Gospel Reflections #902: It's not just because we fail

 Samuel 10:17 "Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah."

Saul had been secretly anointed by the prophet Samuel and personally received his calling as king.

This passage describes the procedure to publicly acknowledge that personal event before the entire assembly of Israel.

Samuel gathered the people at "Mizpah." This place was symbolic for Israel as a site of repentance and renewal, chosen as a sacred place for making crucial decisions before God.

Just before the selection, Samuel sternly rebuked the people, saying, "You have rejected the God who brought you out of Egypt and demanded a king."

Saul's selection demonstrates that it was less a matter of God's blessing and more an aspect of "God's tolerance for the people's demand."

God does not cast us aside simply because we fail to choose His side.

God continually works to guide us back onto the path toward Him.

But it is not only God who watches us; the inhabitants of heaven also observe.

God manifests His righteousness and love even to the inhabitants of heaven, so He never deviates from that principle in anything.

Therefore, through our experiences, God shows us that we must reap what we have sown by our own free will.

But this is not punishment; it is an awakening, God's grace.

And just as Samuel gathered the people and declared, so too does Jesus declare before the heavenly inhabitants and our Father God that we are children of God.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.