1 Samuel 13:2,15

1 Samuel 13:2,15
2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes… ¹⁵ Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.

Yesterday we saw how Saul’s foolishness had consequences for him – God decided to take the crown and pass it on to another. But when we turn from God’s ways, that has an impact on others as well – sin has a habit of impacting our relationships with ourselves, God and others. We see this with Saul’s forces. At the start of the passage he has 3,000, by the end only 600. The rest have fled, swapped sides, been captured or died. Rarely will our actions have such a dramatic affect, but this reminds us to be wise in our actions for the sake of others as well as ourselves. Let’s seek to love God and our neighbours in all that we do.

Spirit, Jesus taught us to love; to love God with all our being, and our neighbours as ourselves, even our enemies. Help us to do so today.