30th May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Revelation 4v6-11) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


As John’s caught a vision of Heaven he couldn’t help but hear the constant praise that was being offered up unto the Lord. From where did this praise come? John saw four living creatures worshipping God (v6). There was one like a lion, another like an ox, one with the face of a man and one more like a flying eagle (v7). The fact that these creatures had six wings and were full of eyes suggest that they were angels and we have already met them in Ezekiel 1.


What are we to understand by the these strange beings? Each angel represented an aspect of God’s creation. The lion is famously the King of the jungle full of nobility and strength. The ox is a beast of burden and an animal of the land with great strength. Men are made in God’s image and they were given dominion over God’s creation as the wisest of all God has made. The eagle is rapid in flight and from his lofty perch sees all that goes on across the land. The point is this - all creation is to give it’s praise to Almighty God.


The worship of these great beings was constant and they never stopped saying “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (v8). As the creatures worshipped so too did the twenty-four elders who fell down before God, throwing their crowns before Him and saying “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things,  and by your will they existed and were created.” (v11).


What is Heaven like now? It is a place of ceaseless praise where God is exalted above everyone and everything. Have you ever noticed that sometimes the last thing we want to do is worship? Perhaps we grumble about the song choices or we are distracted by the troubles of this world or we say like experts “I didn’t get much out of that this morning.”


A day is coming that all of our sin will be put away forever and we will be delighted, thrilled and amazed at the sight of our God. How will we respond when we see Him? Not with apathy or boredom but ceaseless praise. We will stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene.


Sing


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Q81 What is forbidden in the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.
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29th May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 29 focus v9-11)


Message (Alan Burke)


Today I want to begin by taking you to 2 Timothy 2:13 where we are told: if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. That is what came to my mind as I’ve been working through this passage. David had been an eejit; his sin had led him to a place where he was facing the unintended consequences for his actions. If we were in charge, we’d have likely let him face them, but the LORD had sovereignly worked, giving David a ‘get out of jail free card’ so David was saved from himself; the LORD has worked in spite of David, and so he heads back to Ziklag, and the Philistine army went to Jezreel. The LORD was faithful even though David had been faithless. 


The LORD was at work in all that was unfolding; he was working out all that was unfolding in spite of David; he by his invisible hand is working all things and is always working, guiding and directing, for our good and his glory, and as people, we can be sure of that, for God by his providence is at work. The wonderful comfort as we come to this passage for all of us is that The LORD Works In spite Of Ourselves. He can bring good about even when we do that which is sinful; he can bring about good in circumstances of our own making. In 1 Samuel 30:6 we are told: David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD, his God. (1 Sa 30:6). 


We’ll get into the ins and outs of why his men were talking of stoning him next week, but for now, it is how David found strength in the LORD. David was a flawed sinner like you and I, but what was different between him and Saul was his faith. The LORD was at work in all that David faced. For David, no matter how weak that faith and flawed that faith was, he was still a man of faith. 


As Paul says in Philippians 1, it tells us that he who has begun a good work will bring it to completion (Phil 1:6). What God has started in us, he will finish; he will bring it to completion. Those who are saved cannot lose their salvation. And this is good news for us because just as David was a flawed sinner, we all are, and our eternal security is not dependent on us. It is dependent not on our strength, our commitment, our own perseverance, but it is dependent on God. God preserves us; he will keep all of the true sheep from eternally straying. Even when we are faithless, he is faithful. 


Believer, nothing can, nothing can separate you from the love of God. You will persevere because God will preserve you; nothing will be able to snatch you from the hand of the saviour. Our confidence, our assurance comes not because of us; it doesn’t rest on who we are or what we have done or can do. It rests on the Lord Jesus, what the Triune God has done for us. As we are reminded in the Westminster Confession of Faith when it says, “They, whom God has accepted in his Beloved (the beloved being Jesus Christ, His only Son), effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved” (17.1). David persevered; he was preserved even though he had fallen into sin; likewise, for the true believer, we will be preserved, for our God is faithful even when we are faithless.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q80 What is required in the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbor, and all that is his.
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28th May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Revelation 4v4-6) 


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Heaven is where the Faithful go when we die and if we aren't convinced by that then John has something to say. He had been given a view of Heaven by Jesus and his initial vision focused on the immense beauty and glory of God. Then as his eyes took in the wider scene, the Apostle saw twenty-four elders who were dressed in white and wearing crowns on their heads (v4).


Who were these elders? Twelve plus twelve is twenty-four and these figures were representative of the entire church of Christ. Twelve tribes and twelve Apostles makes twenty-four with their white robes symbolising how they had been forgiven with their crowns showing their victory. The message is clear - when we think of Heaven we cannot help but consider that it is our home. The Church triumphant is there right now and they are before the throne of God day and night. Who can hurt them? Who can trouble them? Who can pluck them from the Lord's hand? No one.


As if to underpin this point further John is aware of flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder (v5) coming from the throne. This same language was used of God when He gave His law at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20v18). For the suffering Christian in John's day it was a clear word of testimony that the Lord was still working and moving in power. Throughout Revelation as God worked we are told of peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake (Revelation 8v5, 11v19, 16v18). Heaven therefore is not just a place of rest but it is a place where the Lord continues His mighty work which is carried out by the seven spirits of God (v5b).
Should we think that there is the Holy Spirit and seven others? No. This is a description of the Holy Spirit who is perfect and therefore the number seven is His. Seven throughout Scripture denotes completeness and so once more God's people are given a glimpse of Heavenly realities which show a mighty, moving, working God who sends out His Spirit and whose will be done.


But if Heaven sounds like a busy and extraordinarily loud place, John saw before the throne a sea of glass like crystal (v6). If the world is in constant turmoil then Heaven never is. The Lord is there and He is both glorious and at work and the Saints of God are there and they are both saved and secure. If all we long for in this world is a bit of peace then we can be certain that we have it when we see glory. What is Heaven like now? God is reigning, His people praising and His will is done.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q79 Which is the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
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27th May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 29 focus v6-8)


Message (Alan Burke)


Say you look for a new job because you’ve got a new boss, and they are an absolute pain to work for. The new job is further away; you expected to spend more time on the commute, but after a while, it starts to become too much. Then you realise the job that you’re doing isn’t what you really want to be doing, but at least the boss is okay, but then you find yourself with colleagues who aren’t good for you; you find yourself compromising what you know is right. Unintended consequences. Our lives are filled with unintended consequences, and I’m pretty sure David had no idea of the consequences of the decisions that he made. He had got himself into a situation of his own making, with his lies he had been digging his own grave to an extent. He likely thought how on earth was he going to get out of this one, after all he had done such a great job of hiding the truth from Achish. The commanders wanted Achish to send David away and well he does what they say, David is sent away. 


But notice what Achish says to David in v6; ‘So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the LORD lives,…”’. Achish here uses the personal name of God denoted to us in capital letters. Remember he is a pagan; he would have worshipped false gods, like Baal, Astarte, Asherah, and Dagon. And yet he is the one who evokes the personal name of God. The only mention of the LORD in this narrative comes from the lips of Achish and not David. It is striking that the man who was introduced to us as a man after the LORD’s heart has failed to trust in the LORD (see 1 Sam 13:14, Acts 13:22), he had forgotten what it was to trust in his deliverance; for the past sixteen months he had lived a life of deception, a shadow of the man who faced up against Goliath, saying that he came in the name of the LORD, Heaven’s Armies, the God of the God of the armies of Israel… (1 Sam 17:45-47). 


None of this should surprise us, for David was a sinful man, just like you and I are sinful; we all face the danger of falling into sinful behaviours, of wandering from the truth; we should always be on guard; we may say that will never happen to us, but there is every chance because of how deceitful sin is. Achish conveyed his total confidence in David; it makes it clear just how good David had been at his deception. David bought the spoils of war to Achish; Achish, though, had not seen the reality of David’s life; he hadn’t gone with David into battle. Words are one thing; we can say lots of things, talk the talk as such, but for the believer, the reality of who we are is often seen in how we live, in how we walk the walk. David had strayed from what he knew to be true, and he had taken Achish in by his deception. 


The irony in all of this comes in David’s response at being sent away. While he should be marvelling at how the LORD had sovereignly worked, getting him out of the mess that he has made for himself, the unintended consequences, that he was being delivered by the hand of the LORD, but the deception after the deception led to David asking “What have I done?”. The wise thing for David would have simply been to say something like “if my lord wishes”, but his deception continues in his very next breath; it reveals a lot as he asks; “Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” David’s folly continued on, yet the LORD was at work in spite of David; he is sovereign, even in David’s folly, and he was and is at work. The LORD is sovereign even in our sinful actions, in Acts 2 we are told; This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross (Ac 2:23). The LORD used the sinful actions of sinful people who made the free choice to put Jesus to death for his set purpose and he uses our sinful actions, that should never be an excuse or reason to sin but we can take comfort that the LORD uses us in spite of ourselves, even in our folly. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q78 What is forbidden in the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own or our neighbor’s good name.

26th May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Revelation 4v1-3) 


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Heaven is an actual place beyond the sky and the stars. It is where Jesus is and it is the place where Christians go when they die. Initially the Christian will endure a separation of body and soul with the body placed in the grave. Even so, the Christian's soul will be made perfect and be carried by the angels to the place called Paradise.


It is hard to understand how but the Christian will still be conscious and aware of what is going on in Heaven. No one will be disappointed although all will wait for the resurrection when body and soul will be rejoined forever. But what is Heaven like right now? We catch a little glimpse of glory in Revelation 4.


John was called by Jesus up to Heaven in the Spirit; where he saw a throne and someone on the throne. Who was it? It was God with authority and power to rule. The beauty of the Lord shone out with God described as having the appearance "of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald." (v3). Jasper is white or translucent displaying the dazzling brightness of God's holiness and carnelian is red showing the fierceness of God's wrath. The emerald green rainbow reminds us of God's promise to Noah and His grace to sinful humanity (Genesis 9v13). No wonder Scripture says that God covers Himself with light (Psalm 104v2) dwelling in unapproachable light (1st Timothy 6v16).


There is great and awesome beauty to be found in this world - the Grand Canyon is breathtaking, the view from Slieve Croob is awesome and the Bride on her wedding day is a sight to behold. Nevertheless, the beauty of the Lord is more than we can comprehend. When we think about Heaven in terms of what we will or won't be able to do we miss the one vital focus of John's vision - on the throne is God Himself in unspeakable, majestic and glorious beauty. Brothers and sisters, by faith you will get to see the Lord and your eyes will have never seen anything or anyone as staggeringly beautiful as Him. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q77 What is required in the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing.
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25th May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 29 focus v1-5)


Message (Alan Burke) 


Let’s say you get chickens. I’d love some chickens, the motivation is to have fresh eggs every day; it seems very appealing. You get two chickens, then you need to buy all the stuff to look after them; you need a lot of fresh eggs to make up for your outlay. Even so, initially, it seems like a good decision. But then it comes to you going on holiday, and someone needs to look after the chickens, unless you decide they are for the pot and you get a couple more when you come back. Although as time goes on, there are other unexpected consequences. After you’ve had the chickens for a few months, you start to see that the food is disappearing, there is a chewed hole in the chicken coop, and rat droppings. You just wanted a couple of chickens for fresh eggs, but now you’ve got rats as well. Unintended consequences are more than you can handle, so the chickens have to go. 


Today we come to 1 Samuel 29 and David is facing the unintended consequences of his own sin. He had sought to escape the relentless pursuit of Saul, so he had gone to live amongst his enemies in the territory of Gath. This wasn’t the first time that he had tried to escape from Saul and live among the Philistines; the last time, he pretended to be insane so that the Philistines did not kill him (21:10-15). This time, he didn’t have to pretend to be insane because it would have been known of Saul’s pursuit of David, that he was the enemy of Saul. He was able to go and live among them, because, well, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ as the saying goes. 


There in Gath, David was given Ziklag, but he was living a double life; he had woven a web of lies. He had been going off to fight against the enemies of Israel, and he would leave not a man or woman alive so that the Philistines would not find out what he was doing. Then he would bring back the spoils of war, taking the sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes back to Achish and tell him that he had gone out against the enemies of the Philistines. In his deception, his lies, he had told Achish that he had gone out “Against the Negev of Judah” (27:10). Deceiving Achish to believe that he had killed his own people.


Yet in these opening verses we see the LORD sovereignly working. He was going to fight against his own people but the commanders of the other four Philistine kings protest at the fact that David is even there. They ask “What about these Hebrews?” The LORD was at work in the midst of this situation. While Achish defended David, the other Philistines didn’t buy in so easily. They knew who David was, they remembered David was their enemy, who killed Goliath who had killed tens of thousands of their people. The LORD was sovereignly at work in this. David could have marched out against the armies of Israel along with the Philistines, but the LORD used the commanders of the Philistines to have David sent away.


The LORD was working in spite of David. He was at work and is at work in all that is going on. He is in all things working for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28). David had faced much according to his own sin, his own folly, but the LORD was working in spite of him to achieve his purposes. While David was saved from the consequences here, it doesn’t mean that we will be saved from the consequences of our sin in what we face, yet he works in spite of ourselves and while we may face the consequences of our sin in the here and now, eternally we know that our sin has been dealt with, for; In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Eph 1:7)


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q76 Which is the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
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23rd May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (2 Kings 2v11-12) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


The first heaven is the sky, the second heaven is space and the third heaven is Heaven itself and that's where we go after death. But how does our soul make it's way to Jesus? I think we are carried there by the angels.


I know that sounds incredibly dramatic but I believe it is supported by Scripture. I don't know how long this journey will take but I don't expect it will last terribly long. But when we die our souls are immediately made perfect and they go to be with Jesus. I'm fairly certain that the soul of a Christian doesn't just float off into the ether but instead we are carried and brought to Glory by the messengers of Christ Himself.


We're told very little about Enoch's departure to Heaven, just that he was no more because God took him (Genesis 5v24). Elijah on the other hand was much different. When the great Prophet had reached the end of his time on earth we are told "As Elijah and Elisha still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, 'My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!' And he saw him no more." (2 Kings 2v11-12). Elijah didn't just disappear but he was taken up to Heaven by chariots and horses of fire in a whirlwind with Elisha able to see him until the Prophet disappeared from view.


Now you might read today's passage and say "I don't see any angels!" But in Isaiah 66v15 we are told that when the Lord comes in judgement, He will come in fire with His chariots like the whirlwind. This is a description of the angels and it matches what Elisha saw in 2 Kings 2v11-12. Additionally, some angels are called the seraphim which means "the burning ones" and other angels are described as having an appearance of burning coals of fire (Ezekiel 1v13) and wheels within wheels (Ezekiel 1v16). Therefore, we can say that Elijah was carried to heaven by the angels. Later in the New Testament the same is said for Lazarus who Jesus described as being carried to Abraham's side by the angels (Luke 16v22).


I am a huge fan of the late Johnny Cash and many years ago I read his autobiography. In his book he spoke of the tragic death of his brother Jack saying “My dad came into the room I was in at 6:44 am, May 12th, 1944. And I heard him praying, and crying. He said, ‘Let’s go gather around the bed, he’s dying.’ We went in there. Jack would come out of the coma, and he was so lucid. And he told every one of us goodbye. Then he closed his eyes and said, ‘Mama, can you hear the singing? Do you see the angels?’ She said, ‘No, I can’t.’ He said, ‘Oh, I do. How beautiful.’ And then he died.” 


I'm not going to stake my life on a story like this one but I think the Bible gives us enough evidence to suggest that when death comes it will be the angels who carry us to Jesus. Maybe we'll catch a glimpse of them before we go, perhaps we'll hear their song but absolutely they will take us to Heaven and there we will gaze upon Jesus.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q75 What is forbidden in the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth, or may, unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbor’s, wealth, or outward estate.
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22nd May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 28:7-25)


Message (Alan Burke)


Here do you remember Mystic Meg? You may not, but her name became synonymous with foretelling the future, to the extent that the answer was “I'm not Mystic Meg”. She was a regular on the National Lottery Live show and she attempted to predict facts about the future winner. Like, if she was so good at what she did, then why didn’t she just pick the numbers herself and ride into the sunset with the winnings? She couldn’t, because she was only an entertainer. Well, here Saul is between a rock and a hard place. He tells his attendants to “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.” Remember, this is Saul who we are told in v3 had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. When his insurance policy doesn’t work out, when the LORD is silent, he immediately turns to that which the LORD has forbidden. 


His attendants tell him, “There is one in Endor.” Now that’s only a few miles from where they were, and so Saul goes dressed as a woman under cover of darkness. Then, as Saul comes to this woman again, she is able to tell him that Saul has forbidden this practice. So he invokes the name of the LORD to assure this woman that there will be no consequences for her doing this for him, which he had no right to do. 


Do you see what the rejection of the LORD and his sin has done in Saul’s life? He was willing to do anything; nothing was off-limits when he was desperate enough. He was willing to do what he knew to be wrong. Sin is so deceptive that that is what it does. Because of sin, we can justify anything if we want it badly enough; you can believe one thing but live another, you can condemn others for doing something you yourself do. And then you try to cover up that sin with more sin. 


Sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death (Jam 1:5). Unless we repent of our sin, it will only lead to our destruction. When you’ve rejected the LORD, all you have is the Devil. 1 John 3 tells us: This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister (1 Jn 3:10). 


The woman’s reaction shows she was a fake, because this was the last thing she expected to happen, just like Mystic Meg. Then, as Samuel appears, Saul bows down; he prostrated himself, with his face to the ground, and Samuel speaks, asking why he has disturbed him. In response, Saul explains his great distress, for God has turned away from him. He already knew this to be true; back in chapter 15, there Samuel told Saul how: “ You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!… He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind” (1 Sam 15:27-29).


The thing is that it was too late for Saul. He should have sought the LORD and his will throughout his life, and now at the end of it, it was too late. The response of Saul to what he has heard is that he falls to the ground; the shock had overcome him. It was all too much. In all of this, there is a reminder that for those who are disobedient to the LORD, then they will face his judgement. We can say that we were never warned of the danger, but we have been, for God has made it plain to all so that they are without excuse (Ro 1:19–20).


Hebrews 9:27 tells us: Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement. It is something we all face. We need to trust in the word of the LORD and know not his rejection but his grace in abundance, and a hope that lasts for all eternity. Have you done that? If you have, know that nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:35-39).


Pray (acTS)


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Q74 What is required in the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others.
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21st May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (2 Corinthians 12v1-4)


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


When Jesus taught His Disciples about Heaven a man called Thomas asked a very relevant question "How can we know the way?" (John 14v5). The Lord famously answered that He was the way to Heaven (John 14v6) and indeed, if you want to go to Heaven then you must put your faith in Christ.


But where is Heaven actually and physically? We know that Heaven is an actual place because Jesus is there body and soul. So where is it and how do we get there? Scripture doesn't give us actual coordinates but we are able to say something. Did you know that Paul was once blessed by being brought up to Heaven? Paul didn't boast about it and he didn't even say that it was him who had this experience. He told the Corinthians that he knew a man who had been caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12v2). The general consensus is that Paul was the man and he had visited heaven maybe in his body but maybe not (2 Corinthians 12v2b).


Did you notice that Paul called Heaven "the third heaven"? What did he mean? Paul wasn't inventing a brand new place. In 2 Corinthians 12v3 he says that he had gone to Paradise. As far as Paul was concerned, the third heaven was Paradise and the place where all Christians will go to be with Jesus. But why the third heaven? Look above you. Do you see the clouds in the sky? That's the first heaven. Later on go outside and look up at the stars in the sky, that's the second heaven. Yet Paul was taken to the heaven above the heavens, the third heaven, Paradise, where Jesus is. 


Scripture interprets Scripture and we are told that Christ has passed through the heavens (Hebrews 4v14) and now stands at the right hand of the Father exalted above the heavens (Herbews 7v26). So where is Heaven? It is up somewhere beyond the sky and stars and is an actual place of joy and rest for those who have trusted the Saviour. Paul once visited Heaven for a brief time but today he rests there with all the Saints in the presence of Christ. I want to go there too and thankfully I know the way. Jesus said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14v6).
 
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Q73 Which is the eighth commandment? The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.
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20th May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 28:4-6)


Message (Alan Burke)


Like a train wreck in slow motion. I’m sure you’ve heard that idiom. What it refers to is a situation where a disaster is unfolding gradually and is obvious to everyone involved, yet they feel powerless to stop it. Well, Saul’s reign was that, a train wreck in slow motion. He had started well; he had the appearance of a man who was going to do what the LORD required of him; he’d expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land; he’d fought the battles, but as time went on, the LORD rejected him because he consistently disobeyed God's commands and failed to listen to God's word delivered by the prophet Samuel. He’s continued to reign, but his card was marked; he was the rejected king, and while to everyone else on the face of it, he might have been doing a bang-up job, Saul was a pretender; he did not love the LORD God, his ways, his word. 


Here we learn of a national crisis that has come. The Philistines have come together and assembled their forces against Israel. With the Philistines assembled at Shunem, Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. What we are told is that Saul enquired of the LORD. We might think, here, how could he be rejected by the LORD; he’s a man of faith turning to the LORD in this situation, but he’s treating the LORD like his good luck charm, his insurance policy, his get-out-of-free card. Like many people in a time of crisis, they start praying, going to church, trying to sort out their life in the hope that the LORD will work; it’s just the same. Saul inquired of the LORD because of the fear of the Philistines; he’s in crisis mode, no other reason. And when he inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, not by dreams of Urim or prophets. Notice there is nothing mentioned of the priests here; that’s because he’d killed them all, and the only one left alive, Abiathar son of Ahimelek, who had gone to David (1 Sam 22:20).


1 Chronicles tells us something about Saul’s enquiring of the LORD. In 1 Chronicles 10, we are told: 13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David, son of Jesse. (1 Ch 10:13–14). Now this that at first glance seems to contradict what we are told here, but it doesn’t because Saul had shown time and time again that the LORD was merely an insurance policy; instead of looking to the LORD and his word as his rule and guide, Saul did things his own way. Back in chapter 15, Samuel had said to Saul: “…You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!” (1 Sam 15:26). 


When do you find yourself seeking the LORD and his will for your life? Is it in times of crisis, times when you’ve been a rock and a hard place, treating the LORD like your lucky charm, some kind of genie in a bottle when everything else fails? Because if so, then there is something wrong. It is not a relationship that you have with the LORD; instead, you are treating him as nothing more than an insurance policy. We are to come in faith and seek him earnestly. That is what Hebrews 11:6 reminds us: “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Heb 11:6).


Sadly, Saul was not a man of faith; he was only seeking the LORD in desperation, as an insurance policy. Long before this, the LORD had departed from him and become his enemy (1 Sam 28:3, 6, 16). Because of Saul’s own rejection of the LORD and his word, and so the LORD had given him over, he gave Saul exactly what he wanted. We are to trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Pr 3:5–6). Saul hadn’t done this; have you, have you trusted in the LORD’s salvation in his Son Jesus Christ, and are you living for him?


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q72 What is forbidden in the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.
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