Proverbs 1:7:
7 The reverent and worshipful fear of the LORD is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline.
If you have ever wondered why some people just don't "get it" when it comes to even common sense things, this verse is the answer! Those who refuse to acknowledge God and His Word as final authority in their lives have absolutely no hope of operating in Wisdom and intelligence! It is a losing battle to try to reason with people in that position! Our only recourse then is to pray for them and preach the Gospel! It is only when people acknowledge the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible that they can even BEGIN to grow in knowledge and understanding!
In John 11 we read of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. If those who walked with Jesus really had faith in Him, they would have been able to believe the words that He spoke in verse 4:
4 When Jesus received the message, He said, This sickness is not to end in death; but [on the contrary] it is to honor God and to promote His glory, that the Son of God may be glorified through (by) it.
Instead, they doubted! Why? Because they were not yet born again! They were not yet able to comprehend because the Word of God is spiritually discerned and they were still dead spirits! Once they were born again, the Holy Spirit brought all of these things back to their remembrance and they understood what Jesus had been telling them! As YOU meditate God's Word, allow the Holy Spirit to show YOU how the Word applies to your own personal life. THAT is how you can make YOUR way prosperous and have GOOD success (Joshua 1:8)!
Reading in 1 Samuel should convince you that though David was a man "after God's heart", he was as liable to make dumb, sinful decisions as any other person! Instead of operating in faith that God would deliver him, he went to live among the Philistines again! This ALMOST brought him to a place of having to go to battle against the very people he was supposed to be the King of! God saved him from this by using the Philistine army to object to his going with them. Thank God for every time He delivered YOU from a dumb decision and renew YOUR commitment to go after HIM! Here is a map of the places we read about in 1 Samuel, including Endor, where Saul consulted with a medium. It also outlines some of the places we will be reading about in the next days.
Shalom in Him!
