The Word of God, the Holy Bible, is a treasure and a gift beyond compare. Every passage of it points to a marvelous truth that God's love for man impelled Him to step out of eternity and unite with His creation in order to redeem Him from sin. Jesus Christ is both the author and subject of this precious Word. Join us at the Superior Word each week as we search out this wonderful gift in search of Christ Jesus. This is Laura Tovo. I can give your name? Okay. If not, I'd cut it out, you know, later. It's okay. She has been attending online for quite some time, and she has moved to Venice. So, yeah, and I wanted the people online to see her because, you know, all you see is just a name, and so say hi to the people online. I'm a real person. So it's wonderful to have you here. Thank you. Yeah, welcome to sunny Sarasota, Florida. Thank you. Yep, yep, thank you. All right, you take care, Laura. No, no, no. Okay, Psalm 42. To the chief musician, a contemplation of the sons of Korah. Does anybody know what Korah means? Do you remember that from the Moses sermons? Cora, I think it was Numbers where he bought the farm. Cora means baldy, okay? All right, to the chief musician, a contemplation of the sons of Cora. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, Where is your God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me, for I used to go with the multitude. I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him, for the help of his countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me. Therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan and from the heights of Hermon, from the hill Mizar. Deep calls unto deep at the noise of your waterfalls. all your waves and billows have gone over me the lord will command his loving kindness in the daytime and in the night his song shall be with me a prayer to the god of my life i will say to god my rock why have you forgotten me why do i go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy As with the breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say to me all day long, Where is your God? Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Mikmash to Ejlon. So the people were very faint, and the people rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground, and the people ate them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying, Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood. So he said, you have dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone to me this day. Then Saul said, disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, bring me here every man's ox and every man's sheep. Slaughter them here and eat. And do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood. So every one of the people brought his ox with them that night and slaughtered it there. Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built to the Lord. Now Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatever seems good to you. Then the priest said, Let us draw near to God here. So Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he did not answer him that day. And Saul said, come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. For as the Lord lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But not a man among the people answered him. Then he said to all Israel, you be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side. And the people said to Saul, do what seems good to you. Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, give a perfect lot. So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. And Saul said, cast lots between my son Jonathan and me. So Jonathan was taken. Then Saul said to Jonathan, tell me what you have done. And Jonathan told him and said, I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die. Saul answered, God do so, and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan. But the people said to Saul, shall Jonathan die who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not. As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die. What is that picturing? Isn't that interesting? Why would he throw that story into there? Why would God say, I want this story in my Word? Great stuff. This sermon was typed on 29 September of 2025. In these verses, the people transgress by eating meat with blood in it. This prohibition is something that predates the law, actually, going back to the time of Noah after the flood. It was later mentioned in Acts 15 during the Council of Jerusalem. Paul clarifies what is acceptable and unacceptable in the church in his epistles. He mentions nothing about consuming blood. So why was it included in Acts 15? It was an accommodation to the Jewish believers who would not have understood the freedoms found in Christ. Blood pudding anyone? There had to be a transition time for people to understand what was going on in redemptive history. God moved from the time of the law to the time of grace, and from the headship of his governance of Israel as the stewards of the law to Gentiles being the predominant force during the church age. The reason for the prohibition first given to Noah was stated by the Lord. Our text verse today is from Genesis 9. It is verse 4. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. This prohibition was repeated in the law several times. In Deuteronomy 12, verse 23, it says, Only you must cease to failure of eating the blood, for the blood it the soul, and not you will eat the soul with the meat. The blood is directly equated to the soul. This bears on a multitude of other verses in Scripture. It carries theological weight concerning the role of the Messiah. Eating blood was forbidden because of this. The anticipation of the Messiah is what the Bible is focusing on when this tenet is brought up, such as in these verses from 1 Samuel chapter 14. Pay attention to what is being conveyed. This was not a legalistic mandate being held over Israel to see how poorly they would perform while living under the law. It is information being conveyed about what God is doing in Christ. Such great things as this are to be found in His superior Word. And so let us turn to that precious Word once again. And may God speak to us through His Word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised. I've got three separate thoughts for you today. The first is, you dealt covertly. It's verses 31 through 35. Verse 31. Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Mikmash to Ejlon. And they will cause to strike in the day the it in the Philistines from Mikmash, Ejlonward. The heroic faith and engagement of the enemy by Jonathan have been highlighted so far in chapter 14. That led to a massive victory driving the Philistines from where they were stationed in Mekmash, which was 15 to 20 miles away to Aijalon. That is west of Mikmash in the Shephelah. So think of the hills here and the Shephelah is down here. This is what's going on. One can see that this wasn't just a battle where the Philistines were beaten back slowly. Instead they were in full retreat heading downward to their coastal enclave while Israel pursued them and cut them down. Philistines means weakeners. Mikmash is derived from kamas, to store away, and figuratively, storing, as in the memory. Joneses agrees, and he defines the word as treasure or treasury. That's correct, we saw that in previous sermons. Eidulon comes from Eyal, a deer. Hence, it is the place of the deer. However, we need to go further. That comes from the same as the word ayil, a ram, which is derived from the word indicating strength. Thus, in Joshua, it means place of strength, and that would be the same here. Because of the heat of the battle, The length of the pursuit and the lack of food as they continued, it next says, verse 31 going on, so the people were very faint. Vayah af ha'am me'od, and he dimmed the people very. Jonathan's efforts led to Israel seizing the initiative was unfortunately hindered by Saul's rash command to not eat during the day. Jonathan tasted a little honey and his eyes were able to see. But the opposite effect took place among the people. One can see the contrast in the words of this clause and the previous clause. Verse 27, And they saw his eyes. He ate a little honey, and he saw his eyes. Verse 31, And he dimmed the people very. Because of the expenditure of energy, the men were famished at the end of the day's battle. Verse 32, And the people rushed on the spoil, vaya'as ha'am el shalal, and he made the people unto booty. The written and the oral Hebrew here are different. The written says vaya'as ha'am el shalal, and he made the people unto booty. The oral says vaya'at ha'am el ha-shalal, and he swooped the people unto the booty. The reason for this is that the grammar, as written, is clunky. To correct it, they went to verse 15-19, where it notes that the people swooped, eat unto the booty. There's no need for this, but this is what people do in their attempt to outsmart the giver of the word. One can see how things were in these ancient battles. Once the Philistines were beaten back, the Israelites would have immediately seized the goods in the camp. Even if the Philistines were to regain the initiative against the battle lines, they would still have to contend with either fighting the camp to regain their supplies or accept the victory but retire without them. That's why immediately when you go over the lines, you get their stuff and you take it with you. In Israel's case, they secured the supplies and also retained the victory on the battle lines. Verse 32 continues. and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground. And he took flock, and cattle, and son's cattle, and they slaughtered earthward. As the men returned, they were spent, and they needed to strengthen themselves. Therefore they went right to the spoils of the enemy. The spoil they came to is specifically noted as son, flock, coming from a root signifying to migrate, and bakar, cattle, coming from a word indicating to seek or inquire. I translated 1 Samuel chapter 30 yesterday and these two same words are used in that chapter. So get ready because we'll see the flock and the cattle again in chapter 30. Saying they slaughtered them earthward explains the next clause. The men didn't bother to cut the animals in a way that would bleed them out. Instead they butchered them in a fit of hunger. The animals fell to the ground and the people began slicing and dicing. Though they had been disobedient, Saul's ridiculous edict led them to this point. Verse 32 going on. And the people ate them with the blood. And he ate the people upon the blood. The words upon thee blood mean that they are eating over the animals that have not been properly bled. As the blood is the life, they are essentially consuming its life. This was forbidden in the law in several places. For example, Leviticus 17, And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood, and I will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. Eating the blood is a definite transgression of the law, but it appears there may be a second transgression based on the previous clause which said, and he took flock and cattle and sons cattle. The way that is worded may imply that they also violated this precept. This is from Leviticus 22. And bullock or sheep and its son not you will slaughter in one day. It's a thing of mercy. You're not going to kill an animal and its son in the same day. The Lord is saying protect one or the other and eat one of them. That's all. With that regard to the law, the men came upon the booty and tore into it. Verse 33, Then they told Saul, saying, Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood. and they caused to declare to Saul to say, Behold, the people sinning to Yehovah to eat upon the blood. To understand some of what is being conveyed from a biblical perspective, a review of Deuteronomy chapter 12 is necessary. First, to say that they were sinning against Yehovah could simply mean that they were violating the law, something which is true. But it doesn't explain why the law was given. In Deuteronomy 12 verse 16 it said, only you shall not eat the blood, you shall pour it on the earth like water. This was based on what was cited from Leviticus 17. Included also in that same chapter it says this, And whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust, for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. The reason is complicated, and it should be supplemented by reviewing the sermon from Leviticus 17. In short, the prohibition on eating blood was given because it is the vehicle of life. For this reason, the Lord reserved all blood to Himself. To eat blood was to assimilate into oneself something that belonged to God alone. It was therefore idolatrous to use it in any other way than as that designated by Him. If it was not used in the rites of the tabernacle, it was to be poured out and covered with earth. In pouring out the blood, like water, and then covering it with dust, the typology points directly to Jesus Christ. From the dust, man was made. Does everybody remember that? If not, go read Genesis chapter 2 tonight. But he wasn't yet alive. Only when the Lord breathed into the nostrils of man did he become a nefesh hayah, or soul living. In man or animal, when the life is poured out, the dust reclaims ownership over it. Think of what he said to Adam, from dust you came and to dust you shall return. This is true with Only one exception. It is Jesus, the Lord God, who breathed life into man, and yet he then descended from the man he breathed life into. When his blood was shed upon the ground from which his earthly body came, he gave up his soul. And yet the ground found no victory over him. His life returned, his soul reanimated, and by the power of the Lord God, he walked out of the tomb. Atonement was made when he poured out his soul. And yet now, he lives. Only in him, then, is true and eternal life. The typology must be maintained, even when not part of the sacrificial rites at the altar. That is why they are to kill the animal, pour out the blood, and cover it with dust. As the Bible says that the blood is the soul, It gives insight into one of the doctrines of theology taught by scripture. What is the soul, and where does it come from? I'm reviewing this from a previous sermon, just so you have it fresh on your mind. There are several views on this, and this is the perfect time to relearn those views. Three basic views are, and these are the three predominant views. There are a lot of other lesser, nonsensical views, but these are the three basic views of where the soul comes from. The first is the pre-existence view. Of this, there are two separate divisions. The first is the platonic view, which says the soul was never created. The second is the Christian, meaning the created view. This says the soul was created from eternity. Without explaining all of the details of it or the reasons why, that view is heretical. The creation view is the second view. This assumes God directly creates a new individual soul for everyone born into the world. You were born into the world, and God, at that time, creates a soul for you. Can anybody see the problem with that? If not, I'll explain it. The body is generated through the parents, but the soul is created by God. It says that the soul is created at the moment of conception. One reason for holding to this view is that all genetic information is present at conception. However, one reason why this view is wrong, R-O-N-G, is that God completed his work of creation on day six. Another obvious reason is that the blood, which carries all of the genetic information, is called the soul right in this verse. Last is what is known as the traducian view. It is the correct view. This comes from the Latin word tradox, meaning the branch of a vine. This view says that each human being is a branch of the parents. Both soul and body are naturally generated by the father and the mother. There's abundant biblical evidence for this third view. Eve was made from Adam, not separately. There is the fact noted by Paul that both males and females come from a union of males and females. Eve is called the mother of all the living. The Bible says that Adam had children in his image. Thus, natural generation is implied. The Greek word for flesh, sarx, can mean both a physical body and a whole person with a body. Acts 17 says that all humans are derived from one man, meaning one blood. Hebrew says that Levi was in Abraham's loins, implying a physical transmission. In the Bible, the body is in a womb, and it is considered a person. Paul says that all men sinned through one man, demonstrating that sin is transmitted by natural process, something that would not occur if you had a created soul. Think that through. You're a man. You have a wife, you have a children together. God creates a soul at the moment of conception. That soul would have no sin. There would be no inherited sin. I've had people argue with me over this when it is so obvious, if you just read the Bible, you can figure these things out. Sin was transmitted to all men by one man, Romans chapter 5. Go and read it. David even says that man is conceived in sin. Go read Psalm 51. Jesus is said to come from the loins, or the body, of David, demonstrating a genetic connection. Paul shows that humans are a soul, body, unity. The soul is naked without the body as is recorded in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 3. These and many other reasons from scripture and simply from thinking the matter through clearly demonstrate the importance of this precept. Okay? The soul is in the blood. Where does the soul come from? We now know. Understanding the matter of these men drinking blood and what that means in relation to the greater truths found in Scripture, we can better see why this is such a grievous sin. Verse 33 going on. So he said, "'You have dealt treacherously. "'Roll a large stone to me this day.' "'Va-yo-mer be-gad-tem go-lu-a-lai ha-yom e-ven-ge-do-la.'" And he said, "'You dealt covertly. "'You must roll unto me the day stone whopping.'" The word bagad signifies to cover. The act is covert or hidden and saw is exposing it. Having a whopping stone rolled over was so that the animals could be laid on it allowing the blood to flow out rather than pooling in the body as the animal lay on the ground. Verse 34, Then Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, Bring me here every man's oxen, every man's sheep, slaughter them here, and eat. And he said, Saw, you must scatter in the people. And you said to them, you must cause to approach unto me man, his ox, and man, his sheep. And they slaughtered in this, and they ate. Saul uses the terms shore, bullock, coming from a word signifying to turn, and se, sheep, coming from a root, believed meaning to rush, and thus to be or make desolate. His instructions are to go throughout the camp and make his stone the sole spot for slaughtering the animals. He wanted to personally observe compliance with this law. Verse 34 going on, And do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood. So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night and slaughtered it there. And not they will send to Jehovah to eat unto the blood. And they caused to approach all the people, man his ox in his hand the night, and they slaughtered there. Now only the shore, the ox is mentioned. Saul's instructions were obeyed, and the people came to the stone designated for this purpose. With this done, it next says, verse 35, then Saul built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built to the Lord. Va'yiven sha'u mizbeach le-Yehovah, oto, hechel levnot mizbeach le-Yehovah. And he built, Saul, altar to Yehovah. it he caused to begin to build altar to Yehovah." There are a multitude of speculations concerning the meaning of these words. Saul began to build, but he did not finish. Saul began to build altars to Yehovah, this being the first. Saul began, among the kings of Israel, the building of altars. Saul made the first public acknowledgment to the Lord for the victories and care he doted on them. and so forth. None of these reflect the simple words of the Hebrew. The word otol is a direct object marker. It is normally left untranslated, but because the form is accompanied by the third person marker, it signifies the word it. That then is used to describe something. In this case, it is the repeated words alter to Yehovah. and he built Saul, altar to Yehovah. It he caused to begin to build altar to Yehovah. The meaning is Saul built an altar to Yehovah. He used this whopping stone as the foundational stone of this altar to Yehovah. Everybody understand that? Okay, it's important that you get that. When in the battle with your foes, there's no need to vow or adjure. The conflict is one of which the Lord knows, and if you are His, He will guide you, for sure. To make a vow about something you should do will only complicate the path you're on. Just get to the task without a lot of to-do. No regrets will exist after it's done and gone. There's no need to get others involved, also. when your words could trap them too. Pray for the Lord to guide you, and then go. Keep it simple. This you should do. Our second thought today is, Dying He Will Die. It's verses 36 through 40. Verse 36, Now Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And he said, Saw, let us descend after the Philistines night, and let us plunder in them until light the morning, and not may we cause to leave in them man. What a difference a meal makes. It is the night of the same day. After eating and getting just a little bit of rest, Saul impetuously determines to go after the Philistines. Now just think, if they had been eating the whole day, they wouldn't have had to have worried about this. There's nothing wrong with this, but it is a rather rash decision, especially when considering that he has already made one blunder that cost them a great victory. As for the reaction, verse 36, and they said, Do whatever seems good to you. And they said, all the good in your eyes, you must do. Ever obedient to the desires of Saul, as is traditionally the case with military men, they anticipate a greater slaughter. Therefore, they rally behind their king. However, verse 36, then the priest said, let us draw near to God here. Oh, those priests, they get in the way all the time, don't they? And he said, the priest, let us near here unto the God. This would be a hijah, noted in verses 3 and 18. It is likely that his words are the reason for the otherwise inexplicable mention of the altar in the previous verse. With an altar to the Lord, Ahijah may have thought, why would you build an altar to the Lord and not stop to ask Him for His direction concerning such a great matter? I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? I'll give you an example before we go on, just so you get this and remember it forever. We went through the Revolutionary War, and the people in charge of the government at the time all prayed every day. Every day they prayed, Lord, we need your help, we need your deliverance, etc., etc. Okay, this is acknowledged by the Founding Fathers' letters. And then what happened? They got to the point where they won the war. And now they need to establish a permanent government. And they couldn't do it. They were having a terrible time arguing among each other. And who stood up? Benjamin Franklin. And he said, we have just gone through this great catastrophe, this calamitous war, and we petitioned the Lord for his direction. Do we think we're going to establish a government now without it? Same idea as you're seeing right here. Saying near here refers to the altar. Saying the God signifies that he is referring to the Lord. Using the article is expressive. It refers to the one true God in relation to man, ha Elohim, the God. It is used to reveal those who are in a right relationship with him or to contrast those who are not in a right relationship with him. Ahijah is insuring the former through his petition. Verse 37. So Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? And he asked Saul in God, I will descend after the Philistines? The word sha'al, to ask, is a common word, but in this case it is making a punny. And he asked, asked in God. Saul petitions as Ahijah suggested. To not do so, especially after it was suggested to him, would have been unconscionable, especially when the law has already been violated by the people eating the blood. Saul, however, doesn't just ask if he should descend after the enemy. This is a smart move on his part. Verse 37, will you deliver them into the hand of Israel? Chatit enem beyad Yisrael. You will deliver them in hand, Israel? The question is actually a prudent afterthought. Saul may have thought, the Lord may say, to pursue the Philistines, but He may not deliver them into our hands, because we have offended Him when the men failed to drain the animals' blood. Hence the additional thought will provide the full scope of what should be expected. Verse 37. But he did not answer him that day. And not he answered in the day the it. We are left to guess why an answer was not given. The continued narrative seems to answer the matter, but does it? For all we know, Saul's double question, shall we descend after and will you deliver, may have been the reason for no answer being given. It may be the Lord would have taught him a lesson if only the first question was asked, right? It could also be that the Lord was upset because the people ate blood and this was a way of getting that rectified. Or perhaps Saul figured someone had violated the oath that he made. If so, then he wanted to know. The latter option seems to be what Saul is thinking. Verse 38, And Saul said, Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know, and see what this sin was to-day. And he said, saw, you must approach here, all corners, the people, and you must know, and you must see in what it was, the sin, the this, the day. The word pina signifies a corner. As a corner provides strength, support, stability, etc. to a wall or a side of something, so does the leader of a group of people. Saul calls these leaders to determine why the Lord has not responded. This word pina is used to describe Jesus Christ. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone, pinah. This was the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. These corner supports from among the men are called to stand and participate in order to hopefully obtain a decision concerning the matter at hand. " Verse 39. for as the lord lives who saves israel though it be in jonathan my son he shall surely die you know what he hasn't even considered that it might be him right he said if it's in jonathan for alive jehovah the causing to save israel for if it exists in jonathan my son for dying he will die When Saul mentions Jonathan by name, which would lead one to otherwise think he suspects him, he's probably saying, I don't care whose fault it is, even to my own son Jonathan, that person will die. Thus, Saul is actually certain that it cannot be his son Jonathan. However, because of his words, the reaction is, verse 39, but not a man among all the people answered him. And not he answering from all the people. It seems unlikely that every leader in the camp except Saul knew that Jonathan ate honey. But something prompted them to not respond. Maybe they had no idea what their men had done during the battle and didn't want to speak about what they didn't know. Maybe they were embarrassed about how the men fell on the animals without draining the blood. Whatever the reason for their silence, Saul has spoken and now he has to follow through. Verse 40, Then he said to all Israel, You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side. His words are emphatic. And he said unto all Israel, you, you will be to side one, and I and Jonathan, my son, we will be to side one. In order to establish the parameters he set, he has to first take this action. Only after can he pare down the offender based on the side chosen. Verse 40 continues, and the people said to Saul, do what seems good to you. And they said the people unto Saul, the good in your eyes you must do. They don't want to get involved, just like the last question he asked them. They just, okay, whatever. The imperative verb is an indication that they fully support Saul's idea. If he thinks it's a good idea, then he must do accordingly. When you are wrong about something you've done, don't project it on others as if that's okay. Why would you put them under the gun when it's your lips that started the fray? That is the kind of thing lefties are famous for, not acknowledging the wrong that they have caused. Instead, they pin it to someone else's door. This unholy attitude must be permanently paused. Just let your pride go and then press on. No need to try to justify yourself. For you, a bright new day will dawn when you put such things on the shelf. Our third thought today, behold me, I will die, verses 41 through 45. Verse 41. Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, give a perfect lot. The word lot is inserted there. And he said, Saul, unto Yehovah God Israel, you must give word spotless. The meaning is give a spotless lot. It seems that the Lord was consulted by the Urim and Thummim. When the Lord didn't respond, Saul decided to cast lots instead. Some translate this as innocent instead of spotless. That is somewhat of the idea here, but it does not convey the sense of the word. The word tamim signifies entire, coming from tamam meaning to be complete. It speaks of something being perfect or without blemish. Thus it is something blameless. but blameless does not necessarily extend to innocent. A newborn baby may be blameless, but he still bears original sin and thus is not innocent. Saul is asking who is innocent, but for the Lord to extend a blameless or spotless lot. However, The result of the lot may also provide what is spotless. In asking to give spotless, what is given may not be what is at fault, but what is not at fault. Understanding this. Think that through, what I just said. He's asking for a spotless, right? He thinks that he's going to get a spotless answer, but it may be that he's going to get a spotless choice. Verse 41 continues, so Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. And he was caught, Jonathan and Saul, and the people went out. If it was innocence that was being looked for, the lot wouldn't have taken Saul and Jonathan. The sense of their being caught is reflected in the book of Job. He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them. That's Job 5.13. Because Saul's side was caught, he has to figure out the reason for that. To do so, he must identify the supposed culprit. All translations suppose that Saul is the one that's in the right and Jonathan is the one in the guilty. All commentaries do too. I'm taking exactly the opposite, okay? Just so you know that now. And he said, Saul, you must cause to fall between me and between Jonathan my son. And he was caught Jonathan. The use of the word fall means as the lot falls. Saul is imploring throughout the whole process by using imperative verbs. In response to the petition, it notes that the lot caught Jonathan. The issue is whether the Lord deems Jonathan's actions as wrong or if he is just answering the lot as requested. Saul, not the Lord, is the one who brought up the issue of sin. When Ahan did wrong, the Lord explained it to Joshua. Saul appears certain that the problem is disobedience, but that needs to be read into the account. Despite this, he is asking to identify what he feels is the cause. With the lots having done so, verse 43, then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done." Well, Jonathan, he thinks he's guilty now, doesn't he? And Jonathan told him and said, I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. And he said, saw unto Jonathan, You must cause to declare word to me what you did. And he caused to declare to him, Jonathan. And he said, Tasting I tasted in extremity the branch, which in my hand little honey. It is apparent that Saul believes the lot has identified Jonathan as the one who sinned, despite that not being exactly what he asked. He asked for a perfect. There is a fault against his adjuration, and he wants to know who committed it. Jonathan, having been identified, confesses that he ate honey. Because of that, he commits himself to Saul's hand. Verse 43 continues, So now I must die. Hine amut. And behold me, I will die. Some translations render this as a question, but with the first-person interjection, that seems unlikely. In other words, it says, well, now I have to die. That's not the intent here. This is a first-person interjection, okay? Jonathan essentially says, here I am. I submit to death according to your words. Verse 44, Saul answered, God do so and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan. Vayomer, Shaul, ko ya'aseh Elohim ve'ko Yosef ki mot tamut Yonatan. And he said, Saul, thus he will do, God, and thus he will cause to add, for dying you will die, Jonathan. The words are a proverbial expression, well paraphrased by the New King James Version. For you shall surely die. Saul is saying that because Jonathan broke his ridiculous oath, God should not only agree and execute the sentence, but he should add even more ruinous heaps upon Jonathan in the process. However, the people in attendance have now had enough. They can clearly see Saul's decision is rash. unacceptable and contrary to the very thing that brought about the victory in the first place. Verse 45, But the people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not. The words are unusual. And he said, the people unto Saul, the Yah has given will die? Who he did the salvation, the whopping, the this in Israel? Profane word. The response of the people concerning Jonathan includes the definite article before his name, the Jonathan. This is either unprecedented or a very unusual thing in the Bible. I could find no other example of it in scripture, where a person's name is preceded by the word the, the Charlie, the Ken, the whoever, the mom. Well, you'd see the mom, maybe, because that's a pronoun, isn't it? It's not mom. What is that? What part of a pronoun? I'm right, she's shaking her head. Okay, you'll see that. But you won't see a person's name with the article. Nobody translates that. Not one translation, not one scholar commented on that, and yet I can find not one other example in all of Scripture where the article is said before a person's name. Normally, when a definite article is used, it calls for an explanation of the name rather than stating the name. I'm talking about places like the Gilead and the this and the that. I translated 1 Samuel 30 yesterday and the place known as Wadi Besor is not Wadi Besor. It is Wadi the Besor. That's going to make a difference in the translation now. It's going to mean something different. But translations don't put that in and so you don't know that that's there. Okay? We, for an example, the Gilead means the perpetual fountain. Jonathan means Yah has given. The article implies that they are asking the Yah has given will die rather than the Jonathan will die. The people are flabbergasted that Saul would even consider such an outrage. Jonathan had trusted in the Lord alone for salvation, even stating it explicitly that it is the Lord who provides it. Therefore, he was the instrument of the Lord in the process. How can it be that the Lord would use him in this manner if he were not the Lord's to use? The choice was not Saul's to make and the Lord had already provided his blessing upon Jonathan. Verse 45 continues. As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day. Chai Yehovah im yipol misarrat yorosho artsa, ki im elohim asa hayom hazeh. Alive Yehovah, if it will fall from hair his head earthward, for with God he did thee day thee this. Because of the obvious error on Saul's part in his decision-making, the people have jointly overridden his word. Not only will Jonathan not die, but not a hair will be clipped or plucked from his head. Verse 45 finishes with, So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die. Rather, va'yifdu ha'am et yonatan velo met, and they redeemed the people, Jonathan, and not he died. To translate this as rescue diminishes the intent of the word. It means redeem. It is pada, to sever, and thus to redeem. As the topical lexicon says of this word, the verb appears about 59 times and consistently features God or one acting on His behalf, stepping in at personal cost to liberate the helpless. It is as if they bought Jonathan back from the sentence spoken through Saul's continued obstinacy. Nothing in the narrative or at any later time indicates that Jonathan did anything wrong. He acted in innocence, relied on the Lord, gave honor to the Lord, and so forth. Saul, on the other hand, vowed rashly, failed to consider the implications of his vow, and then continued to make rash statements and decisions that only further highlighted his own foolish stand. This is a great place to stop for the day. Despite the next verses forming their own complete thought, analyzing them together will show how they complement each other as the narrative continues to move forward. As for the events in this passage, when we look at how Saul handled things, we can see that instead of stopping, considering what took place, and then relenting in his failed choice of words, acknowledging he was wrong, Saul continued to make himself look foolish. Eventually, his flippant attitude towards what is morally right will cost him the kingdom. It is a high price to pay for moral weakness, but it is what defined him and how we remember him. When we are approached about a matter of moral integrity, it can be hard to stand up and say, this is what is right, without a basis for doing so. But if we are going to defend what we believe, we can always appeal to the source of our faith, be it in the church, be it in our political choices, or for any other stand that we make. In the church, the source of our faith is God. But that must be more fully defined, right? It can mean many things. You say, oh, God is my source of my righteousness or my morality. Well, that can mean about 10 billion things, can't it? Buddhists have their own view. Even if they don't actually believe in God, rather their view of religion forms its own God. Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, and so forth have their view of God or gods as well. To say, this is what God expects, leaves the door open for way too much. For the Christian, our faith in God is in how he has presented himself. That is found in his word. Therefore, to appeal to a particular religious stand, we should appeal to the Bible when stating a claim about God. I'll give you an example. Somebody sent me something from a Facebook post yesterday. And his question was, well, how do you defend against this? I didn't really answer. It was a long post, and it talked about Catholicism, okay, and the rosary, saying the rosary and all that kind of stuff, and praying to Mary. Well, what do you do? You appeal to the Bible, to the source. You go to where the source is. The problem with doing that with a Catholic is what? They believe that, that's right, they believe they are the source. The Bible and them are identical. They have the authority over the Word of God and they can pass papal bulls which are equal with God's Word. So you can't win at that one. Don't even bother. You ain't gonna win. Go to your source and say, this is what the Bible says. You have to make the choice. Because you're not going to win with that argument. It's like doing it with the Jove's Witnesses. They say, our Bible is the best. It's the infallible word and all others are corrupt. Well, guess what? The Jove's Witnesses didn't start with their Bible, did it? They started with the King James Version. They're arguing apples and oranges and you can't do that. Go to the source, and you will be much stronger in your argument. Saul did not appeal to Scripture. Then his vow failed to consider what Scripture says about vows. Rather, it was his own vow as the king that he imposed on the people. That reduced the entire concept of what God expects to what Saul alone expected. From there, he backed up the authority to God, as if that is what God expected. I'll give you an example. First, I'll read this next sentence. Politicians and military leaders do this all the time, claiming that their view on a matter is God's view. Well, guess what? In Abraham Lincoln's time, when he was battling the Civil War, he says, we're appealing to the same God as the Confederates. We're both appealing, and we're both saying God is on our side. That is not a smart place to be. Instead, let us stand on the Word in its proper context when we refer to such things. In this, we will be conducting ourselves properly in His presence. That's why He gave us the Word, so we don't have to say, I'm trusting in God. Well good, so are Muslims and they're pulling strings and blowing themselves up in the middle of shopping malls. They're trusting in God. What God are you talking about? What expression of God are you talking about? You're not going to get it anywhere else than your source. And he gave us this word and he says, I breathed out this word. This is a reflection of me. This is what I expect of you. You can always appeal to this. Let us stand on the Word in its proper context when we refer to all such things. In this we will be conducting ourselves properly in His presence. This is what will glorify God as we live our lives before Him. Everybody understand that? Don't appeal to just God in general. When you say a prayer, don't just say in God's name. Say Jesus. Jesus has revealed the Father to us. He is the expression of God that we need to understand. And guess what? I say this week after week after week. You cannot know God unless you know Jesus. It is impossible. It is impossible. You cannot know Jesus unless you know this. It is impossible. This is the source of where we get our information about Jesus. You go to a church and they are not following this book. I don't care if they call themselves a church or not, they are appealing to themselves just like Saul did. He was appealing to himself and then backing his authority up to God. Don't allow that in your life. Don't trust Charlie Garrett ever unless you have checked this first. That's my plea to you week after week after week after week. This book, either it is what it says it is or it isn't. If it is, you should be trusting this book. If it's not, we're wasting our time. I could go out and make a lot more money somewhere else, okay? And I wouldn't have to work 75, 80 hours a week. I wouldn't do it. I love what I do. I absolutely love it because I trust this Word. I trust that it is the Word of God. I trust that. You need Jesus. If you have never called on Jesus, the one thing you need is Him. This book will tell you how to reach Him. I'm going to tell you very quickly so you don't have to read all 1189 chapters of it. Jesus died for your sins. Jesus was buried. He was interred in a tomb. and Jesus rose again the third day. All of that is recorded here, and it's according to scripture. It was already prophesied in advance. He did this for you. He loves you enough to give his life in exchange for your sins. Please call on Jesus today. That's all you need. Our closing verse comes from Psalm 34. It is verse 22. The Lord redeems the soul of his servants, and none of those who trust in him shall be condemned. Who is the Lord? Jesus. The Lord Jesus. We had the expression of God the Lord in the Old Testament. It was insufficient to fully understand what God is doing. It was all given to show us that Jehovah of the Old Testament was going to unite with human flesh. Jesus. Stay away from all the Mary stuff, all the rosary stuff, all of the we're on an equal par with God, etc. Stay away from that. Come to Jesus and be saved. Next week is 1 Samuel 14. It's verses 46 through 52. Before I go on, if you look in this Bible when you're reading it, just so you don't think I was just making up words at the end of the sermon there, This actually has a paragraph ending in verse 46, which is the first verse of next week. But I logically thought we should stop at verse 45 this week, so that it will all fit seamlessly for you. Okay, I do these things, I know sometimes they seem chaotic, but I do them for a reason. Okay, so here we go. 1 Samuel 14, 46 through 52. Part two. That'll be your 29th one Samuel sermon. Thank you, Jay. Good stuff. The Lord has you exactly where he wants you. He has a good plan and a purpose for you. He is the one who abases the haughty and exalts the humble. He regards the lowly and the proud he knows from afar. So yield yourself to him and trust him and believe his word. In this, he will do great things for you and through you. And I'm not talking about great things like making a lot of money or having a fancy house or a big car or anything, a fancy car or a big house or anything like that. I'm not talking about those things. When God is going to do something great for you, it is that he is going to use you as his tool for his glory. If you are obedient to him, if you're studying his word, if you're telling people about Jesus, handing out tracts, we've got some great bookmarkers that Lee brought down there, back there, and I'd forgotten, I'd put them back there, and somebody brought them up to me, where did these come from? Take them, hand them out. People love bookmarks, okay? There's like eight billion of them. He brought him all the way from Maryland just for you to hand out. Hand him out! Okay, then he is going to use you as a tool for his glory, and that is great things. What happens here doesn't really matter, okay? We know that after last year, Hedico and I figured that out. We don't need to trust in houses because, man, you can lose everything in about 30 or 40, I remember dad over in his house and I had to pick him up practically, we're running across before the tides got so high and sweep him out to the bay, coming to our house because we're two stories. So we all slept upstairs that night. What a terrible night! We had no air, you got nothing, there was no electricity, everything is out, and you're sitting there smelling gas because all the gas tanks in the garage had spilled all over the place. It was a terrible night. Don't put your trust in this world. All those things you think are making your life nice They're gonna make your life miserable when the ball drops. Okay trust in Jesus trust in Jesus We got let's see here question. This is so easy. This is so easy I'm gonna be so upset if you don't shout this out immediately. What is the longest chapter in the Bible? Psalm 119. Man, we've been reading one octave of that Psalm every week before Bible class for years and years and years. Psalm 119. I read one octave of that every day before I read the Bible. Just start with Psalm 119, Aleph, Beth, Gimel, I just read one octave. It's talking about the Word of God. Open your eye, open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It's always talking about the Word. Read an octave of it and then get in your Bible if you want. things anyway okay good job folks Psalm 119 verse 31 to 45 my translation and they will cause to strike in the day the it in the Philistines from Michmash I Jalan word and he dimmed the people very and he made the people unto booty and he took flock and cattle and sons cattle and they slaughtered earthward and he ate the people upon the blood And they caused to declare to Saul to say, Behold, the people sinning to Yehovah, to eat upon the blood. Then he said, You dealt covertly. You must roll unto me the day stone whopping. Then he said, Saul, you must scatter in the people. And you said to them, You must cause to approach unto me man, his ox, and man, his sheep. And they slaughtered in this, and they ate. And not they will sin to Yehovah, to eat unto the blood. And they caused to approach all the people, man, his ox, in his hand, the night. And they slaughtered there. And he built Saul, altar to Yehovah, it he caused to begin to build, altar to Yehovah. And he said, Saul, let us descend after the Philistines, night, and let us plunder in them until light, the morning. not may we cause to leave in them man. And they said all the good in your eyes you must do. And he said the priest let us near here unto thee God. And he asked Saul in God I will descend after the Philistines you will deliver them in hand to Israel and And not he answered in the day, the it. And he said, Saul, you must approach here, all corners, the people, and you must know and you must see in what it was, the sin, the this, the day. For alive Yehovah, the causing to save Israel, For if it exists in Jonathan my son, for dying he will die, and not he answering from all the people. And he said unto all Israel, you, you will be to side one, and I and Jonathan my son, we will be to side one. Then they said, the people unto Saul, the good in your eyes you must do. Then he said, Saul, unto Jehovah God Israel, you must give word spotless. Then he was caught, Jonathan and Saul, and the people went out. And he said, Saul, you must cause to fall between me and between Jonathan my son. And he was caught, Jonathan. Then he said, Saul unto Jonathan, you must cause to declare word to me what you did. And he caused to declare to him, Jonathan. And he said, tasting I tasted in extremity the branch which in my hand little honey behold me i will die and he said saw thus he will do god and thus he will cause to add for dying you will die jonathan and he said the people unto saw the yaw has given will die who he did the salvation the whopping the this in israel profane word alive Yehovah, if it will fall from hair his head earthward. For with God he did the day, the this, and he redeemed the people, Jonathan, and not he died." Heavenly Father, wow. What wonderful information are you telling us? How great it is to read this story and to then consider what you are telling us about Jesus. It's all there. It's all in the details. The story itself is exciting, but why would you put it in there unless you were telling us about something else? Lord, thank you that you give us these stories that can help us to probe your own mind, your own plan for the people of the world, your redemptive narrative, which is being worked out even right now in the stream of human existence. Whatever happened in Venezuela yesterday is a part of that unfolding plan. We can know that with all certainty, that nothing happens apart from your will. Maybe it'll be the end of America because of some miscalculation, or maybe it'll be the beginning of a new day in Venezuela. Whatever it is, it will be your plan that is being affected through it. Thank you that we have that reassurance and we don't need to think of the chaos of the nations being overwhelming and everything out of control. We can step back and say the Lord is handling it. Thank God for your hand upon us and we know that because of Jesus. The book is written, the Messiah had already come when the book started to be written and the Messiah is coming back. And we know that already. Thank you for these things. Thank you for these wonderful things that we can hold on to with a sure and certain hope. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, weekly instruction for the Lord's Supper comes directly from scripture. Paul wrote his words in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, very similar to what Luke wrote in his gospel concerning the giving of the Lord's Supper and what Jesus said at that time. But Paul said these words, he said, for I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you. that on the same night that the Lord Jesus was betrayed he took bread and he would have blessed his bread he would have said Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam HaMotzi Lechem Min HaAretz Blessed art thou Lord our God, King of the Universe Yes, thank you. I completely bring forth bread from the earth. Thank you. And he broke it and he said, take and eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. You're gonna think I was silly, but I'm thinking of some people that are traveling back here in four days while I'm giving the Lord supper, hoping they'll be okay on the flight back, and it just stopped my brain. You know, it's things like that that tell you that you're human. When you're trying to do one thing and other things come through your mind, you know, you're having a conversation about God, and all of a sudden, some terrible, wicked thought goes through your head. Man, we're humans. We do these things. So thank God that we have this offered to us, that we can get restoration every week. He also took the cup after supper and he would have blessed us as well. He would have said, Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu, melech haolam, borei peri hagafen. Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, creator of the fruit of the vine. This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. Just so I don't forget it, Ginny had to go home. She wasn't feeling well. That's why Mike and Roy took off. And so keep her in prayer. She's going through everything with the cancer and everything. So keep her in prayer today. And we'll hope that she'll be feeling better this evening and tomorrow. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. Welcome back. We'll see you, what, in three months, four months? The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. So she comes in today and she says, I'm here. And then she says, I won't be here next week. Off she goes. One thing after, I've never seen some busy people in my life, but it's good. They're staying young, I guess. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. Amen. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. Praise God. Amen. Wow. Sergio will be back. That's who I was thinking of. I stood up and they just came right through my head, right? I'm trying to concentrate on this and I'm thinking about they're traveling in three days, so. Yeah. Well, we'll see. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. Did either Thor or Ethan talk to you? Okay, they're supposed to, so I'll tell them. Well, Ethan's right there. Check with Ethan. Did you talk to him? Okay. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. Amen. I'm telling you it was so nice. I'm not gonna overdo it for a while, but a little of it and guess what I have tonight. Hidiko, cake, make sure you bring some of that home. Okay, thank you. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. You've been out in the sun. Look at how dark your hands are. Have you been out at the beach? I walk the beach every morning. Okay, there you go. Very nice. I'm out there for two and a half hours. Good. Wonderful to have you here. It's nice to be here. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Today oh Well, we got to call Mabel. It's her birthday. We got a singer a really terrible birthday song No, that's probably right I didn't even know we need to call her I The body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. Apparently today is Mabel's birthday. Okay, we all got a call in Rasm. We just can't let that go. I know. Wow. I think that's right. Yeah, cuz he's 92. That's right. That's right here. You're part. Yep the body in the blood of the Lord Jesus Thank you. Okay. I have something for you and you in the fridge before you leave. Are you going straight home? Okay, if not, don't take it we can give it to your sister and you can pick it up from her the body in the blood of the Lord Jesus Oh here she wants one here She's sanctified through her parents, so. Okay, the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus. I'm not even going to try that today. That's way too many. I'm not going to. She can pour it all into one cup and drink it herself. I'm not going to stand here and drink 20 of these. I could. I could, but I'm not going to. Okay, what's in my pocket? Oh, yeah. Huh? No, that's my bazooka. What a good uncle. Oh, I got you. I always forget my keys and then I got to come back in. I'm a basket case. I'm just a complete Okay, I just got news. I did not know this until Linda told me, and then Joan confirmed it. Today is Mabel's birthday. So if you have her number, call them, and they're gonna get a terrible song from Hidiko and me. But they're gonna get it. Maybe if all of you do it, she'll get so sick of it, she'll say, whatever. Make her know that you love her. She's like a spunky young lady, and she's... wonderful soul. So give him a call and wish her a happy birthday. I think it's one because Dr. is two, I believe. He's behind you. So I believe that's correct. Anyway, once again, I say it week after week, and I said it at least three times during the sermon, read the Bible. We have to make sure that we have our priorities right. If you appeal to God in general, you're not doing anything. You're not, okay? Always appeal to the name of Jesus, and you're not going to be able to do that without knowing the Bible that tells us of Jesus. Okay? I don't know how to harp on that any more than I do. You know, and the funny thing is, I'm sure somebody's going to come in here next week and say, do I need to read my Bible? No. I just, it is my heart's desire. Some people say my heart's desire is this, and some people say, my heart's desire is for people to know the Lord. And the way you're going to do that is by knowing the Bible. It doesn't take any effort. And here it is. I said this to the doctor that did my hernia last year. I didn't get to see him, but I told the nurse to say it to him. I'm going to say it to all of you right now. It's only the third or fourth. Fourth, it's only the fourth. So you haven't missed that much of the year. If you start right now and you read 30 minutes a day, you will be done in 153 days. You'll be done, what's that, June? You'll be done, okay? 30 minutes a day. If you read a little less, it'll take you a whole year. But read the Bible. You do more stuff that takes 30 minutes or an hour or even two hours every day of your life that is unimportant. Okay, I know it because you watch football games, you watch movies, nothing wrong with that, but where are your priorities? Read the Bible, get to know the Lord, and that will be the important thing. I'm going to go home tonight and I'm going to watch some TV. That's not, nothing wrong with that. I never say that to somebody. If you love football, if you love basketball, oh, whatever. If you like it, do it. But make the priority like this and put the Bible right at the top. Ketico knows when I go traveling, I make a list of all the dumb things you got to take. Toothbrush and all that. The very first thing on that list every time is B-I-B-L-E. I don't care what else I forget. I ain't forgetting that Bible. Read the Bible, please. Heavenly Father, thank you for your precious word that tells us of our even more precious Jesus. He is so wonderful and everything he has done is perfect because it stems from you. God in Christ, reconciling the world to himself. Thank you for this hope we possess. Thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.