Grace IV

Joyous Grace

1 Samuel 1:14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. 15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

Preachers, like all Christians, don’t always get it right.  This is one reason that 1 Corinthians 13 is such an important scripture and why you ought to dwell on it day and night until you have renewed your mind through that meditation.  Would Eli the high priest have said what he said in verse 14 had he been in the spirit?  No.  Would he have said it had he known 1 Corinthians 13:7 would one day say, “Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening.”  Does it sound like Eli had that attitude toward her? 

In his defense it appears that drunkenness was a real problem in Israel and even women were taken in it.  In case you think that is a sexist statement on my part, times were different then and women were much less likely to fall prey to the same vices as men.  Notice in verse 7 above that love is ever ready to believe the best of every person.  God has gone out of His way in my life to make sure I learn to believe the best of those around me.  Why?  Because as we learned in lesson Grace 3, God is not through with any of us yet and as long as we’re alive and breathing, He is promoting us and helping us grow.  A better comment from Eli would have been, “Why do you appear drunken?” 

You might say, “What’s the difference?  He’s still being judgmental.  He’s still judging.”  The difference is that he’s trying to find out what her motivation is and though it looks like one thing, it shows he’s not certain; and he wants to help her.  The truth is, we usually think badly of those around us rather than the best and that attitude goes against scripture.  In Christ we are supposed to believe the best of someone unless they have proved their guilt.  1 Corinthians 13 is the basis of our legal system…innocent until proven guilty.  If you ever read the comments after an Internet news article you KNOW people rarely believe the best of someone.  From politicians to police, from private citizens to public servants we tend to accept guilty until proven innocent.  This attitude does not please God.

Even though we in Christ have the authority to pronounce blessings and cursings, we rarely develop our faith in those areas.  I have developed my faith to where I know if I speak a matter on your behalf – or against you – God will not allow my words to fall to the ground.  This ability causes no end of concern to the youth in RFT who know this gift is in operation in my life.  I have jested with some couples in the church and they have declared, “You take that back Bishop!”  Apparently they didn’t want triplets.  I am less prone to that sort of jesting these days but they are correct in their concerns.  If you speak evil of me and I am wounded and speak against you, the words I speak WILL come to pass.  I am not a safe target to malign and speak evil against.  On the other hand, if I speak on your behalf before God, the words that I speak will come to pass.  My faith in this area is strong.

All saints ought to have this gift as it is both our protection and our honor.  Sadly, we fail 1 Corinthians 13 so badly that God does not dare activate it in all our lives; we would leave a trail of burning wreckage behind us.  Christians are to live our lives in Christ who had this blessing in full.  Who and what He cursed was cursed and who and what He blessed was blessed.  He still managed to have a powerful ministry on earth that drew men and women by the thousands.  Even in his flaws, Eli blessed the woman once he understood the truth.  In verse 17 he blessed her and in verse 18 she declared she had found the grace she sought. 

Now pay close attention to the end of verse 18.  Her countenance was no longer sad and she went away happy and ate.  Was her prayer visibly answered?  No.  Did she see the completed answer?  No.  She received it by faith and by faith chose to walk in the very real grace of God.  Her joy came by grace THROUGH faith.  She chose to be full of joy by faith and God honored her faith.  In verse 20 she became pregnant and in 1 Samuel 2:1 after giving her son to the Lord she rejoices eloquently before the Lord.  Let’s read it in the Amplified version:

1 Samuel 2:1 HANNAH PRAYED, and said, My heart exults and triumphs in the Lord; my horn (my strength) is lifted up in the Lord. My mouth is no longer silent, for it is opened wide over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2 There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides You; there is no Rock like our God.

3 Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance go forth from your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

4 The bows of the mighty are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.

5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children languishes and is forlorn.

6 The Lord slays and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He lifts up.

8 He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with nobles and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He has set the world upon them.

9 He will guard the feet of His godly ones, but the wicked shall be silenced and perish in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them will He thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge [all peoples] to the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king (King) and exalt the power of His anointed (Anointed His Christ).

Now that’s grace!  Notice that once she knew it was hers she ceased being sad and trusted in God.  Once the blessing was realized she gave full credit where it was due…to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Once she stopped stressing out over it she received the promise and the child.

Friendship Grace

1 Samuel 20:3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. 4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. 5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. 6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7 If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.

David had found grace in Jonathan’s eyes.  Scripture says that the love between Jonathan and David was greater than the love between a man and a woman (2 Samuel 1:26).  They respected each other and supported each other even against king and father.  There was no sexual component to get in the way, just a pure and righteous understanding.  Let the whole world live dishonorably and they still honored one another.  Jonathan knew God had anointed David king in the place of his disobedient father and he didn’t care; he just wanted what God wanted.  That fact infuriated his father (1 Samuel 19:2, 1 Samuel 20:27-33) and forced Jonathan to chose sides; in this case his beloved friend David.

Grace will cause you to put someone ahead of yourself.  It will encourage you to follow a plan of God no matter what it might cost you.  When you walk in grace you realize it doesn’t matter what cost you might pay as long as you are in God’s grace.  His grace is sufficient for suffering, for promotion, for strength and for faith.  His grace will let you stand beside Apostle Paul and declare that, “I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content in the Lord.”  We in Christ should never be grasping, greedy, demanding, soulish men and women.  Our motives should always be gracious and pure and our goal to help others at all times.  The grace of God in Christ Jesus will keep you on top when the whole world seeks to hold you down.  Having done all to stand (by grace through faith), stand therefore in the whole armor of God.

Psalm 23:5 Grace

1 Samuel 27:5 And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? 6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

There are times when you might have to run from your so-called friends and find succor in the bosom of your enemy.  David was forced to flee Saul and found himself in Gath before the Philistine king Achish.  David had fled with 600 of his followers and the king could not believe his good fortune.  God will blind your enemies and make them your friends if that is His will.  He not only honored David by receiving the great warrior of Israel but he gave him the town of Ziklag. 

While hiding in Ziklag, David took his men out and attacked the nations that Joshua had failed to destroy.  He told Achish that he had attacked cities in Judah and was believed.  It may not be the most comfortable place to eat at a table surrounded by your enemies, but God will make you as safe as in a fortress if we keep Him as our fortress.  How about you?  Is God YOUR fortress (Psalm 91:2)? 

Bishop J.