____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ September 7, 2003 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Who Actually Killed King Saul? (Tom Edwards) 2) This Way to Sodom (David Diestelkamp) 3) Judgment Day Surprises (Clarence Johnson) 4) News & Notes ____________________________________________________ -1- Who Actually Killed King Saul? by Tom Edwards The Bible might seem to give three different explanations as to how Saul, the first king of Israel, had died. Was it by a young Amalekite that Saul was slain? Was it by God? Or was it by Saul himself? In considering these different accounts of Saul's death, we note first of all, the words of the young Amalekite in 2 Samuel 1. He claims that Saul had said to him, "Please stand beside me and kill me; for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me" (v. 9). The Amalekite then states, "So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord" (v. 10). Concerning God's part, however, 1 Chronicles 10:13,14 declares, "So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the Lord, because of the word of the Lord which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it, and did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse." Then in 1 Chronicles 10:4,5, the account shows that "...Saul took his sword and fell on it. And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died." How do we reconcile these different accounts? In the case of the Amalekite, it is obvious that he had fabricated the story of his involvement. We need to remind ourselves that though everything in the Bible is true (in the sense of that which is recorded was actually said), sometimes what was said was a lie (but is still recorded for us), as in the case of the serpent deceiving Eve and telling her, "You surely shall not die" (Gen. 3:4). The Amalekite appears to also be lying, perhaps because he mistakenly thought he could gain the good favor -- and even a reward -- from David by doing so. For in the account of what actually happened, we are told, "Then Saul said to his armor bearer, `Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me.' But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it. And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died" (1 Chron. 10:4,5). In this inspired account -- and not the mere testimony of man -- the armor bearer was present when Saul killed himself. All of that occurred without any assistance from (or even mention of) the Amalekite who later gave his version of Saul's death. On hearing the Amalekite's story, however, David had him put to death for even having claimed to have destroyed the Lord's anointed (2 Sam. 1:14). The Bible shows that Saul actually did kill himself. But how do we reconcile the statement in 1 Chronicles 10:14 that God killed him? We can liken this to Jeremiah 27:8, in which the text says, "`And it will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence,' declares the Lord, `until I have destroyed it by his hand."' God was going to destroy His people if they would not surrender to the Babylonians, but would the Lord do that personally? Would it be the Lord who would be wielding the sword? No. Rather, it would be according to His providence that He would use the heathen nation of Babylon to carry that out. In this sense, we have no trouble in realizing how that it can be said that God destroyed a nation for their rebellion; when, in actuality, the Lord did not directly carry out that sentence. Rather, He did so, indirectly, through others. We need to, therefore, apply this same principle to what Saul did. It, too, was providential. And before we object by saying, "but Saul committed suicide and that was wrong," which, indeed, is true; let us not forget that it was even more wrong when sinful men put to death the perfect and spotless Son of God -- which God the Father did not cause anyone to do -- but that could still be used as a major part of God's eternal plan of salvation. Jesus had to die for the sins of the world. So it doesn't necessarily mean that God approved of Saul's suicide, but the Lord could providentially use that nevertheless. In conclusion, the young Amalekite of 1 Samuel 1 had not put Saul to death. Rather, it was Saul who killed himself. But in his doing so, it was actually a fulfilling of God's divine judgment upon Saul, being carried out indirectly and providentially -- not through some other person, nor through nature's fury, but through Saul himself. ____________________________________________________ -2- This Way to Sodom by David Diestelkamp Recent events have shown that America is fertile ground for the homosexual movement. The vocal nature of this group and the apparent acceptance of it by society in general may even tempt Christians to pause to wonder if they should be less dogmatic about this sin. But we ought to be pausing to see the real reasons for modern acceptance of this sin! Ignorance. It is hard to claim unintentional ignorance of the error of homosexuality. Romans 1:26 calls homosexuality "against nature" -- in other words, simple anatomy shows that the human body is heterosexual, not homosexual. In spite of this, "women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful" (Rom. 1:26-27). This is not to say everyone thinks homosexuality is wrong. Paul goes on to say that there are those who do not "retain God in their knowledge" and therefore develop a "debased mind" -- wrong seems right when your thinking is perverted. Ignorance of God's word allows religious people to defend sins like homosexuality. The Scriptures themselves are painfully clear. According to Romans, homosexuality is "unclean," it dishonors one's body, is a result of "vile passions," is against nature," "shameful," and "error" (Rom. 1:24-27). Paul also wrote that "homosexuals" and "sodomites" will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10). Homosexuality has always been a violation of God's law (example: Lev. 20:13), with God's destruction of the city of Sodom standing as a monument to His displeasure of this sin (Gen. 19; 2 Pet. 2:6). The problem is not that the Scriptures are unclear. The problem is ignorance of Scripture -- whether unintentional or intentional. New Tolerance. The redefinition of tolerance to mean acceptance and agreement is the driving force behind current denominational ecumenical and unification movements. The only guiding standard is that of being true to what you want or believe, and the only thing condemned is condemnation of others. The potential accusation of being closed minded or judgmental has kept many denominational mouths from teaching what they know to be the truth about homosexuality. Even some who oppose homosexuality have stood silent as their denomination embraced it. The reasons for this vary from attempts to keep position, members and money, to feelings that the tide cannot be changed by a few lonely voices. Tolerance which accepts sin is no longer tolerance -- it is sin! The "wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable" (Jas. 3:17). It is not peace at the cost of purity. In his rejection of homosexuality in Romans, Paul also strongly condemned those who "approve of those" who practice such sins (1:32). It's time for God's people to pay less attention to being politically correct and more attention to speaking God's word! Evolutionary Thinking. If we accept that man is an animal -- differentiated from other animals only by anatomy and the fortuitous wiring of our brains -- then how can the following of physical animal passions be wrong? This is the homosexual argument that one is born a homosexual. Some have even gone so far as to say God made them "this way." The Genesis account of creation reveals two important facts pertaining to this study. First, man is not simply an animal. Man was created with a spiritual side -- "in the image of God" (Gen. 1:26) -- and with this comes the ability to know right from wrong. Man has the ability and responsibility to bring his passions into subjection to the will of God (Rom. 6:12). Why is it that our society allows and approves of man acting like an animal sexually, but in any other area of life to act like an animal is wrong and punished? Second, God made mankind "male and female" with sexual relations to occur only between a man and woman, and that only within lawful marriage (Gen. 1:27, 28; 2:18-24; 4:1). This is how God made man and woman and how He makes them today! Hedonism. The pursuit of pleasure is a very dark path. Pay attention to media advertisements and you will learn that the world is offering everything the pleasure seeker could desire. "Try it you'll like it," "If it feels good do it," and, "Don't knock it `till you've tried it" are mottos that have sent people looking for gratification in areas that Paul says are even a shame to speak of (Eph. 5:12). Making pleasure god will lead to perversity, extremes, and extreme perversity as new thrills and experiences are sought. Until our treasure is in heaven, the false promises and artificial glitter of the world will appear enticing no matter how perverted it may be (Matt. 6:20). -- Via Think on These Things, July-August-September 2003 ____________________________________________________ -3- Judgment Day Surprises by Clarence Johnson The Bible teaches that indeed, there shall be a day of judgment for all who have ever lived. See Rev. 20:11-12. That day will be a day of many surprises. 1. Some will be surprised that there will be a judgment -- but indeed there will be, Heb. 9:27. 2. Some will be surprised to learn that the judgment has not yet occurred. Some hold various theories to the effect that God has pre-judged mankind. The Bible teaches that the final judgment is future, Acts 17:31. 3. Some may be surprised to learn that not all professed Christians will be saved in that last day, Matt. 7:21; Heb. 5:9; 2 Thess. 1:7-9. 4. Some will perhaps be surprised to learn that the words of Christ will be the standard of judgment, John 12:48. And some may be surprised to learn that the entire New Testament is His words. The red words in our red letter editions are the words Jesus spoke while He was on earth. The black letters are the words He has revealed from heaven since He ascended to His throne, Heb. 12:25; Gal. 1:11-12, etc. 5. Some will be surprised to learn that all mankind will be there, 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:12. 6. It may surprise many to note that the judgment of which we speak will be final. There will be no appeals to a higher court, Matt. 25:45-46. 7. Some will be surprised to learn that we will be judged according to our works. They have been misled to think that works are unessential and unimportant, Matt. 16:27; Rev. 20:12. 8. Perhaps many will be surprised to learn that each person must account for himself in that day. Many of us are accustomed to acknowledging the sins of others and ignoring our own. Many are accustomed to hiring an attorney to answer for them. Such will not suffice in "that day," Rom 14:12; Ezek. 18:20. -- Via Susquehanna Sentinel, August 31, 2003 ____________________________________________________ -4- News & Notes Angela Hicks, a relative of Anne Mae Jackson, will be undergoing surgery September 9. Let us be remembering her in prayer. ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________