WHAT SHOULD OUR RESPONSE BE TO THIS WONDERFUL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S SHEILD?
Take refuge in Him. Don’t try to do it on your own. You are not your own best defense, He is. Cling to your shield. Enjoy the benefits of living within the benefit of your shield.
WHAT IS GOD’S SHIELD LIKE?
Don’t limit God’s power in your life. Don’t try to put God in a box. Don’t limit Him by your own limitations. His power can accomplish anything. It was by His power that the earth was created. It is by His power that all things are sustained. That includes you!
IN WHAT WAY IS GOD A SHIELD?
Even the devil recognized that he did not have direct access to Job. Even he could see that God had placed a ‘hedge of protection’ around His servant Job. This ‘hedge of protection’ did not only protect Job as an individual, but it went further to include a shield of protection around his household.
THE LORD IS YOUR SHIELD
A shield in a piece of armor. It was designed as a defense mechanism. It was used to intercept attacks, either by stopping them or by redirecting them. To this day shields are still used. You may think that they are not and in the historical warfare situation they are not used, but when people start rioting, you still see the police use this tool en mass.
WHAT IS THE THING THAT THE LORD HAS SAID UNTO YOU?
The next morning Eli is up and goes straight to Samuel and asks this question. Eli wanted to know what God had said to Samuel. God was no longer communicating with Eli the priest and he knew that God had spoken to Samuel. He wanted to know what the message was that Samuel received.
ASK GOD TO SPEAK TO YOU
If we have this attitude, it won’t be long and He will begin to speak to us. Samuel’s answer indicates an attitude of heart. It indicates a willingness to wait, to be still, to listen and to hear. You and I should ask the Lord to speak to us. The Bible tells us that we have not because we ask not.
GOD CONTINUES TO SPEAK …
The Lord may not have been speaking directly to Eli, but He still spoke. Even in times when we may not be hearing from the Lord, He is gracious enough to still speak to us, but it may be through others or even from unlikely sources, as in this case it was the child Samuel.
SPEAK LORD – HEARING FROM GOD
Eli was the priest and he should have been the one hearing from God. Due to his personal situation, which God disapproved of, the Lord had stopped communicating with him. The question is what had Eli, the priest, done?
PURSUE HIS KINGDOM
You and I should pursue His Kingdom. But what exactly is His Kingdom? We should pursue His Kingdom, His kingship, His sovereignty, His authority, His rule, both in the world, and in the hearts of men.
HIS KINGDOM – OUR FIRST PRIORITY
The use of the word SEEK has bearing here. The word ‘seek’ is a verb or a doing word. It implies active pursuit and opposed to general interest. Being interested in a general way in the Kingdom of God is one thing, but to actively seek it is something else.