The Wednesday Word 9.29.2021

 

Samuel 31:1-6   New Living Translation

31 Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. 3 The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely. 4 Saul groaned to his armor bearer, “Take your sword and kill me before these pagan Philistines come to run me through and taunt and torture me.” But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died beside the king. 6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his troops all died together that same day.

Our actions have consequences. The problem is that we don’t always think through what those consequences may be. There may be results we can’t see in advance that might have been avoided. In every instance, there are consequences. What we often fail to consider is the ripple effect. No one lives in a vacuum. Whether it is obvious or obscure, what we do can have profound effects on the people around us.

Saul turned away from the God who had blessed him. Step by step, he moved further away from him and closer and closer to disaster and devastation for his people. He saw three of his sons perish, along with his army of Israel’s sons. When his defeat was complete, he took his own life, rather than endure the ultimate torment and degradation that would follow.

We cannot see the future, but we cannot lose sight of the one in whose hands it rests. We must learn to weigh our actions in that knowledge. Our actions can be a blessing to those around us, or cause a great pain. All of our actions have consequences.  God has given us the ability and the responsibility to make our own choices in this world. What we forget in exercising our free will is that this world still belongs to God. Whether the choice is large or small, we must never forget that…something to pray about. 

Don’t forget to look for the Lord today. Vicki H.



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