If I look up from this screen I can see a book on my shelf. It has this title - Surprised by the Power of the Spirit - by Dr Jack Deere. This writer argues that the Holy Spirit's supernatural gifts did not cease in New Testament times. I am not going to rehearse the contents of this book which I have not read for many years. It is the title which interests me and, in my opinion, is relevant for the passage we are looking at in today's Day Share. I strongly believe that many evangelical Christians are afraid of the power of the Holy Spirit. How do we feel when we see someone who is clearly responding in the power of the Spirit? Do we think it is strange and maybe we even suggest that there is something sinister at work?
In this chapter we read of a strange story where Saul was so jealous of David and determined to assassinate him that he was prepared to send servants to Naioth in Ramah to arrest David and kill him. There was no place sacred as far as Saul was concerned. David may have reckoned that he would be safe with Samuel as there was evidence of God's presence there in such a powerful way. Surely Saul will hesitate to carry out his execution of his rival in such a sacred place. Many years later in the year 1170, the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket was murdered by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral after he had quarrelled with King Henry II of England. These knights did not see anything wrong with committing murder in a church - even a cathedral. It was similar with Saul. A report came to him that his enemy, David was at Naioth in Ramah. So Saul immediately sent his messengers to arrest David but they never carried out this task. Instead, they saw a company of prophets prophesying under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit and they joined in with them and also began to prophesy too. There are not many details provided in the narrative. What exactly did this prophesying look like? Were the prophets in a trance? Did Saul's messengers try to resist but they found that they could not help but join in this spiritual activity? I suspect that the answer to the last question is 'yes' - I would find it hard to see that these servants of Saul would have chosen to join in with these prophets and not carry out the task Saul had given them. And so these messengers return to Saul empty handed. I am speculating that Saul was very angry at this. I cannot imagine that he just took this news calmly and quietly. So he dispatched another set of messengers with a strong word from the king that they were, in no way to return without this scoundrel or whatever term of abuse Saul had for David. Again, the mission was unsuccessful so Saul sent a third group who also returned having been prophesying with the prophets of Naioth but without the fugitive.
Saul is becoming exasperated and really desperate. And so, he decides to go himself and take matters into his own hands. He arrives at a well called Secu in Ramah and he is informed that he has to travel a bit further to Naioth. So he sets off on the last stage of his journey but he has not reckoned on what happened next. The Bible tells us that the Spirit of God came upon him also - that is a clue as to what happened to all the previous messengers. They did not decide to prophesy on their own initiative. The Spirt of God - or as we would tend to describe Him, the Holy Spirit, came upon them. So Saul found himself prophesying as he travelled along the road to Naioth. This must have been a strange sight for anyone who met him. But that was nothing compared to what happened when Saul finally arrived at Naioth. He stripped off his clothes and lay naked all that day and all that night.
What are we to make of this incident? You could write the title of the book I referred to earlier over this incident. Saul must have been 'surprised by the power of the Spirit.' This is the omnipotent God in action - the Holy Spirit is divine - He is one of the Godhead or to use the term which we often use in Christian circles, the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is powerful and he is at work here. There are many questions which you and I might want to ask but one thing is clear - God the Holy Spirit intervened on four occasions to preserve the life of his anointed king. He used a strange approach.
This was not the first time that Saul had been prophesying. Before he became king, Saul had prophesied at another place. Again, the Spirit of God had rushed upon him and he had prophesied at a place called Gibeah. Again, Samuel is present. [1 Samuel 10:10] It seems that there was a saying or more accurately a question which was commonly heard among the Israelites - Is Saul among the prophets? I suggest that these incidents were well known and the one at Naioth must have been the source of some humour among Saul's subjects - you don't expect a king to be naked in public.
This is a big topic and it is impossible to do justice to the work of the Holy Spirit in a few sentences at the end of this Day Share. However, I want to suggest that many of our church services are lacking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our worship can often be stilted and lacking in Holy Spirit's power. We are often distracted by other matters in our worship. We are thinking so much about the week ahead that our worship to God is just a ritual that we are going through. We should pray for the Holy Spirit to move in our churches and to cause us to worship. Our prayers would not just follow a formula with which we have become comfortable if we are praying in the Spirit. Maybe we would be 'surprised by the power of the Spirit' in our churches today.
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me;
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me;
Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me;
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me;
Mission Praise 613
Words and Music © 1935 Birdwing Music / Capitol CMG Publishing, administered in the UK and Eire by Song Solutions (www.songsolutions.org). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
This video was made a few years ago. Anne Smith is now a member of Dawson Community Church.
Graham Kendrick's video - Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart.
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