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1 Samuel 15:9
But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
The commandment was so clear that there was no exuse for Saul or the people to violate it through covetousness sparing all that was good and destroying all that which was vile abd refuse [v8-9].
God indicted Saul for his sin of turning back from following Him and refusing to obey His commandments [v10-11].
Saul lied to Samuel saying “I have performed the commandment of the Lord” [v12-13].
When confronted by Samuel by what was meant by the sheep bleating and the cattle lowing if he had obeyed God’s commandment, Saul excused himself and blamed the people for sparing the best of the stock to use as sacrifices to the Lord [v14-15].
The last time before this that Samuel rebuked Saul, it was for disobedience, at which time he was rejected as king, and at that time Samuel, himself was accused of being to blame, for not showing up on time as he had promised [13;1-15].
Here again Samuel announced the sin of Saul, but he again maintained that he had obeyed the voice of the Lord – that he did destroy all the Amalekites except the king, and that the people were to blame for saving the best of the stock [[v16-21].
Once again Samuel announced the rejection of Saul as king [v22-23].
After all this Saul acknowledged that he had sinned, the reason being that he feared the people and obeyed their voice [v24].
He begged for pardon, asking Samuel to turn again to him so he could worship the Lord, but Samuel and still another time announced his rejection as king [v25-26].
When Samuel turned to go away Saul laid hold of his mantle and it rent [v27]. Samuel then told him the Lord had rent his kingdom from him that day, giving it to his neighbour, and assured him that God would not change his mind in this matter [v28-29].
Saul again repented, begging Samuel at least to honor him before the elders and permit him to worship the Lord once more.
Samuel relented this much and permitted Saul to worship [v30-31], then commanded that Agag be killed before he left [v32-33].
Samuel went home mourning for Saul, and did not come back to him as long as he lived [v34-35]
- Dake A.R.B. – Page 328
Proverbs 19:3
3 The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.
We have here two instances of men’s folly:–
1. That they bring themselves into straits and troubles, and run themselves a-ground, and embarrass themselves: The foolishness of man perverts his way. Men meet with crosses and disappointments in their affairs, and things do not succeed as they expected and wished, and it is owing to themselves and their own folly; it is their own iniquity that corrects them.
2. That when they have done so they lay the blame upon God, and their hearts fret against him, as if he had done them wrong, whereas really they wrong themselves. In fretting, we are enemies to our own peace, and become self-tormentors; in fretting against the Lord we affront him, his justice, goodness, and sovereignty; and it is very absurd to take occasion from the trouble which we pull upon our own heads by our wilfulness, or neglect, to quarrel with him, when we ought to blame ourselves, for it is our own doing. See Isa. 50:1.
- Matthew Henry Commentary
Proverbs 19:4
4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.
Here, 1. We may see how strong men’s love of money is, that they will love any man, how undeserving soever he be otherwise, if he has but a deal of money and is free with it, so that they may hope to be the better for it. Wealth enables a man to send many presents, make many entertainments, and do many good offices, and so gains him many friends, who pretend to love him, for they flatter him and make their court to him, but really love what he has, or rather love themselves, hoping to get by him.
2. We may see how weak men’s love of one another is. He who, while he prospered, was beloved and respected, if he fall into poverty is separated from his neighbour, is not owned nor looked upon, not visited nor regarded, is bidden to keep his distance and told he is troublesome. Even one that has been his neighbour and acquaintance will turn his face from him and pass by on the other side. Because men’s consciences tell them they ought to relieve and succour such, they are willing to have this excuse, that they did not see them.
- Matthew Henry Commentary
Grace – the undeserved favour of God? Yes. But what marks it as grace from the Christian point of view is that it speaks to us of God’s initiative in the whole scheme of man’s salvation.
As John would put it, ‘Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son…’ That’s it. God takes the initiative. ‘And peace…’ peace being the result of grace, and the working of grace in Jesus Christ; peace being the restoration of a relationship with God that was broken in what we call in theology the fall of man – man’s alienation, his estrangement from God. ‘Peace through Jesus Christ.’
‘Now, says Paul, ‘this Christ gave Himself for our sins, to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of God the Father: to whom be glory for ever and ever’ There are three great concepts in the Pauline pattern of thinking: guilt, and grace, and glory. Here is the gap: the guilt of man and the glory of God. ‘All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,’ to borrow from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans.
The gap between the two – man’s guilt and God’s glory: and grace, as seen in the life, the death and the resurrection of Christ, is the bridge across this gulf. – Paul S. Rees: Free to Live [i], 1967
- Daily Thoughts From Keswick
Health authorities are planning to sterilise nearly 10,000 people in southern China over the next four days as part of a population control programme.
The rule of one child per family has been in force for decades
Some of the people in Puning City will be forced to have the procedure carried out against their will.
Amnesty International says forced sterilisation “amounts to torture”.
Reports in the Chinese media say that Puning Health authorities in Guangdong Province have launched a special campaign to sterilise people who already have at least one child in order to ensure local birth control quotas are met.
Chinese newspaper reports say that those who refuse to be sterilised have seen their elderly mothers or fathers taken away and detained.
Hundreds of people in Puning are said to have been locked up.
Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, said: “It is appalling that the authorities are subjecting people to such an invasive procedure against their will.
“Reports that relatives are imprisoned as a means of pressurising couples into submitting to surgery are incredibly concerning.
“The Puning City authorities must condemn this practice immediately and ensure that others are not forcibly sterilised.”
More than 1,300 people in the city have been held in local government buildings where they were given “lectures” on China’s family planning regulations.
Huang Ruifeng is the father of three girls.
“Several days ago, a village official called me and asked me or my wife to return for the surgery,” Huang told the local paper. “Otherwise they would take away my father.”
He refused.
His father was later rounded up and detained by the authorities.
According to Puning rules, farmers are allowed to have a second child if the first child was a girl.
- From Prophecy News Watch
A newly released LifeWay Research survey of 1,004 Protestant pastors found only 3 percent of their churches served as the primary sponsor of a church plant (new congregation) during the previous 12 months, and only 14 percent gave financial support in partnership with other churches to help start new congregations.
However, a second study completed in partnership with Leadership Network revealed more churches open than close yearly. Only in recent years has the annual number of new churches in the United States outpaced the annual number of churches closing their doors.
Twenty-eight percent of the congregations participated in some way, financial or otherwise, in church plants, LifeWay Research President Ed Stetzer said today during the Exponential Conference, a church-planting seminar in Orlando, Fla. Among that 28 percent, roughly half partnered with other congregations in supporting the new church financially, while 12 percent took direct financial responsibility as primary sponsor of the new church.
“Although we see more church planting involvement, we need to see a much higher number of churches starting churches,” Stetzer said. “It is widely acknowledged that church planting is the most effective form of evangelism. It should be of great concern that only 28 percent of our North American churches helped start new congregations at all, including only 12 percent of those who took primary responsibility.
“For too long, churches have assumed that mission involvement and church planting is someone else’s responsibility,” Stetzer continued. “The ‘pay, pray and get out of the way’ mentality causes churches to pay someone else to do what God has called them to do – and that may be part of why so many have become cul-de-sacs on the Great Commission highway.”
Far more churches reported participating in missions than church planting, Stetzer noted. A full 85 percent of the pastors said their congregations prayed as a group for missionaries at least once a month during the previous year, and 74 percent said their congregations focused that prayer on a specific mission field or people group. Fifty percent said their congregations conducted one or more short-term mission projects during the past year, and 20 percent reported their churches sent out missionaries who served 10 weeks or longer.
“We’re glad to see these numbers; prayer is where a heart for missions and church planting begins,” Stetzer said. “If God’s people are praying, they eventually will hear Him telling them to get their hands working directly in the fields that are ‘white unto harvest,’ but we have to help our people transition from short-term hands-on involvement to longer-term investment of their lives.”
Some of the other survey results, however, do represent a cause for concern, Stetzer added.
Among all Protestant churches surveyed, 5 percent provided one-time direct financial support, such as a cash gift, for a church plant, and 4 percent provided tangible support, such as equipment or rent-free meeting space, Stetzer said.
Although most churches are not currently involved in church planting, there is evidence – increases in the number of church plants and the response to church planting events – to suggest a growing interest and involvement in church planting. According to new research reported in the recently released book “Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers” by Stetzer and Warren Bird, all types of church leaders can become movement makers.
Citing several of the practical examples in “Viral Churches,” Stetzer challenged attendees at the Exponential Conference to adopt future church planters as short-term interns; co-sponsor a new church by loaning people and resources; and provide coaching, whether directly or indirectly, for the leaders of recently launched churches.
- From Prophecy News Watch
The Washington Post is reporting that the US Department of the Treasury will be announcing later today that most federal benefits payments from Social Security to Veteran disability checks will be made by electronic direct deposit beginning 1 March 2013. Businesses using Federal Tax Deposit Coupons will also need to go the electronic tax payment route.
The Treasury says that the move will save $400 million in processing, postage and paper over five years.
The Post story also says, “Americans who enroll on or after March 1, 2011, for benefits payments will receive them by direct deposit or be enrolled in the government’s Direct Express Debit MasterCard program if they do not provide bank account information.”
In related news, the London Telegraph reported last week that the UK Payment Council expects that cash will be used for less than half of all consumer transactions in the UK by 2015. According to the Payment Council, in 2009, 59% of the 37 billion transactions used cash. In 1999, the number was 73%. The Council also said that in 1999, 6% of all personal transactions involved the use of cheques, while in 2009 it was only 2%.
By 2018, cash is expected to be used in the UK in only 45% of all transactions. On 31 October 2018, paper cheques are to be totally phased out in the UK.
- From Prophecy News Watch
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman met with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos on Thursday during a visit to Madrid. Moratinos called on Israel to support the Mediterranean Union, and expressed support for United States efforts to promote talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The Mediterranean Union, founded in 2008, aims to unite the European Union, northern Africa, Israel, and several Arab League nations to discuss matters of mutual interest. One of its aims is to promote Middle East peace, by bringing Israel and Arab countries together.
Moratinos’s request for support for the Union follows an incident earlier in the month in which the union was unable to adapt a regional water management strategy due to a disagreement between Israel and Arab states over a reference to Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Arab states wished to refer to the regions as “occupied territories,” while Israel did not agree to the term.
Arab states rejected a European suggestion to refer to the areas as “territories under occupation.”
Failure to pass the water management initiative was seen as a blow to the body, and an indication that it may not be effective. Previously, the Union experienced trouble during the early 2009 Cast Lead counterterror offensive in Gaza. At the time, analysts expressed concern that the conflict would render the Mediterranean Union no longer viable.
The Union is hoping to recover from its past troubles during its first ever summit, to be held in June in Barcelona.
- From Prophecy News Watch
The priest heading an Episcopal parish in Bath, N.Y., has decided to marry his longtime gay partner, according to a recent announcement.
The Very Rev. J. Brad Benson, rector of St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, plans to get married this summer in a state where same-sex marriage is legal.
“After twenty years of loving relationship, my partner Carl Johengen and I have decided that it is time that we were legally married,” he wrote in the church’s most recent newsletter.
The St. Thomas rector explained that he has begun to see the word “marriage” in purely legal terms and has come to realize that he and his partner “need” the legal rights and responsibilities afforded in a marriage.
“No one questions the rights and responsibilities of a married couple; simply saying, ‘I’m his wife’ or ‘I’m her husband’ opens many legal doors,” he stated.
Benson was one of hundreds of clergy and lay leaders from across New York State who signed a petition in 2008 urging the state legislature to legalize marriage for gays and lesbians. The same-sex marriage measure was defeated by a wide margin in December.
After seeking legal marriage in another state, the gay couple will then seek the church’s blessing through a liturgy which will be attended and presided by three bishops – Rochester Bishop Prince Singh, retired Bishop Jack McKelvey, and Maine Bishop Stephen Lane.
The announcement comes as more dioceses within The Episcopal Church have permitted clergy to wed homosexual couples despite the call by leaders in the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which The Episcopal Church is the U.S. arm, to practice gracious restraint in regards to the blessing of gay and lesbian couples.
Last summer, The Episcopal Church approved a resolution allowing “bishops, particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships are legal” to “provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church.”
The resolution also noted the need to consider providing theological and liturgical resources for the blessing of same gender relationships. The Episcopal Church does not permit its “Order of Marriage” to be used in the marriage of same-sex couples.
- From Prophecy News Watch
Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, all members of the European Union currency union – are rocking the union’s boat at the moment.
A nightmare scenario may be building, a scenario in which Greece first and possibly the other three countries could at some point find themselves as former members of the EU, while being forced to resurrect their own individual currencies.
What’s worse, Germany, the nation with the strongest economy of any participant in the currency union, is not only reluctant to bail out the four countries financially, but is re-examining if it wants to continue participation in the currency union or not.
The British newspaper The Guardian quoted a spokesman for the European Commission Feb. 15 as describing Greece’s possible departure from the euro currency union as “completely unrealistic,” while European Central Bank Chief Economist Jürgen Stark recently described the same thought to a German publication as “inconceivable.” “No chance” is how Greece Prime Minister George Papandreou recently described the scenario of a European Union without Greece.
The debt of all four countries is out of control and getting worse, putting pressure on the euro, while Germany grumbles that it is being pressured unfairly to bail out the four miscreant nations (which at a recent conference were referred to as “peripheral” EU members by German representatives).
The Feb. 26 The Wall Street Journal newspaper posed the question ‘What has the euro done for us?’ meaning Germany by the ‘us.’
The reply appearing in the article was: “Since the euro’s inception in 1999, we [Germany] have made big sacrifices to maintain the competitiveness of our economy, keeping wages down to boost exports and maintain our trade surpluses. Others in the euro zone, particular the Greeks, made no such sacrifices and built up big debts that they are struggling to repay. Now, they have the temerity to knock at our door to ask for a bail-out.”
The Feb. 15 issue of The Guardian asked what would happen if Greece did leave the EU. Answering its own question the article states: “If Greece did leave, the euro would be likely to weaken even further as confidence in the euro project collapsed and fears grew of a domino effect. Eurozone member states will be very reluctant to allow it to happen.”
The Guardian article adds, “This is uncharted territory. There are no exit clauses in any of the treaties such as Maastricht or Lisbon, because EMU [European Monetary Union] membership is meant to be irrevocable – although in practice, member states can repudiate the treaties in domestic law. A recent document by the ECB said restoring a member state’s old currency would ‘inevitably involve considerable risks and difficulties and entail substantial legal complications.’ The Greek government would have to decide what to do about the millions of Greek families and businesses with mortgages and loans in euros. It would also have to take euro notes out of circulation and exchange them for new drachmas.”
The Guardian article concludes, “The European Union would be unlikely to force Greece out, but Greece could decide to leave if it could no longer stomach the draconian spending cuts it is being forced to make to bring its deficit under control.”
Perhaps Greece and the other three nations will want to stay in the EU, but what about Germany? According to The Wall Street Journal article, “To be sure, nobody was predicting any such exit is likely, certainly not in the short term. But if the Germans feel they got a bad deal in swapping their low-inflation Deutsch mark for an arrangement that forces them periodically to transfer enormous sums of money to southern Europe, then that shouldn’t be ignored.”
An anonymous participant in the recent Centre for European Reform conference in London pointed out that Germany’s exporters have been the big winners since the euro is currently weaker than would have been the mark.
From a numismatic viewpoint, one big plus for Germany should it continue to remain in the EU currency union is Germany’s significantly higher seigniorage profit when Germany uses euros rather than marks, that is, the difference between the cost of producing euro coins and bank notes and their face value.
Germany can issue bonds more cheaply in euros than it can in marks, while its exports continue to benefit from the weaker euro.
Greece doesn’t have to turn to Germany for bailout money. The International Monetary Fund is a viable option, although all indications at the time this article was being written were that neither the IMF nor Germany was pleased with such a prospect.
There have been periodic currency unions in Europe since the time of the Attic drachm in ancient Greece. As the EU currency union heads toward its 10th anniversary the prospects for its near future continuance is still in question.
- From Prophecy News Watch
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