| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| September 4, 2024 | ESV (2016) | M’Cheyne Plan 2024 |
1 Samuel 28
1 Samuel 28:13–14 (ESV) 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.
Saul inquired of the LORD regarding the Philistines, but the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets, so Saul told his servants to seek out a woman who was medium. Saul disguised himself, came to the woman by night and asked that she bring up Samuel. The woman then recognized Saul and confronted him for his deceit, but Saul told her that she was not to be afraid and again asked her what she saw. Her response was that she saw “a god coming up out of the earth”, which is later revealed to be Samuel. Her identifying Samuel as a god seems a bit confusing, but the BBC provides some helpful interpretive insights:
Commentators are disagreed as to what actually happened next. Some feel that an evil spirit impersonated Samuel, while others believe that God interrupted the séance unexpectedly by allowing the real Samuel to appear. The latter is preferred for the following reasons: The medium was startled by the sudden appearance of Samuel in place of the familiar spirits with whom she was used to dealing. Also, the text specifies that it was Samuel. Finally, the spirit prophesied accurately what would happen the following day.
1 Corinthians 9
1 Corinthians 9:22–23 (ESV) 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
Paul speaks of how he contextualizes the gospel for his audience, becoming all things to all people, that by all means he might save some. It is important to note that Paul is not claiming himself to be the source of salvation. Paul knew full well (and we should too) that the Lord Jesus is the only One who can save. The role of the saints is—as it was with Paul—to be faithful ambassador for Christ, to do everything for the sake of the gospel that we may share with others in its blessings.
Ezekiel 7
Ezekiel 7:19 (ESV) 19 They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.
The gold and silver that the people had once so highly valued were cast into the streets like an unclean thing. Their wealth had no ability to save them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. It was no good for satisfying hunger or filling their stomachs but was instead a stumbling block of their iniquity. How true this remains of us, living in such an affluent time, wrongfully attributing blessing with prosperity. If we look on worldly wealth—and the pursuit of it—as the means of obtaining security or salvation, it will be as a stumbling block to us. Only when we rightly see Christ as our greatest treasure will we view worldly wealth as a gift to be faithfully stewarded for kingdom purposes.
Psalm 45
Psalm 45:6–7 (ESV) 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; 7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
The psalmist describes the eternality of God’s throne and His scepter of uprightness. Focus then shifts to the king as having been anointed by God, divinely appointed to justly rule as co-regent over His kingdom. As the FSB says, “By referring to God’s throne here, the psalmist states that God establishes the king (2:7–9).” These are helpful passages on which to meditate and especially so in an election cycle, mindful of God’s sovereign designation of earthly authority. It is important to be often reminded of how we are to “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” (Rom. 13:7)