a legacy commemorating your time on this earth. Your sole purpose in life is to bring glory to God who gives you the ability to do all things and, by doing so, point others to Him. (Romans 7:4; Isaiah 43:21; I Peter 2:9; John 15:8; Psalm 50:23)

So. How are you doing with that? Are you living a life that glorifies God? Are you pointing to Him with every success, every blessing, every answered prayer? Do you divert all praise and glory to God or do you claim some for yourself? Do you talk about His magnificent works, even the tiny ones, when you sit down with family, when you walk with friends, when you make small talk with strangers? Are you constantly singing the praises of God in a manner that encourages everyone around you to take their eyes off you, off others, off earth, and focus on Jesus Christ alone? If not, why not? What is more important to you than glorifying God? What other purpose could you possibly have on earth? Why are you here, if not to glorify God? (I Corinthians 10:13; Matthew 5:16; Proverbs 25:27; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Revelation 4:11)

They were a boisterous lot as they gathered together making battle plans and receiving orders for their posts. Adrenaline ran high. Fear didn’t. Even if it should have. There was no room for fear in the hearts of the Israelite soldiers. They were still riding the waves of victory. Two victories, in fact. Resounding ones. Destroying the Amalekites hadn’t been much of a battle, but it was definitely a victory. God had clearly gone before them, making a way for His word to be enacted. He’d done the same at Michmash. Through Jonathan’s faith and God’s power, the Philistines were thrown into panic and confusion, turning on one another as they would on their enemies. Israel had won the battle. The war was still outstanding. The Philistines hadn’t been completely destroyed as had the Amalekites. Instead, they had regrouped, returned, and now camped between Socoh and Azekah, effectively putting Israel on notice. They were coming for them. Again. They hadn’t been destroyed, just momentarily defeated. Israel would need to come out and fight. Again. For real this time. (I Samuel 14:1-23; 15:1-19)

Setting up camp in the Valley of Elah, the Israelite soldiers strapped on their armor, picked up spears and swords, and went out to stand on the hill across from the Philistines. Everyone knew they were just posturing. Doing reconnaissance. Assessing the situation. Taking a moment to identify any new tricks the opposition had invented. No actual spears would be thrown. No arrows would be released. It was a pre-battle standoff to help solidify their strategy. Do a little saber-rattling. Stare one another down from the relative safety of the opposite side of the valley. Cold, hard gazes locked. Obligatory insults flew. Weapons and armor clanked. But the battle hadn’t begun. This was just a demonstration. It was all hype. Until the Philistines brought out their champion. 

Jaws dropped open as he strode out of their camp to join the troops on the front lines. He was enormous. Nine feet, nine inches of height held upright by tree trunk-sized legs. His biceps bulged. His eyes were dark stones peering out from his massive bronze helmet. Heavy bronze armor perfectly fit to his frame. He looked invincible. And dangerous. A javelin rested between his shoulder blades, the handle within easy reach of either long arm. The spear in his hand struck fear in the heart of every Israelite soldier. They’d never seen a weapon so large or menacing. The sight of the monster was horrifying. Terrifying. The sight of his shield-bearer was nearly laughable. The man was clearly superfluous to the requirement. Goliath didn’t need him. He could handle things himself. And he knew it. 

Slowly striding to the front and center of the gathered Philistine troops, Goliath turned to face the Israelite army with a scowling look of derision. Resting the shaft of his spear beside his huge, sandaled feet, the giant opened his mouth and thundered out his invitation to battle. Send a man. Only one man. Let them come and fight him. A fight to the death. The winning warrior would take home the spoils, making servants of the opposing side. Two men. One battle. One death. One victory. That was the offer. Take it or leave it. 

As the words echoed across the valley, the men of Israel shrank back in fear. Their hearts trembled within them. Their courage did a runner. Terror had them abandoning the posturing and fleeing back to their tents. There were things to discuss. How do you respond to the demented demands of the giant who is clearly leading the opposition? Was anyone crazy enough to respond to the challenge? Did anyone want to sacrifice themselves to death at the giant’s hands? Anyone? No. No one was. No one was willing to put themselves on the line for the land. No one had the courage to take a stand, mount an offensive. Instead, they huddled around their campfires, whispered among themselves, and tried to ignore the threats still ringing in their ears. 

Forty days passed that way. Morning and night Goliath would stride out to bellow his preposterous offer. Morning and night, the Israelite army would don their armor and weapons, march out, and line up in battle array, only to retreat in terror as soon as Goliath appeared shouting his fateful offer. Their courage was an illusion. Their fear was palpable. Who knows how long they would have stayed camped there, doing the same silly thing day after day had Jesse not sent David to visit his brothers.

He hadn’t come expecting to be a warrior. He’d surely have packed differently if he had. David didn’t strap on a sword, pick up a spear, or grab his bow and quiver of arrows as he walked out the door for the battleground. He had nothing intended for use on the battlefield. Spears and swords were of little use in the pasture among the sheep. He wasn’t expecting to need a weapon at all. Not even the sling he habitually carried in his pocket. At no point during his trek to visit his brothers did David anticipate a moment when he’d hear the taunts of the Philistine giant and rise up in righteous indignation. But he’d never quite been this angry before, either. Not when his brothers teased him. Not when the bear came to raid his flock. Not when a lion tried to have lamb for dinner. He’d been upset, annoyed, irritated, but it hadn’t flared hot and white and raging in his spirit like the anger he felt when that disgusting giant opened his mouth to let fly his defiance against David’s God.

Nothing could fully describe what David felt as the taunting words fell from Goliath’s lips. Indignation. Anger. Fury. Rage. Holy rage. Burning indignation. Furious offense. Who exactly did that man, giant or not, think he was, that he would so carelessly, openly, callously defy the God of Heaven? Israel’s God. The Lord of Armies. And why did not one soldier in the ranks of Israel have the courage to stand up to him? After seeing what God could do for them, why were they cowering in fear? Was there not one man among them, one warrior amidst them who would stand up for God? Why didn’t the vicious words of the giant stir their hearts to courageous action?

They stirred David’s. Riding the momentum of his hotly burning wrath and indignation, David stepped out in faith to take courageous action. Make a stand. Plant his flag. When his brothers said he shouldn’t. When Saul said he wasn’t equipped. When doubt was etched on every face he passed on his solitary march to stand across from that giant. David took a stand and chose a courageous response in the face of evil and hate, threats, and possible death. I wonder if we would do the same. (I Samuel 17:1-39)

When faced with ever-increasing hostility, hate, and defamation toward true godliness, do you stalwartly take a stand for Jesus Christ? When the people around you choose to defy God, are you faithful to light the way of truth? When churches and organizations who claim the name of Jesus choose to avoid His decrees, distort His words, destroy His applications, do you stand in solidarity with Scripture? Do you plant your feet in the undeniable truth that every single word on every single page in every single chapter of the Bible was inspired by God and written by people in direct conversation with Him? What do you feel when the people around you choose, by word and deed, to defy your God? More importantly, do you have the courage to stand up and speak truth into the lies the enemy is so viciously spreading, or are you too complacent, too fearful to do anything at all? What is your response when the giants of the land callously bellow their fictitious theories about your God? Do you run for cover? Or do you hear those words for what they really are? A call to courage. (Isaiah 58:1; Ephesians 6:10-18; James 4:17; II Timothy 3:16-17)  

No one knows how long those armies would have stayed on opposite sides of that valley yelling insults and threats at one another if David hadn’t shown up. Neither side seemed inclined to rush into battle. Maybe they’d have died of old age there. Each choosing to hide in their own way. Israel in their tents. The Philistines behind their champion. But there’s no courage there. Only cowardice. Courage is in the doing. Facing down the giants whose voices are louder, whose reach is wider, who use fear to manipulate their audience. It’s one small person taking a strong stand, walking against the grain of society, regardless of the pushback. It’s speaking the truth of God’s Word in every circumstance. It’s called courage and it looks like a teenaged boy standing in the strength of God to fight off a giant from hell.   

When everyone else was running for cover from Goliath, David was pocketing five smooth stones and courageously running to meet his enormous, threatening opponent. Why? Because he wanted everyone to know the truth about his God. He wanted to tell the world that God will always be victorious. Our God doesn’t need swords or spears or enormous armies to fight on His behalf. He just needs people. Willing people. Courageous people. People who will plant their feet and take a stand for God and truth at a time when the loudest voices in the room are crying out lies and heresy. People who push their own fear aside, choosing instead to unwaveringly follow God in the face of harassment, ostracization, and persecution. People like you. People like me. People who hear the taunts of the giants for what they really are–a call to courage. (I Samuel 17:40-51; Matthew 10:32-33; I Corinthians 16:13; James 1:12; Joshua 1:8-9; Haggai 2:4-5) 

For the first time in his life, Samuel wished his hearing was faulty. He wished he hadn’t heard the words. Wished he didn’t know they were true. The news had broken his heart. Ignited his indignation. Had him on his knees, crying out to God all night long. Saul had failed. Epically. Willfully. He hadn’t followed the explicit instructions handed down by God through Samuel. He had chosen disobedience. He had rejected God’s authority. Then proudly strutted home to erect a monument in his own honor. The very idea gutted Samuel. As he approached the place where the monument stood and the sacrifices were being made, he once again wished his hearing wasn’t quite so keen. He wished he couldn’t hear the bleating of the sheep and bellowing of cattle punctuating the impending fall of King Saul.

The instructions hadn’t been difficult. A child could have followed them. Go and attack the Amalekites. Destroy everything. All of it. People. Animals. Leave nothing alive. Not a puny kid. Not a pretty girl. Not a fat lamb. Annihilate it all. Win the war. Leave the spoils. It wasn’t meant to be difficult. They were simple instructions. Yet grown men had failed. Their greedy eyes had latched onto the robust livestock and all was immediately lost. Not the battle. God won that. No. Saul and his men had lost the war. The war within themselves to choose who they would serve, who they would follow, who they would obey.  

It was a fantastic opportunity. One that didn’t come along every day. Or week. Or month. Or year. The men couldn’t remember the last time the spoils of war had been of such great quality. Sheep clothed in thick, fluffy wool. Rambunctious young rams eager to show off their strength.  Hearty oxen ready to work. Healthy cattle for growing herds, providing food, and offering sacrifices. It was all too good to pass up. They couldn’t leave it behind. In the aftermath of their glorious victory, they dealt themselves a crushing defeat. Rounding up as many good-looking livestock as they could, Saul and his soldiers collected their other souvenir, King Agag, and headed back home.

Disappointment and anger warred inside Samuel upon hearing the news of Saul’s defection. Sadness that Saul had failed to carry out God’s instruction and would be rejected as king weighed heavily on his heart. He spent the night in prayer. Desperate, aching prayers on Saul’s behalf. A second chance. A different opportunity. It wasn’t to be. The decision was made. Had been made the moment Saul chose to allow his men to plunder the spoils. He hadn’t stood up against them. Hadn’t been the leader they needed. Had willfully fallen right in with the disobedient, thieving lot. Worse, he’d made excuses for them. 

Confronting an exuberant Saul at the foot of his own monument, Samuel was even more grieved to hear those flimsy excuses. Saul assured him God’s instructions had been carried out meticulously. He’d personally brought back only King Agag. That was reasonable, right? And the boys had simply brought back a few choice animals for sacrifices. And it was all their idea. They basically made him allow it. None of this was his fault. He hadn’t done it on purpose. He’d been forced, coerced. He’d actually done very little besides watch the goings on. Surely he could still be king! He’d followed instructions. He’d only brought back King Agag. The men had brought the rest. For sacrifices to God. There was surely redemption in that. Wasn’t there? 

Unfortunately for Saul, the excuses amounted to nothing. He was king. He had the authority. He was responsible for leading the people. He called the shots, gave the commands, ordered their actions. He was the one who had been given God’s instructions. He was the one who knew their exact verbiage. He was the one responsible for ensuring they were carried out to the letter. And Saul had failed. He had chosen to give in to the pressure of the people. He had chosen to follow the desires of his own heart. He had chosen to edit God’s instructions and write in a few lines of his own. The consequences would be grave. He would suffer. Silence would echo from the heavens. Fear would radiate from within. He’d spend an inordinate amount of time obsessed with annihilating his God-appointed successor. Posterity would be left to shake their heads in amazement at his brazen defiance and echo Samuel’s question as he faced Saul down at Gilgal, “Why didn’t you just obey God?” (I Samuel 15:1-29; 18:10-11; 19:9-11; 22:6-19)  

 It seems like such a simple task. At a time when God spoke to the kings through His prophets, Saul should have been overjoyed to hear the words of the Lord granting him victory against the Amalekites. They had a history of tormenting and opposing the people of Israel. Their first attack occurred when the Israelites already had more than enough to deal with. Having recently escaped slavery in Egypt, they wondered where they were going, how they would get food, where they’d find water. The people hadn’t the wherewithal to fend off an attack at that time in their lives. Amalek clearly knew and chose that moment of supposed weakness to mount a surprise attack. 

The surprise was on them. Israel wasn’t traveling alone. They weren’t helpless. God was on their side. The power of God gave Joshua and his men victory over them. They won the battle, but didn’t annihilate the Amalekites. It wasn’t the day for that. But God promised to have His due. He’d sworn Amalek’s demise. Being called up as part of that plan should have been such a magnificent honor that Saul meticulously followed God’s instructions. He didn’t. Instead he served up a heaping pile of rebellion and defiance. He rejected God’s instructions, effectively ejecting God from His place of authority among the people, throughout the kingdom, within Saul’s own heart. (Exodus 17:8-14; I Samuel 15:22-23)

As with many Biblical accounts, it is ridiculously easy for us to settle back in our easy chairs and huff in disgust that Saul would choose not to obey God. We vividly see all the flaws and shortcomings. We see the excuses for what they are. We wonder why Saul, as king, didn’t use his authority to command those men to do, or not do, something different. Something like leave the spoils alone. Something like slaughter the fattened calves where they stood. Something like following God’s instructions, no more, no less. But what position was he in to do so? He had his own trophy. King Agag. I’ve read and reread the account. There’s nothing mentioned about bringing back a trophy king. God didn’t instruct that. Saul was just as guilty as the rest of them. He brought a king. They brought a farm. Nobody did the right thing. No one obeyed. And Saul didn’t attempt to make them do so. In fact, it appears he led the way in disobedience. So where does Saul get off thinking he can blame others for his own choices? Why doesn’t he immediately take responsibility for his own actions and inactions? More importantly, why didn’t he fastidiously follow the instructions God gave and command his men to do so as well? 

Why don’t you? Seriously. Why don’t you fastidiously follow God’s instructions yourself? What is in your heart that makes you choose a different option? Although we will never know exactly why Saul made the choices he made, we can search our own hearts and know what is there that makes us shy away, run away, choose to defy the directions God gives us. Because we do. All of us do. At some point in our lives, we hear God speak, don’t love His instructions, and try to do a little text edit of our own. It never works. Ever. Our ideas are not better than God’s. Ever. Our vision is shortsighted where His is farsighted. He’s planning for a grand future. We are setting up our current comfort. Even if we think our edits are fine, they aren’t. We will never benefit by failing to obey God, altering His instructions, or taking our own path to get where He’s telling us to go. It simply won’t end well. Disobedience never does. And there’s no excuse for it. Ever. (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Proverbs 14:12; Psalm 37:23; Isaiah 55:2-3; Jeremiah 16:12; Deuteronomy 13:4)

Unlike the days of Samuel and Saul, there’s no barrier between you and God. You don’t have to get your directions through a third party, phone a prophet, ask the priest. There’s no excuse of something being lost in translation. God will speak His words, His directions, His will directly. To you. And you will know it is His voice. You will know the commands are from Him. You will know exactly what He is telling you to do. There will be no excuse not to do it. So why don’t you? Why do you comb through God’s instructions and pick and choose which parts you’d like to follow? Why do you bend and bow to the ideas and opinions of others instead of simply following God’s commands? Why don’t you walk in such a way that you lead others to follow Him rather than follow others as you walk away from Him? Why don’t you search your heart and honestly answer these questions? Frankly, friend, why don’t you obey God? (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21-22; James 1:14-15, 22; Luke 11:28; John 10:27; 14:21; Acts 5:29; Romans 12:2) 

They were tired of it. Sick and tired. Heart sick. Soul tired. Living under the thumb of the Philistines was no joke. It was wearing on them. Horribly. They’d thought it would be over by now. A brief time of oppression followed by an extended period of victory, freedom, and rejoicing. Somehow they had imagined the return of the ark of God to Israelite hands would right all the wrongs and set everything back the way it should be. It hadn’t. The ark had been returned ages ago. It sat in their city of Kiriath-Jearim. They had appointed Eleazer to care for it. Yet nothing had changed. Not their circumstances. Not their hearts. Not the focus of their lives. 

Returning the ark had changed things only for those who were not meant to keep it. The people of Ashdod no longer had to re-glue their god, Dagon, every morning. They no longer lived with tumors and terror. Not after they moved it down to Gath. The people of Gath were now suffering those things. Tumors on young and old.  Fear of impending death. Until they shipped the ark to Ekron. But the people of Ekron had been keeping a close eye on things surrounding the ark of Israel’s God. They weren’t having it. Didn’t want it. Would do anything to prevent the afflictions, fear and death possession of the ark was sure to bring. Calling all the Philistine rulers together, they pleaded with them to send the ark back. No one wanted it anymore. It wasn’t the good luck charm they had assumed it was. After seven months of residing in Philistine territory, they found a way to send it back to Beth-shemesh. 

Oddly, the people of Beth-shemesh, knowing all they should have known about the sacredness of the ark of the covenant, still let their curiosity get the best of them. They opened the ark to look inside. There’s no explanation given for why. Perhaps they were checking that nothing had been removed. Maybe they were looking to see if anything had been added. Perhaps it really was just simple curiosity. Or maybe, in their passion to race after other gods, they failed to remember that the God of Israel wasn’t like other gods who couldn’t see and hear and act. Yet act He did. Seventy people died because of their disobedience. In grief and frustration, they did what the Philistines had done and sent the ark of the covenant on to another town. Kiriath-Jearim. (I Samuel 5:1-7:1)

It sat there for twenty years. At least. Placed in the care of Abinadab’s family. Tended by his son Eleazar. They showed the proper reverence and respect. Took the best of care. But nothing really changed with the return of the ark. Not among the people, anyway. They were still busy running their own lives, doing their own things, worshiping the different gods they chose in all the ways they chose. They’d bought the ridiculous notion that God was simply one of many gods. Apparently accepting the idea that possession of the ark of the covenant would bring them protection and prosperity. The idea wasn’t entirely new to them. 

Lining up in battle array against the Philistines, the Israelite soldiers felt a little smugness in the depths of their souls. They had their ace in the hole. After their devastating defeat by the Philistines in the previous battle, someone had been struck by a brilliant idea that took root and gathered enough support to make it happen. They had brought the ark of the covenant of their God from Shiloh. It was going with them to battle. This would fix everything. Their weakness, weariness, and wimpiness no longer mattered. The ark was there. It would surely protect them from their enemies and make them victorious. Except it didn’t. It couldn’t. It wasn’t their God. 

Facing that line of furious, blood-thirsty Philistines brandishing swords and spears, one would think the Israelites would be inclined to call on God for help. They didn’t. They simply cast all of their faith in an impotent box and foolishly plunged into battle. Much like they would do with the foreign gods they had accepted. With no care as to what those idols could or could not do for their souls, they blindly placed their allegiance, their faith in something that could do nothing. It had no power. Its ability was all in their heads. They needed God to be successful, but they settled for a man-made box instead. The battle didn’t go well. The Philistines delivered a crushing defeat. A slaughter. Thirty thousand  Israelite soldiers died. Eli’s sons were killed. And the ark of God was captured. Yet still this was not enough to turn Israel back to God. (I Samuel 4:1-11)

What would have been enough? The list of horrors is intense, yet still they chose to go their own way. Chase after the desires of their own hearts. Follow the gods of the world, the idols of the people around them. What would have needed to happen to bring the people to a place where their hearts longed to be back in a proper relationship with God? A place where He was their only God? A time when His word was their command? What would be enough for you? Would pain or suffering or loss be enough? Would a near miss with tragedy make you turn? What about bankruptcy, homelessness, joblessness? What, exactly, would it take to make you put away the idols you hold as little gods in your life and make your heart long to be in a proper relationship with God alone? And how long would it take to bring you to that place?

It took years for the people of Israel. Years of oppression by the Philistines. Years of misery and frustration. Years of following the desires of their own sinful hearts. Years of refusing Samuel’s preaching and teaching and calling them to return to God. He must have been. Surely without Samuel’s words the people would have steadily drifted further and further away with no hope for return. Perhaps as he traveled his circuit to judge Israel, he also called them to repent and turn back to God. In Bethel. In Gilgal. In Mizpah. In Ramah. Every town and settlement in between. He must have been exhausted with the cry by the time they finally chose to heed his words. It surely took far longer than Samuel hoped for every heart in Israel to long for God. (I Samuel 7:2,15-17)

One wonders why. Why did it take 20 years for the people of Israel to tire of Philistine oppression? Why did it take two decades for them to realize the error of their ways? Why did they not recognize their issues after the battle at Aphek when the ark of God was captured? And why didn’t they fix them much sooner? We could ask ourselves similar questions. Why does it take us so long to realize the things of the world, the gods of possessions, wealth, position and esteem tragically fail to fill the longing of our soul? Why do we wait so long, trying so hard to fix the issues ourselves, before we admit we need God? Why are we not much quicker to realize the things of earth cannot bring satisfaction or peace or joy? Why does it take so long for our hearts to long for God?

Eventually Israel came to that place. Eventually they realized the things for which their hearts longed the most could only be found in repenting and returning. Their lives could only be made whole by repairing their relationship with the one true God. Excited and encouraged though he may have been, Samuel speaks stern words to them. Words that could make them second-guess their choices. They needed to be serious about what they were doing. Returning to God needed to be a commitment made with their entire hearts. Speaking words of reconciliation with God would never be enough. Actions would have to follow. Every god among them, everything they worshiped, held dear, desired more than God himself would have to be destroyed, dismantled, discarded. Their hearts would have to be set on God. Alone. Their worship must be directed to Him. Alone. Then, only then, would their help, their rescue, their victory come. From God. Alone. ( I Samuel 7:3)

 Nothing has changed in the intervening centuries. Samuel’s words remain true for every longing heart. They are reiterated time and again in the covers of the Book. Return to God. Sincerely. Completely. With your entire being. Solely focus on God alone. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the frivolous things of the world. Worship God. Alone. Put your faith and trust in God. Alone. Commit yourself, your life, to God. Alone. Why? Because if God is not your everything, He’s not your anything. He’s not willing to share His position in your life with any lesser gods. Not your favorite things. Not your secret sins. Not even you, yourself. So listen to the longing of your heart. Now. Today. Don’t let it take you as long as it took the Israelites. Do it now. Clear out the things in your heart and life that fight for a place of authority, beckon you to put your trust in them. Get rid of them. Literally throw them out if possible. Choose God instead.  Make the commitment to follow God alone. Refuse to allow anything else to preempt His authority in your life. Worship Him. Bow in reverence before Him. Listen to Him speak. Obey His words. And watch Him work. He will. He always does. In every longing heart. (Joel 2:12-15; Jeremiah 24:7; Proverbs 3:5-6; 4:27; Matthew 6:24, 33; Isaiah 42:8; Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 20:4; Romans 8:28; Psalm 84:11)