Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

Saul falls away from his position of favor with the Lord in a series of three falls. In chapter 13, he did not wait for Samuel to sacrifice, as he had been instructed to. In chapter 14, he makes a rash vow concerning the battle, and doubles down with a self-maledictory oath. And here, in chapter 15, he falls the third time, and for good, when he rebels against the express command of the Lord.

The Text

“Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass . . .” (1 Sam. 15:1-35).

Summary of the Text

Samuel begins by reminding Saul that he was the one used by the Lord to anoint Saul as king (v. 1). Therefore, listen carefully. God remembered the sin the Amalek, how they treated Israel coming out of Egypt (v. 2). Saul was therefore commanded to undertake a holy war, destroying everything (v. 3). So Saul mustered an army at Telaim, men from Israel and Judah both (v. 4). Saul approached a city of Amalek (v. 5), and told the Kenites, allies of Israel, to clear out, which they did (v. 6). And so Saul wiped out the Amalekites (v. 7). Saul spared the life of Agag the king, but everyone else was killed (v. 8). But Saul and the people together spared the best of the livestock (v. 9).

So the word of the Lord came to Samuel (v. 10), saying that He had repented of making Saul king. This grieved Samuel, and he cried to the Lord all night over it (v. 11). So Samuel got up early, and was told that Saul was in Gilgal (v. 12). Samuel approached, and Saul pretended that he had obeyed (v. 13). What is the meaning of all the livestock noise then (v. 14). Saul responds with blame-shifting. They spared those, but we destroyed these (v. 15). Then Samuel said that he would repeat what God had told him the night before (v. 16). When you were humble, did not God make you a king (v. 17). When you were given the command of a king, why were you not then humble (vv. 18-19)? Saul tries to brazen it out, claiming that reinterpreted obedience is still obedience (v. 20). But the people, they took the spoil, that which ought to have been destroyed, and they kept it for sacrifice to the Lord, your God (v. 21). Samuel replies, does the Lord delight in ritual more, or in obedience more (v. 22). Rebellion is like witchcraft, and stubbornness is like idolatry (v. 23). Saul rejected the word of the Lord, so now the word of the Lord rejects Saul (v. 23).

Saul then confesses his sin, but he uses quite an ordinary word for it—he does not yet grasp the gravity of what he has done (v. 24). And he confesses that he was fearful of the people. He asks Samuel to worship with him, to keep up appearances (v. 25). Samuel refuses, and repeats the Lord’s rejection of Saul (v. 26). As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed his robe and it tore (v. 27). Samuel takes it as a sign, and repeats the Lord’s rejection a third time (v. 28). The Lord is not a man that He should repent (v. 29). Saul confesses again, and pleads with Samuel to worship with him (v. 30). Samuel relents and worships together with Saul . . . for the last time (v. 31).

Then Samuel commanded that Agag be brought to him (v. 32). And Samuel cut Agag up in pieces in Gilgal (v. 33). Samuel and Saul returned to their respective homes in Ramah and Gibeah (v. 34), about ten miles apart. They never saw each other again, but Samuel mourned for him (v. 35). And God repented that He had made Saul king (v. 35).

The Lord’s Repentance

Some foolish men take the statements of vv. 10 and 35 out of their context, ignoring v. 29, and say that God is interactive in time, right along with the rest of us. But God is not locked inside the time/space continuum, trouble-shooting as He goes. Others, with an abstract kind of Calvinism, take v. 29 out of context, pretending that God never enters into history as the God who acts. The solution is to accept all the Bible, all the time, and acknowledge that God inhabits eternity, and His decrees cannot be altered, and God also stoops in order to reveal Himself in history. Why should this be hard to understand? We still speak of sunrise instead of earthturn—even though we are Copernican with regard to the decrees.

The Replacement Pattern

We have spoken often of the great motifs or patterns in Scripture. Here is another one. We have seen “death and resurrection,” “exile and return,” Here we see the great theme of replacement. The last Adam replaces the first. The younger son replaces the eldest. The first king gives way to the second. Mary was told that her Son would be the cause of rising and falling in Israel, and Hannah was told much the same thing. And when this happens, as it does with Saul, we see the stubbornness of entrenched authority, a stubbornness that will not take yes for an answer.

Righteousness or Ritual?

Samuel dismisses sacrifices, setting them in opposition to obedience. David does the same when he says, “Sacrifices and burnt offerings You did not require,” even though God did require them. Hosea says, and Jesus repeats, that God desires mercy and not sacrifice, even though, technically, God required both. Samuel knew this perfectly well—he had been conducting sacrifices his entire life.

What should that do for us, and our understanding of our liturgy? What should it do for our approach to our ritual, the way we worship the Lord? Liturgy is a sack, which God loves to periodically turn inside out in order to shake. When He does this, all the true Christians fall out, and He takes them to Heaven.

Read Full Article

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

We have seen how Saul stumbled by trying to sacrifice before Samuel’s arrival. In this chapter, we see his second great sin, this time involving his son—a very noble son—Jonathan. The tragedy here is that Jonathan, who would have made a wonderful king, is excluded from that throne by the sin of his father.

The Text

“Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father. And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men . . .” (1 Sam. 14:1-52).

Summary of the Text

Jonathan believed what God had said (1 Sam. 9:16), and wanted to attack the Philistines (v. 1). Saul was located in Migron (v. 2) with about 600 men. Samuel was not there, but Eli’s great-grandson— Ahiah—was. He was there with the priestly ephod (v. 3). The route that Jonathan took was by a ravine—one named Bramble and the other Bright (vv. 4-5). And so Jonathan said they should go over, and God can do whatever He wants (v. 6). Jonathan had his companion’s full loyalty (v. 7). But Jonathan is not rash (unlike his father), and lets the Lord decide where the fight will be (vv. 8-10). So that is what they did (v. 11), and the Philistines tauntingly invited them up (v. 12). They fell upon the Philistines, killed about 20 of them, there was a panic, and then the Lord sent the earthquake (vv. 13-15). Saul’s sentries saw that there was a panic (v. 16), and so Saul mustered the troops. They found out Jonathan and his armor-bearer were missing (v. 17). So Saul calls for the ark, which was either the ark itself or the ark in the form of the ephod (v. 18). In the midst of calling on the Lord, the commotion increased, so that Saul silenced the Lord (v. 19). They went to the battle and found chaos (v.20). At this point some unaffiliated “Hebrews” switched sides (v. 21). The Israelites who had scattered came back (v. 22), and God gave victory up to Bethaven (v. 23). The Israelite warriors were wasted because of a rash oath Saul had made (v. 24). Jonathan had not heard about it, so he took some of the honey that was in the woods (vv. 25-27). They told him about the oath, and Jonathan thought his father unwise (vv. 28-30). They beat the Philistines back to Aijalon (where Joshua had made the sun stand still), and they were very faint (v. 31). As a result, they fell upon the spoil in a way contrary to the law (v. 32). Saul intervened (vv. 33-35), and built an altar. Saul wanted to pursue the Philistines (v. 36), but God was silent (v. 37). Saul concluded there was sin in the camp and doubled down on his rash oath (vv. 38-39). The lot took Saul and Jonathan (vv. 40-41). Then in the next round, Jonathan was taken (v. 42). The story of the honey came out (v. 43). Saul swears a self-maledictory oath (v. 44), but the people intervened (v. 45). So the Philistines were not pursued that night (v. 46). So physically, Saul consolidated his rule (v. 47), and was an effective warrior king (v. 48). Saul’s family is then listed (vv. 49-51). And Saul recruited any valiant man that he found (v. 52).

The Setup

Saul has excluded Samuel by his usurpation of the sacrifice 1 Sam. 13:15). He has included the priest from the line of Eli, whom the Lord had rejected (1 Sam. 2: 27-36). He silences the Lord when the Lord was going to speak (v. 19), and then later wants God to speak when the Lord has determined to be silent (v. 37). He wants to observe the details of right worship, provided it is convenient for him. When he places the foolish food restriction on the people, he does by saying he needs to be avenged on “my enemies,” with the Lord left out of it. The role he is playing has already gone to his head. When it comes to understanding the spiritual dynamics involved, Saul has a genius for picking up the wrong end of the stick. With his series of rash oaths, he tops it all off by saying, “May the Lord do to me, and more, if Jonathan does not die.” But the people know that God had blessed the exploits of Jonathan, and had not blessed the hasty and preemptory vows of Saul. They intervene, and Jonathan does not die. But this means that Saul has in effect cursed himself.

Contrasts

Jonathan is aggressive, but not rash. He waits on the Lord to determine where they should fight the Philistines—but it is foregone conclusion that they will fight the Philistines. Saul is timid and tentative, but when the action comes, he is very hasty.

Samuel has told Saul that his house will not be established (1 Sam. 13:13-14). The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart (David), even though it is clear there was a man after God’s own heart in Saul’s lineage (Jonathan). This is all so that God’s purpose in election might stand. Saul had a son who was nobler than Eli’s, or Samuel’s, or even David’s. Foolish fathers destroy a wise son’s opportunities.

Bramble and Bright

Jonathan was acting on the basis of the revealed will of God. They were supposed to be fighting the Philistines. God had promised that they would prevail against the Philistines (1 Sam. 9:16). So then, Jonathan wondered, what’s the hold-up?

But this faith of Jonathan’s did not mean that the fighting was not hard. It did not mean that he encountered no obstacles. The ravine he crossed in order to fight the Philistines was not where they expected any attack, and so the element of surprise was big. In order to fight them, Jonathan had to first descend, and then ascend. He had to go down in order to come up. He climbed down through the brambles in order to climb up into glory. Throughout this entire story, we see the vibrant faith of Jonathan, fighting against long odds—both against the Philistines on the field of battle, and spiritual incompetence within the camp of the Israelites. And yet Jonathan descends and ascends. This is the order of things; this is God’s way.

Read Full Article

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

God is the Lord of all things—and this means that He is Lord of both the inside and the outside of a man. Sin loves to divide them in two, and yet God does not permit it. True faith begins on the inside, but does not rest content until the outside is brought under. If you start with the outside of the cup, what you almost always wind up with is a clean outside and putrid contents. As we seek to live as consistent Christians, we must take into account the example of King Saul.

The Text

“Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear . . .” (1 Sam. 13:1-23).

Summary of the Text

Saul has been established as a king over Israel, with favorable portents. Samuel knew how it would turn out eventually, but he doesn’t try to trip Saul up. Quite the reverse. Saul was apparently crowned one year after his anointing, and this happens several years after that (v. 1). He selected a small standing army of 3000, two thirds of whom were with him, and one third with Jonathan (v. 2). Jonathan takes the battle to the enemy (v. 3), and the Philistines are roused. Saul musters the army. Everybody had heard about the attack on the Philistines and that the Israelites were obnoxious to them (v. 4). They muster at Gilgal. The Philistines then turn out—an enormous number of them (v. 5). The Israelites saw they were in a bad jam and went underground (v. 6). Some fled across Jordan. Those who stayed with Saul were all quivering (v. 7).

Before Saul had become king, Samuel had told him to wait for seven days at Gilgal (when the time came. 1 Sam. 10:8). Saul almost did this, but fell just short. The people were scattering, and so Saul called for the burnt (ascension) offering and the peace offering (v. 9). When he was only half done, Samuel arrives and Saul tries to brazen it out with some excuse-making (v. 10). Samuel asked what he had done, and Saul made excuses (v. 11). Saul said that he forced himself to offer the sacrifices (v. 12). Samuel identifies this rightly . . . as a foolish act (v. 13). This meant that Saul would have no dynasty. God would seek out a man after His own heart (v. 14). With that, Samuel departed and Saul was left with 600 men (v. 15). Saul and his handful were camped across a deep ravine from the Philistines (v. 16). The Philistines came out of their camp in three divisions (vv. 17-18).

The writer backs up for a moment. The Philistines believed in gun control, and controlled the number of smiths (v. 19). The Israelites had to go to the Philistines to have their major equipment furbished (vv. 20-21). This meant that on the verge of battle they had 600 men, 598 of them without arms (v. 22). And so the Philistines came out (v. 23).

The Setup

The Philistines here had great advantages, both with arms and men. They outnumbered the Israelites, and they were well-equipped. They were as sand on the sea shore in multitude—a promise which had been given to Abraham, and yet which appeared to have been fulfilled in the enemies of God. Things looked grim. Saul is left with only 600 men—the same number that Benjamin had after their great apostasy at Gibeah, Saul’s hometown, when they were on the edge of utter destruction.

We should mention that it is in this chapter that we are introduced to Jonathan, one of the noblest characters in all Scripture. He has command of a third of Saul’s army (v. 2), but we don’t even learn that he is Saul’s son until later (v. 16). Moreover, we see Jonathan as an aggressive warrior (v. 3).

Cliffhangers

We don’t want to play woulda, coulda, shoulda on our own, as part of a self-condemning logic game. “If only . . .” But we should calculate this way on the basis of how Scripture tells stories. We know that God loves cliffhangers. He stops Abraham when the knife is raised above Isaac. He delivers Israel when the Red Sea water is lapping at their toes, and the armies of Pharaoh are closing in at their backs. He saves Hezekiah when Jerusalem was entirely surrounded. And what does this mean? It means that many have collapsed and given way to temptation when deliverance was right around the corner. Saul calls for the ascension offering and the peace offering. He gets enough of it done to be disobedient (kings were not permitted to be sacrificing priests), but he never even gets to the peace offering. Samuel arrives just then.

And he offered the ascension offering, an offering of entire consecration, because he was not entirely consecrated, and was therefore resting upon external ritual alone. Saul was a mere ritualist, and not someone who performed the prescribed ritual with living faith.

Another Adam

Saul had passed his first test in his battle with the Ammonites in chapter 11. But once established as a warrior king, he fails the next three tests. This chapter contains the first failure, an exercise in sacrificial will-worship. The second is his rash vow in the midst of battle (1 Sam. 14:24). The third and final one was his failure to obey with regard to the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:9). Note that these failures occur in the context of military victories. God does not reckon failures and victories the same way we do. Men often lose their souls while gaining the world, and they often gain their souls while apparently losing everything.

When God asked Adam what he had done, he started in with blame-shifting. “The woman You gave me, she gave me . . .” Fingers love to point outward. Saul does the same thing here, behaving like a new Adam. He blames the people for scattering, and he blames the prophet for being late. Everybody’s problem but mine. He did not respond in repentance. Had he done so, his dynasty might well have been salvaged. But he did not, and it was not.

Read Full Article

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

God is sovereign and God is gracious, and this means that God takes you from where you are, and not from where you should have been. If we were standing around where we should have been, we wouldn’t need salvation. If we need salvation, we are not where we should have been. A godly response to this is always the same—cry out to the Lord. Trust in Him. Follow Him.

The Text

“And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day . . .” (1 Sam. 12:1-25).

Summary of the Text

The occasion here appears to be different than the occasion in 1 Sam. 11. Samuel is rehearsing the circumstances of the transition between the judges and the monarchy. First, he has made them a king (v. 1). They see how it is— their king is there, Samuel is old, and he has walked before them from childhood on (v. 2). Samuel asks them to testify—has he abused his office in any way (v. 3)? They reply that he has not (v. 4). And Samuel swears an oath that this is so, and the people confirm it (v. 5).

Having established this, Samuel rehearses for them a brief history of Israel. God promoted Moses and Aaron, and brought them out of Egypt (v. 6). He tells them to “stand still” while he tells them all the righteous acts of the Lord (v. 7). First was the Exodus (v. 8). When they forgot God, God sold them to Sisera, to the Philistines, and to the Moabites (v. 9). When they repented of their idols, they cried out to God, promising to serve Him (v. 10). So God sent deliverers—Jerubbaal (Gideon), Bedan (Barak), Jephthah, and Samuel, and they delivered them from the hand of enemies on every side (v. 11). We learn here for the first time that the demand for a king (like the other nations) came as a result of Nahash coming against them (v. 12). Now, Samuel sums up, behold your king (v. 13). Though Samuel has foretold the apostasy, this does not erase the responsibility of the people. If they fear God, serve Him, obey Him, and not rebel against His commandment, then both they and their king will continue following God (v. 14). But if they do not obey, the same thing will happen as happened to their fathers (v. 15). Samuel then gives a great sign (v. 16), which is thunder and rain during the time of the wheat harvest

(v. 17). So Samuel prayed, and thunder and rain appeared (v. 18). The people repent, and ask Samuel to pray for them (v. 19). Samuel reassures them (“fear not”), telling them that obedience to God remains possible (v. 20). He tells them not to go after vain idols (v. 21). God will not forsake them (v. 22). Moreover, Samuel will not sin by ceasing to pray for them (v. 23). He tells them to fear the Lord, and remember His deeds (v. 24). But if they sin, they will be consumed, and their king with them (v. 25).

Foreordination Erases No Duties

This chapter provides us with a wonderful illustration of the truth that our duties (which always reside in the present) cannot be erased by anything in the settled past (which cannot be changed). Neither can they be erased by the reality of a settled future. Samuel has warned the people of what is to come—and yet he labors faithfully to keep it from happening. He tells them that they are summoned to labor faithfully in the same way. This is the difference between a biblical faith in God’s sovereignty and pagan fatalism. Fatalism shrugs and says, “What’s the use?”The believer knows that the God who holds the future in the palm of His hand is the same God who assigns our duties to us. If He does not see an inconsistency in this, then we had better not.

In a storm at sea, Paul tells everyone on board that God has promised him that the lives of his shipmates will all be spared (Acts 27:23-26). But this same Paul told the centurion that if certain sailors left the ship, they would not survive (Acts 27:31).

Repentance, Not “Do Overs”

Samuel has repeatedly told the Israelites that a king was a bad idea. They wanted a pagan-style king, and he gave them a theocratic king instead. But he knew that even this theocratic king would be a temptation. He steps away from his responsibility as a judge, but continues on as a prophet. (He still has one more king to anoint.) But if this king and the people obey God in a thorough-hearted way, they can still avert disaster.

Saul is right there, a fresh king. Samuel does not call the people to a repentance that removes Saul from the throne. The die is cast. Repentance means walking straight from here on out. Repentance in this kind of instance means a rethink, not a redo.

Samuel is not a romantic about the “good old days.”The story he tells the people has plenty of idolatry and disobedience back in the time of the judges. God had to deliver them repeatedly, and Samuel does not whitewash this.

At the same time, it is crucial for Samuel to point out that his administration had been righteous. He summons the people to acknowledge that the transition from Samuel to Saul was not driven by corruption on Samuel’s part.

Understanding history accurately is part of your faith. You cannot walk faithfully with God as a people if you do not understand how we got to this place. Notice how Samuel goes over their story, showing the cycles of disobedience and deliverance. Without understanding history, there is no gospel, and if there is no gospel, there is no hope.

And this means that, just as they had to understand their story, we have to understand ours. Was America, for example, founded as a Christian nation? Of course it was. But it is worth pointing out that the people who are governing us currently would deny this even if the Declaration had been signed by Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all twelve apostles. They know what they want, and it is too bad that we don’t.

Read Full Article

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Introduction

Saul functions in this story as the last of Israel’s judges. He has been anointed as a king, and acclaimed as one, but he has not yet been made a king. This fact alone means that at the beginning of his reign, there is faithfulness to the theocratic ideal. And, at the very beginning of his reign, Saul is sure-footed—valiant and merciful both. This appears to be a very good start indeed.

The Text

“Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee . . .” (1 Sam. 11:1-15).

Summary of the Text

The city of Jabeshgilead comes under siege from the Ammonites (v. 1). The inhabitants of the city see no option but to surrender. The Ammonite king says that they may surrender, provided they all agree to be blinded in the right eye (v. 2). This had a military point, but it was also intended for humiliation. The elders of the city asked for a week to see if there was any help available from the rest of Israel (v. 3). Nahash apparently was quite willing to fight the rest of Israel, which would be the only reason why he would agree to something like this. Messengers from Jabeshgilead came to Saul’s town, and the reaction was one of great sorrow, but no action (v. 4). Saul was out in the field, and when he comes in, he hears the weeping and asks what is the reason for it (v. 5). When he heard the reason, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he was very angry (v. 6). He took a yoke of oxen, cut them up in pieces, and sent them around Israel. Anybody who does not follow Saul and Samuel will have the same thing done to his oxen (v. 7). The fear of the Lord came upon everyone, and they all turned out. 300,000 from Israel came, and 30,000 from Judah (v. 8). They told the messengers from the besieged city that they would have aid before the sun got hot the next day (v. 9). So the men of Jabesh returned, and told the Ammonites that they would “come out” on the next day (v. 10). So Saul divided his men into three companies, launched an early morning attack, and fought until the heat of the day (v. 11). The Ammonites were so scattered that no two of them could be found together. Certain men among the Israelites said to Samuel that those son of Belial who didn’t want Saul as king should be put to death (v. 12). But Saul intervened, and said that no one should be put to death on a day of salvation like this one was (v. 13). Samuel has the people go to Gilgal, in order to renew the kingdom there (v. 14). And this they do, making Saul king before the Lord (v. 15). They offered peace offerings, and there was great joy.

Can’t Tell the Players Without a Scorecard

A bunch of this might seem random to us because we are not familiar with these names and places. But consider this. Gibeah, Saul’s hometown, was the place in Benjamin where that horrific rape had taken place, and the Levite’s concubine had been cut in pieces and shipped all over Israel as a summons to war (Judges 19-21). Same town, and Saul cuts oxen up and sent all over Israel as a summons to war. Jabeshgilead was right across the Jordan to the east, and was the one city that had refused to go to war against Benjamin. As a result they were sacked, and 400 of their virgins given to the tiny remnant left of Benjamin’s army (Judg. 21:8ff). Bezek, the place where Saul musters his army, is the place of the first military victory in the book of Judges (Judg. 1:5). Gilgal, where Samuel takes them afterwards to make Saul king, is the place where Joshua renewed covenant with God after they had crossed over the Jordan (Josh. 5:9)

The name Nahash means serpent (it is the same word that is used in the Genesis account of the Garden). Before Saul can receive the kingdom, he must fight and defeat the serpent. 30 is the number of a royal retinue, and Israel is mustered at 30 times 10,000. Judah comes in at 30 times 1,000. Saul divides his army into 3, just like Gideon did, before his attack.

Revolt Against Maturity

Samuel has been holding the people responsible for their request for a king like the other nations. He continues to do this. He takes them all to Gilgal, where the people “made Saul king before the Lord” (1 Sam. 11:15). Note this well. Samuel had already identified Saul as the one (1 Sam. 9:17). Samuel in his prophetic office had already anointed Saul as the one (1 Sam. 10:1). The lots cast by Samuel in the presence of all the people had pointed to Saul as the one (1 Sam. 10:22). The people had cheered him as the one (1 Sam. 10:24). And yet, with all this, he still was not the king until the people made him king. This meant that later, when the king began to mistreat them, they couldn’t treat him as an interloper. They had done it to themselves. In our republic, we are reminded of this reality every four years—who is the incompetent who keeps putting these people in charge? Who is the search committee that has given us this string of incredibly bad hires? Why . . . it’s us.

What does this mean? It means that we cannot shuffle off our responsibilities with regard to tyranny. Bad government doesn’t just happen to us, the way bad weather does. We get the government we deserve, and the way out is therefore the way of repentance. “Don’t blame me, I voted for the other guy” doesn’t work when you understand covenantal representation.

But the reason people like the “security” of tyranny is that, although the consequences are bad, they can just hunker down and take it, as though it were a stretch of bad weather. They would rather have hard times with minimal responsibility than good times with a lot of responsibility. But this is the mentality of the slave. This is the reason why the children of Israel complained in the wilderness— freedom in every direction, and lots of responsibility. Sure things were hard back in Egypt, but at least Pharaoh offered full employment.

Read Full Article