THE DEPARTING SPIRIT

  Mankind are living souls. “Soul” is from the Greek “psyche” and it means “to breath”. Scripture says that “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen 2:7). Adam (man) was material, and God breathed spirit into him, and he was made alive. “Living” is the soul containing God’s Spirit. And people think living is nearly breathing! Those with souls without God’s Spirit, then, are the waling dead. That’s what Adam and Eve failed to comprehend!

  It appears, then, that the body is the vessel for the spirit, but it is material. Matter is not holy but Spirit is. Therefore, there must be a container for God’s Spirit to separate “it” from the body.

Think of the soul as similar to the uterus in certain ways. The uterus is basically an incubator for the developing fetus. It’s the nursing home for the unborn child until it can live on its own. It is a sanctuary from the world until old enough to adapt to the world. Another word for uterus is “womb.” Therein, the placenta provides oxygen and nutrition to the gestating baby. The uterus accepts life and grows it. Growing indicates a living organism. The placenta isolates the child’s blood from the mother’s. They are two separate entities as far as life-blood is concerned. They are two separate beings, one living in the sanctuary of the other. If the mother’s blood was allowed to mix with the developing child’s, it could be deadly for both of them!

  Although the soul is much like the uterus, it is not material. It is without physical body, presence or form (incorporeal) and is an “essence” that has an identity. It is a “substance” but a supernatural substance in that it cannot be detected with the senses or instrumentation. Therefore, because it is incorporeal, science disqualifies itself from its study. To them, the soul does not exist because they have no way to understand it.

  The soul can be understood although it is incorporeal. It is an invisible “womb” which incubates the Holy Spirit breathed unto it. Unlike the uterus which has shape, mass, and properties, the soul itself does not. It is what is inside of it. There are three “things” which can live in the soul: (1) Nothing, (2) Goodness, and (3) Evil. If God is “good” and only God Is (Mat 19:7), then it is God who lives in the soul. The person is merely material, and has no spiritual goodness. Adam was created in the image of God, and that was “very good.” (Gen 1:310). That was because God breathed His Spirit into Adam, not that Adam was good.

  The soul can also contain evil, although not at the same time as good. Theologians have difficulty with God not “looking” upon sin, then consorting with Satan as in the Book of Job. Let’s examine that single passage: “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity…” (Hab 1:13). First off, some say that God does not have eyes. Jesus Is God’s eyes, flesh, speech, hearing, and even tasting; and no telling what other senses! However, does that passage mean exactly “eyes?” I believe in this context that it is His countenance which cannot “experience” iniquity (sin). His “eyes” in that case is His countenance (Strong’s Dictionary). Thusly, Holy Spirit cannot co-exist with unholy evil within the soul. Like the uterus, the soul is a place for sanctuary from the evil of the world if it is imbued with the Spirit. Like the uterus, the Spirit grows within the soul. That is the process of sanctification, or cleansing the soul of waste.

I use the word “imbued” rather than “filled” because pletho in the Greek (Acts 2:4) also means “supplied.” Just as the placenta supplies the needs to the gestating baby, protects it, and expels waste, the soul does the same for its contents. Christians can still sin, but since it is covered by Jesus’s blood, then the Spirit of God expels the sin and keeps the soul clean! That is by grace as God does not want to behold sin.

  Jesus is THE person of God with senses and personality. Jesus’s Mind is a substance of God and the Holy Spirit is the Power of God. Spirit is a supernatural (beyond natural ) essence (ultimate nature, i.e., belonging to God). That leaves the Holy Ghost. That is a disembodied soul. Specifically, The Holy Ghost is Jesus’s disembodied soul whose essence is his Spirit which experienced the pangs of death with God’s Flesh on the cross (Mark 15:37). The transition from Spirit to Ghost occurred at Jesus’s death (John 7:39; KJV specifically).

  Jesus has a soul, and the Spirit of God resides in his soul. Inside God’s Flesh, somewhere inside Jesus was his soul. Within his soul, God’s Spirit resided. As God is omnipresent, then with His Flesh in Heaven, Jesus’s Holy Ghost resides within the souls of Christians. Regeneration is the soul returning to its original generated condition, just as it was in Paradise before sin entered into it.

The other “thing” that can be in the soul is “nothing.” Before a child is conceived the contents of the placenta is nothing. Just as the void in which living souls were incubated, the soul can be empty. When Adam was created, his soul was empty until God breathed His Spirit into it! Life fills inner space, the placenta, and empty souls. God authors the contents of space, the womb, and the soul.

God is ultimate good. Jesus’s soul was filled with the Spirit of God. Not just supplied or imbued, but filled all the way because he is without sin. On the other hand, Satan is the ultimate evil. Satan imbued or supplied the soul of Judas Iscariot (Luke 22:3) just as he did to the Serpent back under his tree in the Garden of Eden. Satan, however, unlike God, cannot reside in the souls of men. However, evil can!

  Satan has a spirit as well, and it is evil and unholy. Those who he masters has the spirit of evil within their souls. For some, demons reside within their souls. Don’t forget, the soul is not holy or unholy; but its contents are (Mark 5:8-9). It seems that demons within the souls of men are reserved for those who have cognitive dissonance and cannot decide which master to serve! Demons seem to be used for persuading those under conviction that they are helpless because of the power of Satan. Demons cannot enter people with faith in God because there is a hedge of safety about them, but they can taunt holy men and women, and apparently enter the souls of unrighteous people who God calls.

Now for the key verses:

But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him (1 Sam 16:14)… And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. (1 Samuel 16:23)… And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul. (1 Sam 18:22). And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? (1 Sam 28:15-16)

  The Holy Spirit departed from Saul, of course not because God forsook him (Heb 13:5), but Saul forsook God! Afterwards the Holy Spirit departed, and an evil spirit entered. Saul was “refreshed” which surely meant the evil spirit departed, but it seems that God did not re-enter Saul because that would bring shame to God: “If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Heb 6:6). It appears that Saul was left with an empty soul. Indeed, he was “troubled.” Many seemingly “good” people are troubled although they may no have an evil spirit. Of course, they still sin, as children are wont to do, but they are not yet inherently evil because God protects for a time those he calls, obviously to provide time for them to be persuaded.

  After a period, evil again entered Saul although he had moments of contrition wherein God was giving him multiple chances. His evil showed when he killed all the prophets but one! Saul seemed to repent, but many believe it was a false repentance. He actually delved into sin more deeply when he had the false spirit of Samuel conjured. Saul only “perceived” that it was Samuel. Any contrition made was to a demon. Some believe that the apparition was actually Samuel, but God had forbidden that. I contend that it was a demon to whom Saul turned for contrition! (I have written before on that topic in this blog.)

  People are in danger in the uterus unless protected. They are naturally protected by the Lord via the placenta. If the unborn child is killed by intrusion, the placenta is expelled. If the child is born it is also expelled. Likewise, if the soul is emptied when someone is reborn but aborts God’s Will, then the soul has no utility, and there is danger that evil will enter into the vacancy. Reprobate is when the soul becomes so filled with evil that life is forfeited. Unfortunately, that is eternal life which is forfeited.

On Weapon Control

AT WAR WITH THE FIRST AND SECOND AMENDMENT

KEY VERSES: David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. (1 Sam 21:8-9).

  There was a civil war in progress – Saul against the Lord. Saul had been ordained by God as the first king of Israel, but the large man did things his way. Effectually, the war was Satan’s will against God’s Will, and it was spiritual warfare. Saul represented the forces of evil and David the heart of God. The Abrahamic Covenant granted the Promised Land to the Hebrews. The covenant was not unconditional. Like any covenant there were conditions. In this one, God would be their God and they would be His people. Saul came and went. Sometimes he was God’s and sometimes not! King Saul’s very purpose was to test the fortitude of the Israelites. It is written, “The evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul” (1 Sam 19:9). The New King James Version uses “distressing spirit” in many places. (Strong’s Concordance uses “bad” and “evil” with “distressing” only a secondary definition.)
  As understood from the Book of Job, God allows Satan to test with his evil. God doesn’t do the evil, but allows it as a means of testing fidelity. God intended David to be heir to Saul, not Jonathan, Saul’s son. David was a pretender to Saul’s throne and God anointed him king rather than Jonathan. We find that David would not depose King Saul, but it would be by the timing of natural events. Saul, then, was the party who started the civil war in Israel, but at the same time the parties of Saul and David were fighting the Philistines who occupied the land. At the same time of the civil war, there was also a war for independence from the evil Philistines (Palestinians).  This is a perfect example of the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and pertains to Saul and David’s relationship for a time.
  With that background, rather than the civil war, examine the war for independence: Technologically, the Philistines were of a different era than the Israelites. The former was in the iron age and the latter still in the bronze age. As such, the Philistines had chariots and weapons of iron and Israel did not. Bronze weapons were weak and often broke in battle. The Israelites even had to go to the Philistines to which they were tributaries and have them make tools of iron - even plows and such. The Philistines knew which Israelites had what, and when it was obtained, because they were the government.
  That type of regulation prevented the Israelites from rebelling against their master nation. That is the first example of “gun control” in the Bible because swords and spears were their “guns,” so to speak. The Israelites were in bondage out of fear because they had no useful weapons. (The government still wants to take away useful weapons.)
  As we can see from the key verse, the only real weapon at hand for David was Goliath’s steel sword. Of course, the Power of God was the Israelites real weapon as demonstrated in scripture as Jonathan, David, and at times Saul won in battles fought in the Name of the Lord. In other words, Saul was king in name only; it was God who was really King!
  If you’ll remember, President Obama said about the working class: “"They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." Obama, for one time, was very right! We are like the Israelites who were bitter against subjection by the Philistines and clung to their weapons and God! Now, note that the Philistines were immigrant sea peoples from Crete and elsewhere who came uninvited to the land promised to the Israelites by God in the Abrahamic Covenant. Most immigrants (Edomites) were welcomed into the Promised Land and lived peacefully with the Israelites. The violent Palestinians were not welcome in Israel because they were a danger to the Hebrew culture and religion, for they did not acknowledge the Israelite God.
  Why are Christians and conservatives against unfettered immigration? Because, like the early Palestinians, some are clear and present dangers. King David and Jonathan fought against those whose gods are not God. Mexicans have the same God; many Palestinians do not. Israel still fights to retain their independence which David won for them from the Palestinians over two-thousand years before! From the Bible, Christians know who wins the war of independence from Satan and Palestine, and for me and my household, we are with Yahweh, not Allah! We are still on David’s side and the Kingdom of David’s!
  Now examine the Palestinian version of “gun control” in those days, but let’s now call it “sword control,” keeping in mind that the sword was the “gun” of that time. (Note that if people don’t have guns they will find other weapons. Samson used a jawbone! One crazy man in the United States used fertilizer, proving it is not the weapon but the mentality of the people.)

Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” 20 But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle. (1 Sam 13:19)

So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son. (1 Sam 13:22)

  The Philistines (Palestinians) had an early form of “gun” control. It was the case of a bad government causing righteous people to pay tribute to an evil nation. We know from the Declaration of Independence of a similar event:

  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

  Democrats are afraid of that mindset, so they favor discarding the U.S. Constitution and particularly the Second Amendment!  (The “blacksmiths” of those days were the gun manufacturers of today. The first recourse is to limit the manufacturer of useful weapons which the Philistine did and liberals still do!)
  The liberal government of the United States, bullied by progressive Democrats, are the modern-day “Philistines” whose desire is to take away our effective weaponry just as the Philistines did with Israel. Note that confiscation of effective weaponry is the way of all despotic nations and those leaders who would enslave those they fear. Note that the Philistines feared the Israelites because they feared their miracle-working God, and the zealousness of those fighting for God. That’s why Democrats fear Christians and our clinging to our Bible and guns.
  The relationship between the Philistines and Israelites is an early picture of communism. I would write, “socialism,” but like modern day socialists, when that fails, they always return to violence. We see that in the modern-day Klan today – Antifa. In this situation, compare Trump to David, and the Democrats as the Philistines. They are in the process of selecting their “Goliath,” but it may end of being some loud-mouth woman or effeminate man who is afraid of swords, guns, and even plastic straws!

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (1 Sam 17:45) Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” (1 Sam 17:47)

  Christians today are on the right side. Jonathan was on the side of the Lord in those days and was heir to the kingdom. Can you image Hillary submitting to Trump? Well, that’s what Jonathan did, and he was righteous. Democrat leaders are not. They can’t kill Trump, but they can the elderly and innocent babies in the womb.
  Intimidation, malice, and hatred are their “swords,” and naïve people submit to their loud mouths. David heard the intimidation of Goliath and slung a smooth stone into his brain an killed him! David didn’t need a sword because he had the Word of the Lord! Even without guns, Christians still have the Lord and He is an Almighty Warrior!
  I believe the “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephes 6:17) was David’s killer stone, which by the way, liberals want banned from use! The Word of God is Jesus Christ, and worse than changing the second amendment is aborting the first amendment. Liberals actually believe they can kill God by removing Him from our nation! How naïve is that! We cling to our guns and Bibles. Imagine liberals fighting a revolution with neither guns or Bibles. They would come to fear the Lord!
In summary, dictatorships always take the guns and other weapons of war from people fighting righteous wars. Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were recent examples, and frankly that’s what all the Philistinian Democrat candidates for “king” want to do. King? Yes; with the power of the bully pulpit, they would be kings!
  We are in a Revolution at the moment. It actually started with the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason. That age, a Philistinian age, has not ended, but the world remains enslaved to Philistine-like bullies who intimidate and hate. Even physically, the world still fights the same religious war as did David and Jonathan. The war is still between whose God is stronger – Allah or Jehovah. Christians need to cling to their Bible and stick to our guns because those two instruments of war were how David overcame the Philistines and lived at peace as long as the Israelite God was their God!

On Friendships

KEY VERSES: ...The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul…  Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. (1Sam 18:1,3).

  “Soul” in this case, is transliterated from the Hebrew word nephesh. That same word is interpreted various ways throughout scripture such as: soul, life, person, mind, heart, body, and so forth.  It directly means “with all his living creature, or vitality” (Strong’s Dictionary). Where else has that been written?

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. (Luke 10:27)

  What is “vitality?” It is all the enduring power of a highly developed physical and mental vigor of a person (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). In other words, it is with all the strength of a living creature. Therefore “soul” used in the context of David and Jonathan was life, person, mind, heart, and body. It seems that all those ways of loving encompass what Luke wrote.
  “Knit” applied to David and Jonathan, and was uniting or binding together in a covenant. “Holy matrimony” is meant to endure forever, and it is written, “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mat 19:6). Man and wife are knit together just as David and Jonathan were. Of course, they were not married, but their friendship was much like the friendship within matrimony. That type of knitting together should be called Holy Friendship. Like the marriage covenant, David and Jonathan established a covenant of friendship. Like marriage, they were to even endure forever, Jonathan even placing David above his parent, King Saul.
  The covenant was a triangulation: Jonathan, David, and God. Their friendship was more than person to person, but knit together under God. They were covenanted together: They were pledged to love God (Commandments 1-4) and each other (Commandments 5-10). As I have written before, those “commands” not commands at all, but precepts, but more appropriately “prescriptions.” Why would there need be prescriptions? To heal hateful hearts. They are the prescriptions, items of the covenant, to turn degenerate hearts into loving hearts, and through “Doctor” God who came to heal the nations (Psalm 67:2; Rev 22:2)!
  Jonathan and David loved each other as Christians are to love one another. They are to love each other as they love themselves, and God more than themselves. Jonathan and David – a man after God’s own heart – lifted up God and diminished themselves by their mutual love. That was the Greatest and Second Greatest Commandment of which Jesus spoke! Their covenant was a picture of The Greatest Commandment and the one like unto it, as well as the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants, with the “Ten Words” or “Ten Prescriptions” being the terms of the contract. Contracture terms often have implied terms of fact, law, and custom.
  Implied Fact: People are capable of loving (Mat 22:39), although they are inclined to hate (Mat 6:24).
  Implied Law: There are punishments for infractions of the law (Job 19:29).
  Implied Custom: God always loves us (John 3:16) the way we should love Him (Mat 22:37).
  Thus, covenants have “capability” implied, although ease of complying is not implied. In fact, loving as God loves, is extremely hard work! Covenants do not have easy terms or a contract would not be needed! For instance, I must be very difficult to love because of few friendships. However, the friendships that I do have are much like Jonathan’s and David’s.
Some quit befriending when things get tough. When David lusted and sinned, Jonathan still loved David. That is Godly love and tough love. Friends don’t forget that, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Some who claim friendship easily forget that they too have sinned, and neither do they deserve to be loved. God forgets when we unfriend Him, as long as we are contrite. Christians seem to never forget sin, and such behavior exposes their lack of friendship.
Sure, Christians abridge friendships often but they can be reconciled, and must be for true Christians:   “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Col 3:13). Christian brothers and sisters should not need to reconcile because there should be no infringement on the contract which requires reconciliation.
There was a quote in a movie: “Love is never having to say you’re sorry.” I once took issue with that but now it is clearer. Love is not hurting others in the first place to require being sorry. That applies to God and others. Can it be done? Jesus did it! He never had to say that he was sorry! Of course, we will offend both God and friend, but we don’t have to do that!
  Another quote is, “I will forgive, but I’ll never forget!” Re-read Colossians 3:13 above. It says, “Forgive one another… even as Christ forgave you!” What if Christ forgave but never forgot? Would he had even forgiven if the held it against you? Forgiveness includes forgetting; just as God blots your sin from His mind, we are to blot others sins from our minds.  Some Christians even hate without a cause. Some people violate covenants without a reason, just because they can. That is human nature that is implied in the covenant. Christians with new natures must not be that way!
I have had Christian brothers “unfriend” me on Facebook merely because we had different opinions. I have had loved ones unfriend me because they didn’t like me quoting scripture of which they disagreed. I have had others unfriend me because of presumed sin.
  Let’s look at “presumed sin” for a moment: Party one assumes that party two abridged their space, and presumed they were guilty of an infraction affecting their friendship. As can be seen, there is an assumption and then presumption. That was the sin against Christ; the religious leaders assumed that Jesus was not God, and presumed him guilty of claiming to be so. He was really God, and as they say, “assume makes an ass of u and me.” Well, Jesus rode his ass to his death, but the real asses were assuming and presuming religious leaders. That type of unfriending is still at work today. Friends don’t assume nor do they judge with a different metric than they would have done to themselves (Mat 7:2).
  Friendship is an enduring covenant, not to be broken when even the terms are. Friendship means forever regardless of violation of the terms. That was the type of friendship that Jonathan and David had. They were knit together as one, each loving the other as each loved themselves, and God more than either of them loved themselves or each other!

Unsaved

  When God picked Saul to be king, he selected a humble man (1 Sam 9:21). Saul was so meek that when Samuel went through the selection process, Saul hid behind the farm implements. Obviously, he did not feel worthy to be king. David eventually wrote, and Jesus repeated it when he said, “The meek shall inherit the Earth” (Psalm 37:11; Mat 5:5). Spiritually, the meek shall inherit the Kingdom of God, and also New Jerusalem when it returns to Earth.

  Meek Saul inherited kingship over Israel. God blessed him with the entire country. Originally, Saul was only a Benjamite, the smallest of the twelve tribes, but under him Israel became a nation in spite of Saul! Before long, Saul elevated himself from king to royal priest in Samuel’s absence. God had elevated Saul to king (step 1), then shortly Saul elevated himself to priest (step 2). When Saul began to rout the enemies of Israel, he failed to credit God, and had a monument made of himself (step 3 in his elevation of himself.) Like Dr. Frankenstein who created a monster who turned on him, Saul became a “beast” who turned on God!

  Saul was somewhat humbled and contrite, but it seemed that his humble nature had changed. He went from meekness to prideful over just a few years. We must remember that God changed Saul: “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man” (1 Sam 10:6). God would rebirth Saul and make him a new creature. Shortly, “The Spirit of God” came upon Saul (1 Sam 11:6). People would say today, “Saul got saved!”

  That is a misconception. Theologically speaking, neither was Saul regenerated. Saul’s attitude had changed from one not confident even in himself to trusting the Lord. It would have been better for Saul if he had remained meek than king! If Saul had been regenerated, his attitude would have been like Adam’s before his sin which was “very good” (Gen 1:31), in the image of God. Saul, according to scripture, surely was “born again” (John 3:7), but he was not “saved.” Even Arminian preachers use the term “saved” too loosely. Salvation is for those whose faith endures to their end: “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Mat 10:22).

  Firstly, Saul’s faith reverted to his own actions. He failed to follow orders in two significant blunders. He was hated, but not for God’s Name sake, but because of Saul’s name. Likewise, although a believer in the Lord, he failed to trust God and do God’s Will. King Saul was typical of many “Christians” today, and throughout history. If it could be, Saul was half-saved, but that is not possible. Christians are entirely saved if they endure to the end. Saul failed the endurance test.

Saul had contrition and confessed to Samuel, “I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice” (1 Sam 15:24). Saul even sacrificed animals to the Lord, but at his own initiative, although he was told to destroy everything after the battle with Agag. Samuel told him:

Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. (1 Sam 15:22-23).

  Some would say that Saul only disappointed God and was rejected as king. However, Samuel pointed out that Saul’s sin was as witchcraft and his refusal to do God’s will as iniquity and idolatry. If Saul had been saved, then it seems that he became unsaved! Actually, unsaved is oxymoronic although Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as, “not absolved from eternal punishment,” and “not regenerated.” You may see the ambiguity here.

  “Regenerated” is a return to the generated or created state. Scripturally, no one can be regenerated but once: “If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Heb 6:6). If regeneration equals salvation, then it would be impossible to be saved, unsaved, and saved again since salvation is only at death when steadfast Christians are saved from eternal punishment: “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end” (Heb 3:14). Saul did not remain steadfast. It seems that Saul was not saved in the end!

  After God forbade it, Saul finally went to a medium to consult with a spirit posing as Samuel. Saul ended up trusting the medium and an apparition. (Note: I have explained before that the siting could not be Samuel, but an evil spirit posing as Samuel.) Obviously, King Saul elevated himself over God and was not saved from either the Philistines (representing the principalities of Satan) or from Satan himself! Although Saul had been “born again” by the grace of God, he still did not trust God for victory either in this life or into the next. Saul even died of his own initiative whether it was by the spear or sword.

  The point is that the Calvinistic doctrine of “preservation of the saints” (eternal security) does not fit this narrative. Some may say, “Well, that was in the Old Testament.” God’s Will is unchanging; what the Word, Jesus, said in the patriarchal days remains true in apostolic times and even until today. God did a work of grace with Saul. He changed him and stood by him. However, gradually Saul began to elevate himself over God. It was a slow process, perhaps forty-years, but in the end his narcissism was his demise, both physically and spiritually. Unlike David, Saul was not a man after God’s own heart, but a man after his own heart’s desire.

Which Leader to Follow?

KEY VERSE: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephes 6:12).

  The world has always feared dictators because dictators always use fear to control people. Kings are dictators. Some were fair but others horrendous. They all, however, had the power over life and death and freedom and servant-hood.

  During the time of the judges in Israel and Judah, for they had begun to diverge into regions much as the American North and South, all the other peoples had kings, but Israel did not. They did not depend on God and essentially governed themselves with judges who were military leaders and settled controversies with other peoples and within the Israelite nation.

  “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Jud 17:6). The judge system was maximum freedom. The only authority in Israel were judges and priests whose role was to keep “the Garden of Israel” safe and secure. Both of those groups were to serve and preserve the Israelites to keep them from outside harm, or harming themselves. “Serve and preserve” is just another way of saying, “dress and keep” the Garden of Israel (Gen 2:15), and Israel was surely the location of the Garden of Eden as tradition indicates, and scripture reveals. (I have written on that many times. See my blog or my book, The Skull of Adam.)

  In those days, the stronger nations were those whose gods appeared to be stronger. The pagan kingdoms feared Israel because Yahweh had demonstrated His power many times, and those nations knew that. In the time of Samuel, the Israelites had become evil and did not look to God for safety and security. At that time, mainly the Ammorites and Philistinians were a threat to Israel. The people were afraid and asked Samuel for a king to rule over them. Time and time again, God had demonstrated to Israel that He is a powerful and trustworthy king, but the people turned to other gods and worshiped them in high places. Rather than God, they felt they needed a king!

  Then the elders of the Israelites got what they asked for:

Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Sam 8:5-7)

  The Israelites had complete freedom as they could do whatever they pleased. God had covenanted with them to please Him and He would provide safety and security. Their pleasure was other gods to which they turned. God was sorely displeased with His chosen people, but He was graceful; He allowed them to have a king over themselves. Note that the Israelites traded their freedom for servitude to an earthly king, and had no idea who it would be. For them, any king would do!

  1 Samuel 8:10-18 describes kingship. God tells the elders that they would no longer be free but must serve the king. The description given describes the feudal fiefdom in its entirety. God was telling them that they were giving up their freedom for safety and security, and He even mentioned free things: “And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants” (1 Sam 8:14). Compare that to socialism with Karl Marx’s slogan: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”

  It turns out that for Marxism to operate, they too need a “king” to judge who has the ability and who has the needs. Usually, it turned out not to be needs but wants. Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and Mao turned out to be the various Marxist “kings.” Socialism has much in common with the feudal system of kings (See my latest book: A Day On the Democrat Plantation.) It turns out that the elders of the Israelites would trade away their freedom for the false security of having a king, along with nourishment they thought he would provide.

  God would not allow His people to be destroyed. He picked their king – Saul – who was not a righteous man, but God made him righteous. Saul showed humility and willingness (1 Sam 9:21). In God’s time, Saul would change: “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man” (1 Sam 10:6). God would rebirth Saul and make him a new creature as he did his namesake – Saul to Paul – long afterward! Shortly, “the Spirit of God” came upon Saul (1 Sam 11:6). God did all the changing with commoner Saul into King Saul. Saul was willing at that time and humbled by it. His nature would change in time when his status got to him.

  Saul was not only at war with his enemies, but with their gods. Now is the time to mention other “gods.” First off, there can only be one god to be a god. Gods (small “g”) would have to be almighty and creators. If truly a god, only one real God would be required. Thusly, only Yahweh is the One True God. Who are the other gods? Some had powers as the pharaoh’s magicians demonstrated. The Philistines defeated Israel and demonstrated the power of their god as did the Ammonites.

  “Gods” of other peoples do have power! However, they are not gods. If you’ll reread the key verse, Paul said that Christians fight “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Likewise, the Hebrew people have always done that. Righteous people are at war with demons – dark angels – and it is spiritual warfare. The idea of “high places” is not only in the spiritual realm but evil in the world. Fiefdoms, socialism, slavery, Sharia Law, and division (people hating people and God) are examples of spiritual warfare. In the end of time, they will all join forces and battle against God and Christians.

  It’s not progressive Democrats who we should fear, but their “king.” The king of the world at the present is the Prince of the Power of the Air named Satan. Socialists and other evil forces are merely Satan’s servants. He is their father, the lying Devil, and like him, they will deceive to gain power for him and themselves! The war within the world at the present is us Christians and Jews against the others. We must take care to turn to God with our bequests, unlike the Israelites who turned to kings.

God supplied a king for their safety, and made a new man of him. Not a perfect new man but one willing! At the present time, Donald Trump sounds very much like King Saul, and I have written on that before in my blog. However, unlike King Yahweh, he is an imperfect king, but he is still anointed by God. In my blog, I wrote that after Saul, God provided a better version – a man after God’s own heart. That man was King David. Perhaps a President Pence will be the new “King David!”

Many people rejected Saul, and were wont to overthrow God’s choice. Like it or not, Trump was God’s choice, as was Obama. God uses evil and persecution to demonstrate that people need the Lord. I believe that Obama is the reason that Trump was miraculously elected. “Draining the swamp” was what Saul did with those who rejected him! That’s what Trump is doing.

  Socialism is evil and Democrat leaders are purveyors of evil! Let us be patient and see what God has in mind, as all the people now insist that they can do what is right in their own eyes whether it is same-sex marriage, hedonism, abortion, or free love.

  My intent this morning was to write on the spiritual change within Saul, but my typing fingers had other ideas. It became apparent to me that the main lesson in the story of Saul is that dependence on the government is folly whether it be Saul, Trump, or judges. We must have trust in the Lord for nourishment, safety, and security.

  Without God, Saul was nothing. Without God, Trump would be nothing. It is God who changes things and kings are his mere instruments. We must always credit God, which the Israelites did not, and understand that the person is only anointed to do what God wills. Trump needs prayer for God’s Will. Rather than harass the man as Saul’s opponents often did, we should ask that God guide and protect him from the forces of evil!

On Irreverence

KEY VERSE:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (1 Tim 3:16).

  “Scripture” is canon and is the written Will and Purpose of God. “Canon” means it is authentic and recognized as such by the Church. Excepting the Ten Words (Ten Commandments), all scripture was written by the hand of men, but men inspired by God. The Ten Words were meant for perpetuity, thusly they are on stone and written by the finger of God. They were not merely for the Hebrews in patriarchal times, but The Ten Words are the metrics for how to love God and others – The One Greatest Commandment appended with a Second Greatest Commandment (Mat 22:36-40). To exercise those two commandments means keeping the precepts of the Ten Words. They are the articles of both the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenant, and surely include the Adamic Covenant as well!
  The purpose of God’s inspired words is enumerated in the key verse: (1) for doctrine, (2) for reproof, (3) for correction, and (4) for instruction in righteousness. People don’t care for the part about reproof and correction, and they feel free to ignore doctrine and instruction in righteousness. Many people believe in God, but “he” is a “god” they have fabricated in their minds as their own doctrine is deemed superior to God’s. God knew that would be the case:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9)

  Those who perceive their ways as superior to God’s Way portend to be “as gods” just as the Serpent acknowledged to Adam and Eve, knowing better than God “good and evil” (Gen 3:5). A great demonstration of this was in my conversation with a friend yesterday. I was explaining to him that “good works” is as “filthy rags to God” (Isa 64:6), and also that one need only be “born again” (John 3:7). I explained to him that it is the only “must be” in the New Testament! That is that he must realize that he is not God, has no power to save himself, but God can and will.
I thought that I was getting the concept of “grace” over quite well, and that its reception was welcome. Why would I do that? Because I so loved that man and  I want that he never perish but have everlasting life. (My own paraphrase of John 3:16 substituting my love for God’s. That is the Second Commandment of loving others.)
  Then I mentioned why I disagree with homosexuality. For some reason, that is his hot spot. My guess is that someone he loves is homosexual. With that said, love is wanting that homosexuals not perish, and here are God’s exact words on homosexuality (not mine):

(Thou) shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. (Lev 18:21:23).

  Carnal knowledge of the same sex profanes the Name of God which is Jesus. “Profane” is irreverence for God (Merriam Webster Dictionary). How is homosexuality irreverent to God? It is an “abomination” to God. Abomination is “disgusting” to God (ibid). How disgusting is it? God then brought up bestiality, which is another profane and disgusting act. The point is that both behaviors are unnatural. “Lying down” is an action, and is thus behavioral. They are NOT to do such things; that implies self-control. Genetic characteristics are beyond control, but behaviors are controllable, and God expects people to control their lusts. Control lusts? Certainly:

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. (Rom 1:26-28).

  Homosexuality is called a “vile affection.” According to Webster, “vile” is “morally despicable or abhorrent,” and behaviors which are “physically repulsive.” I’m not saying those things. Those accusations are the inspired word of God. Those who do those things or think otherwise have “reprobate” minds. I hate to be harsh, but their thoughts compared to God’s Thoughts are self-damning (reprobation). We need to be careful that we neither condone sin nor defend it because to do so is damning.
  In the case of homosexuals, should Christians just remain quiet and tolerate their vile behaviors and thoughts? No! We are to love them so much that we want that they not be damned! (From John 3:16). Remember that scripture is for “reproof and correction.” Reproof is rebuking them and correction is attempting to change their wrong-thinking and wrong-doing. Is that insensitive and cruel? It may seem that way, but in Hell there is no sensitivity except to pain, and torment is eternal cruelty. Would you rather offend someone for a moment to save them, and is it better for them to hurt for a day to save their pain for eternity? Rebuking sin and correcting behaviors to save lost people is the Second Greatest Commandment. Is it hard? It sure is because everyone knows a homosexual which they claim they love, but not enough to save those persons from Hell!
  My loved-one has been addicted to drugs. Because he is mine and I don’t want to offend him, does that make drug usage okay? No; because I love him so, I want that he not perish, and God says he should remain sober so as to face reality. Because we love someone does not make their sin acceptable to God. That is foolish-thinking and places our thoughts superior to God’s Thoughts, that is irreverent to God, and is also an abomination as we see from Leviticus 18:21). We must control our thoughts as well as behaviors!
  The argument with this friend was not with me. He argued with God. He even diminished God! Some of his points were:

1.       “I don’t care what it says, this is what I think.” That is irreverence.

2.       “You can make the Bible mean anything you want it to mean.” I ask, “How ambiguous is the word abomination?”  Mr. Webster defined it as “disgusting.” How hard is it to understand that God finds homosexual behavior disgusting? It does not matter that my friend does not… God does. He places his standards of morality above God’s That too is irreverence and is damning. I don’t want my friend to go to Hell, so I corrected him but he rejected correction.

3.       “It is not a behavior. They can’t help it.” That implies that my friend believes they were born that way. Would God command that they cease being homosexuals if he created them that way? That is just foolish talk. Scientifically, there is no research which proves that theory, yet people accept that lie because they are easy to deceive.

  There was much more to the conversation, but my greatest point to my friend, was that to be a Christian, he must trust God for doctrine, not the doctrine of men, as is written:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” (Ephes 4:13-15)

  How can people love homosexuals? By wanting them NOT to perish in Hell. Tough-love is rebuking and correcting their thoughts and behaviors. I made my friend angry and things got excited. The nature of men is to reject the Word of God in favor of their own words and their own doctrine. When I saw that I was getting nowhere, although I still love my friend, scripture tells me to “shake the dust from my feet and depart” (Mat 10:14). That I did, so as to not offend further. I shook the dust from my feet but not from my pen. A copy of this will be given to my friend to help him understand that the ways of men are not the Way of God.

Samuel: A Picture of Christians

KEY VERSE: Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. (1 Pet 2:9)

  In that passage, Peter (the writer) spoke of “the appointed” (1 Pet 2:8). The Hebrew word means specifically, “placed in an upright position.” God “places” by calling (2 Tim 1:9), “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Mat 22:14), or as well said, selected. Likewise, in the key verse “chosen” is as well said, selected. God calls, and some criteria is used for selection. We find from Jesus’s own words that “born again” is what one “must be.” (John 3:7). Although faith is a gift from God, like any gift it must be used to have utility. To be saved requires a life-time of using the gift of faith (Mat 10:22). Therefore, although Jesus paid the price (redemption), covenants have parties of two parts. Christians must want to be freed from the chains of sin.
  The way Satan works is deceiving people into believing that they are free moral agents, doing as they please – “what is right in their own eyes” (Jud 17:6). That attitude takes us back to the time of judges wherein the sons of the priest Eli were doing what was right in their own eyes – eating uncooked raw meat as their portion rather than boiled meat with the blood removed. God demands respect, and laws were meant for people to respect God. In modern times, as back then, most take God’s Will flippantly, doing as they please. Eli’s sons - Hophni and Phinehas - were heirs to the priesthood and Eli was about to die. They were not worthy, and God placed a curse on them. The lives of them and their descendants would be cut short, and by the way, God would create a new priest worthy of the position. Eli's sons were appointed by reason of lineage, but Samuel was afterwards selected by God.
  As He did in many miracles, God chose Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, to bear a worthy priest. What was so miraculous about that? Hannah’s womb was “closed.” A closed womb is a biological condition of the cervix and fluids wherein sperm cannot enter to impregnate. It was physically impossible for Hannah to conceive by natural means. That didn’t stop God. He answered Hannah’s prayer request, and Samuel was conceived by Elkanah. Not only a child, but a peculiar child! How was Samuel peculiar? It appears that he was born a Nazerite, as was Samson, whose life was dedicated to the Lord. Unlike Samson, though, there is no record of Samuel breaking the vows of a Nazarite. He endured to the end.
  Samuel was to become the first “royal priest” to Saul, and then to King David. Look at the key verse. Those selected by God are of “a royal priesthood.” Implied with that, is that those selected were to be like Samuel – Nazarites. Not to focus on the hair-cutting, but to be sanctified as Samuel was. Sanctification is maintaining faith to the end, refraining from sin, and living a life dedicated to God. Samuel did that, and so can contemporary Christians, because they too are selected by God. Calvinism seems to disdain holiness because they fail to understand the purpose of The Law (That is the Antinomialism heresy.)
  Samuel was called. God called him from the womb. That was not peculiar in itself because all are called! The “peculiarity” is because so few hearken to the call. If you’re remember, Adam did not hearken to God with original sin, he hearkened to Eve (Gen 3:17). Samuel heard God’s voice and hearkened to His call.
  Eli’s sons did not hearken to The Law, and certainly failed to detect God’s calling. “Born again” is persuaded that we can’t save ourselves, but trusting in God that He can. It is diminishing ourselves and elevating God (Luke 16:31). It is dependent upon Christians to use their reasoning to be persuaded to follow God, and trust Him for safety and salvation. Now compare God’s selection of Samuel after the appointment of Hophi and Phinehas:

And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. (1 Sam 2:35)

  That was God choosing Samuel, and what made him peculiar, was that he would praise God rather than reject His tenants as Hophi and Phinehas who did their own will. Note that how God called Samuel is how Christians are called in the key verse! Also, from the key verse, it says, “Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Those called must see the light, of course, the truth about God and from God. Seeing the light is born again (John 3:19-21). In Samuel’s case, it is written:

And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here am I; for thou didst call me.” And he (Eli) answered, “I called not, my son; lie down again.”  Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. (1 Sam 3:6-7)

  God called Samuel. He selected him to be the royal priest. Eli had nothing do with Samuel’s calling; it was all God’s calling and His Words! Preachers and deacons make a big ado about their “calling.” They are not any more peculiar than any other Christian.  We all are called to be of the royal priesthood. Preachers are called to be Christians, but the position of bishop is appointed. Samuel was appointed as prophet by the Israelites and as judge by the Israelites, but chosen by God. Saul appointed Samuel royal priest, then Saul tried to perform that duty himself. The king appointed royal priests. With no king today, THE KING Jesus appoints royal priests, and bishops and deacons have no part in that.
  Samuel had the Word revealed to him by God. “The Word” is Jesus. Again I say, God revealed (manifested) is who Jesus Is. Jesus selected Samuel, and the Holy Ghost of Jesus selects Christians. (Assigning different personages to the Holy Trinity is the heresy of Arianism. There is but one God with three aspects or substances: Mind, Spirit, and Flesh).
  When God revealed the light (truth) to Samuel, he finally knew the Lord (Jesus is Lord.)  He was set free from deception when he saw the light. Again, examine the key verse: “from darkness into His marvelous light.” Samuel was selected by God, but he too had to be persuaded. When he listened to God’s Voice, he became persuaded.
  That’s the same for Christians: God calls, we hear His silent Voice, realize the truth; then it is on our shoulders. Using our God-given free will, God must be accepted as King to reign over ourselves. That truth was revealed to Samuel and throughout his life, God reigned, even unto his death. Samuel had enduring faith, not just a moment of contrition. Faith is time dependent; it varies throughout life, but faith (trust in God) must be maintained. In 1 Samuel 2:5 above it is written, “He (Samuel) shall walk before mine anointed for ever.” That is a lifetime walk, not just a short walk to the altar then a turnaround. “Forever” is endurance to the end! That’s the same duration of faith that Christians are to have!
  Samuel did not need to endure on his own. The same passage says, “I will build him a sure house.” Samuel was not alone. His priesthood was aided and abetted by God. Samuel’s temple prevailed until his end. Christians have God’s house within. Our “house” is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16).
  What was Peter thinking when he assigned Christians to the royal priesthood? He was thinking of Samuel. How should Christians live? As God directed Samuel, He likewise directs us. Royal priests are to be like the Nazarites because they were like Jesus. Yes, Jesus was surely a Nazarite as well as John the Baptist. God ordained them Nazarites at birth. God sanctifies those who become Christians at rebirth.

  On a personal note, why do I write commentary? When I was alone with God one day years ago, He revealed to me Jesus. I saw Jesus in all the Old Testament. Then I became angry! Why was I never taught that the Voice in the Garden and the Word who spoke to the prophets was Jesus? Why did they not preach and teach that what was good for Samuel was good for us? I write because the gospel story was revealed to the prophets throughout ancient times. For instance, when I read Genesis 1-3, I am revealed the gospel of Jesus! I write of these things because our appointed bishops and deacons most often fail to have the truth revealed. The Lord of Samuel is also my Lord. That persuades me to be a Christian and endeavor to allow God to maintain my spiritual “house.”