Break The Deceptive Silence About God | 1 Samuel 10:10-16

Are you ready to break the deceptive silence about your faith in God?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

This week, we are in 1 Samuel 10. I've titled this chapter "The Appointed But Reluctant Leader."

Today, we continue the story. Saul arrives back home, and this is what happens in verses 10-16:

When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place. Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” And Saul's uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything. — 1 Samuel 10:10-16

This section explains what Saul said and did not say after he returned home. Let's look at both seperately:

What Saul Said

When Saul comes to his home in Gibeah, the Spirit of God rushes upon him, and he joins the other prophets and begins prophesying. Let's note that the word "prophesy" has two intended meanings: to foretell or forthtell. Most of the time, when someone prophesies in the Old Testament, they speak God's Word or repeat something declared by God's Word. In this case, that is what Saul is doing. He is not foretelling events like Samuel did for him. Instead, he is forthtelling God's Word. When we get to Chapter 19, this will happen again when Saul returns to Ramah (1 Samuel 19:23-24).

In the New Testament, something similar happened at Pentecost. The Spirit fell upon believers after Jesus ascended, and the people experienced the Spirit of God. Onlookers were confused by this, thinking they were intoxicated, but they were simply experiencing the overwhelming power of God, evidenced by the way they communicated. Because the Spirit was now dwelling in them, their minds changed, and their mouths expressed this change.

But let's get back to Saul. What happens next clarifies that this rushing of the Spirit upon him was not permanent (like New Testament believers) but momentary.

What Saul Did Not Say

Next, Saul is confronted by his uncle. His uncle must have been aware that Samuel was the great prophet and that more was up because of how long Saul was with the prophets, confirmed by the occurrence of the prophesying. What is surprising here is that Saul's response was honest but deceptively incomplete: he told him about the message of the lost donkeys but failed to tell him he would be the first king. This is strange, and scripture is silent about why this is.

Even so, we witness two distinct men in this text: one who is strikingly open and bold about God's Word and the other who is silent and ashamed about God's Word. These two distinct men will show up again and again in Saul's story, and it will be his undoing.

This is a challenge for many believers. We act one way when we are with believers and another way when we are with the world. We are outspoken when we are with believers but deceptively silent when we interact with the world. This representative hypocrisy is exactly what prevents the advancement of the Gospel. We are deceptively concealing the whole truth of the Word of God. Given our time, it is interesting that this is exactly what the world wants us to do. They want us to keep silent about our faith in the institutions of the world, but we shouldn't be. Our time and the people in these places need the Word of God. Those who speak up and break the threshold of these concerns will usher in a new season, breakthrough representative hypocrisy, and become whole men and women of God.

So, break through your spiritual reluctance today. Speak God's Word to someone you know to whom you've not spoken God's Word. Break the threshold of deceptive silence and start telling the whole truth about God.

#BoldFaith, #SpeakGodsTruth, #BreakTheSilence

Ask This:
In what areas of your life do you find it challenging to speak openly about your faith, and what steps can you take to overcome this reluctance?
Reflect on a recent situation where you chose to remain silent about your faith. How might the outcome have been different if you had spoken up and shared God's truth?

Do This:

Breakthrough the silence with one person today.

Pray This:

Lord, give me the courage to speak Your truth boldly and without hesitation. Help me to overcome my fears and be a faithful witness of Your love and grace in every situation. Amen.

Play This:

Speak Life.