“Yes, I will drive you out of office,” says the Lord. “I will pull you down from your high position. And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you.”
(Isaiah 22:19-20)
So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:19-20)
Read: Isaiah 22:1-24:23, Galatians 2:17-3:9, Psalm 60:1-12, Proverbs 23:15-16
Relate: Saul was once considered an underdog. Way back when his story is first introduced in the Bible he was a nobody sent out on a mission to find some missing donkeys. I’m not a farmer and don’t know all that much about country life but I’m pretty sure donkeys are neither fast nor sneaky. Sheep are famous for wandering off. I’m pretty sure this is the only time in the Bible a group of donkeys gets lost. That said, Saul couldn’t do it. Not only is he unable to find the donkeys. Not only does he have to go to Samuel for help, but while he was gone, the donkeys went back home on their own. This guy unable to accomplish even this simplest of tasks is the one who becomes the first king of Israel. If that isn’t underdog, I don’t know what is.
Problem is, once Saul became king, all of his humility went right out the window. Once in a position of power, he abused that power and so God had to call on Samuel to go out and anoint someone new. God wanted someone in office who would be faithful.
Shebna had to learn that lesson the hard way. He started out as palace administrator. He was the kings CFO, chief financial officer, but he was funneling some of that money into building for himself a memorial. He was stealing the king’s money for his own glory. So he had to be replaced. Not only does Eliakim become the new palace administrator, but Shebna gets demoted to being a secretary. In those days what that pretty much means is that he is to record the words and actions of everyone else. Because he tried stealing the glory for himself, his new job is to record the words and works of everyone else… to record their glory for posterity.
React: Like David after Saul, like Eliakim after Shebna, we are underdogs that God desires to raise up and use to do great things. But in order to raise up something new, the old has to go. In my life, that means the old man full of pride has got to be ousted. I’ve tried running things my own way, that’s got to end. I’ve tried being the leading man in my own show. But nobody’s watching.
God has something great He wants to do in us. There are a thousand and one excuses we have for why it can never happen but the only one that holds any water is that we won’t let Him. Are we willing to step out of the way? Are we willing to let Him clean out the old so that the new can come?
Respond:
Dear God,
I long for You to do something new in my life. I long to rise up. But I recognize that for this to happen some things in my life have to go. I recognize that some cleaning house is necessary. Please remove those things, the pride, the selfishness, the personal ambition, the sin… that get in the way of what You want to do in me. Make me new. Make me anew. Be glorified in every area of my life.
Amen
THE RIVER WALK 
Thank you for this post and the song. (P.S. I’ve never told you this but I love your gravatar! 🙂
Reblogged this on wordcarmen and commented:
Great start to my day 🙂 Hope the same for you 🙂
I really enjoy this and all your posts. Just checking in with an attaboy to tell you how much I enjoy “the River Walk.”
Tracy Revalee Writing for magazines, Newspapers and a small Circle of friends Since 1979 http://Www.laydyinthepew.wordpress.com
Thank you for this! Right on time for me. God bless you.
Reblogged this on set your paths straight and commented:
A perfect way to start a Monday! My prayer for your week is
that God will give you eyes to see and a heart to respond to His purpose.
Reblogged from River Walk
I re blogged this one too! Thanks for most excellent post!
setyourpathsstraight.wordpress.com
Monday morning perfection!!! Thank you!!
Great post to read this morning. Just what I needed. Thanks, Don.
Reblogged this on Gregory A. Carthon and commented:
God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us but until we allow him to take the wheel and drive us in the direction that is intended for us we will continue to be at a standstill. How can we expect to arrive at deliverance when we have no direction? How can we expect to arrive at peace if we have no direction? Listen a GPS is no good unless it is turn on. You won’t know if it works if you do not turn it on. Once you turn on God, you allow him to have his way in your life; I guarantee it won’t be the same. And when he is turn on continue to feed yourself with the word and pray. Listen you also have to update a GPS from time to time because roads change. When you make that dedication to God the devil will come any and every type of way but by your beliefs, faith, praying and studying of the word that will keep you going in the right direction. I feel really good about this thing this morning. God has proving to be my wheel in the middle of a wheel, my way maker, my lily in the valley and for this I am grateful. I love you all and God Bless!!
I will continue to stand with you in prayer…God is on the move!!! Bless you, BJ. ~Zoey
I think that success or promotion can be a huge testing ground for sure. The Bible definitely tells of people who were put in place of authority who abused that privilege. Good lessons to us all to seek God’s glory not our own if we find ourselves within a new sphere of influence 🙂
Neat perspective!
Reblogged this on A Christian Warrior and commented:
Love this and so true
Amen! In my life too!
Thank you for such honesty! It can be a hard thing to put out in public. I haven’t gone deeper into your blog yet, but it sounds like you might be reading “God of the Underdogs?”
We’re doing that as a sermon series at Two Rivers so a lot of my blogs (read: almost all) will tie back either to the book or the sermons in some way shape or form. Next one will be up in an hour.
Awesome! I have a friend who is reading the book, (she actually goes to the church of the pastor who wrote it), and it sounds like it needs to go on my reading list, too! I’m loving all of your responses…very well thought out, and very wise.
Reblogged this on thedreamyactiveinertbrain and commented:
Many times I doubt and worried and had reached the heights of my fear. . .though, I choose to follow you Lord.
This is a great post! I feel like I’m in the process of being stripped of all that God never intended for me to be. But I got a late start and God can only be gentle to the extent of time that I have left. 🙂 So some of it has hurt a little, but my faith is finally just strong enough to tolerate it with hope and trust. But the truth is that in this process, I feel very confused about what I’m supposed to be doing! Then I think it may not be about what I should be doing, but about what I should be becoming. I don’t know.