Today’s devotion comes from 1 Samuel 14:36-52. Here is a link to this Scripture – 1 Samuel 14 NASB1995 – – Bible Gateway
I quote only the following verses.
“Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him and said, “I indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die!” Saul said, “May God do this to me and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan.” But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Far from it! 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. Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.” 1 Samuel 14:43-46.
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Jonathan thought he must die. He said: “Here I am, I must die!”
Saul was intent on it. “Saul said, “May God do this to me and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”
“But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Far from it! 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.”
The lesson for us is to be ready for salvation. Today is the day of salvation!
“And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— for He says,
“AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,
AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.”
Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”—” 2 Corinthians 6:1-2.
But, there are those who hesitate, delay, and procrastinate. They are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7. They believe salvation is in their alleged free-will and in a continual and endless process of their learning, rather than in a steadfast faith resting in what God has done for their salvation.
So to speak, they are satisfied by the journey, rather than arriving at the destination, “THE DAY OF SALVATION”. Likewise we read, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” John 5:39-40.
They repeatedly hear good preaching and teaching of the doctrines of grace, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, as more fully taught in the Canons of Dordt. But, they straddle the fence. They fear man more than God. They fear those who reject God’s salvation preferring man’s alleged free-will. When they hear others hatefully exclaim: “Calvinism?! Predestination?! Election?! That is not the God I serve!”, they shrink back.
“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE,
HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.
BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH;
AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.
But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:36-39.
“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.” And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.” Hebrews 6:4-15.
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