TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23
Scripture: 1 Samuel 12:1-5

In 1 Samuel 12:1-5 we have Samuel saying the very same thing as Moses and later, Paul. Samuel says in verses 3-5, “’Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.’ And they said, ‘You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.’ Then he said to them, ‘The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.’ And they answered, ‘He is witness.’” Samuel was declaring the fact that God did not want them to choose a physical king. But they said they wanted to be like all the other nations. Therefore, as Samuel was preparing to retire, he said, ‘Have I taken or have I hurt anyone?’ They answered no. We can now begin to see the foundation for Samuel’s leadership. It formed under Eli, whose sons took whatever they wanted. Not one of Samuel’s words ever fell to the ground. God brought them all to pass. How could that happen? Where did that authority come from? Samuel chose to pass the mammon test. As a result of passing the mammon test, he could pray judicially and see God’s Hand move dramatically. Sometimes it came through thunder. Sometimes it came through hail. When Samuel prayed, God moved and the enemy was defeated. We are told that the Hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The wolves could not come into Israel and steal when Samuel was in judicial leadership or when Paul was in the house. There is a test here for every one of us to pass. If we can pass this one, we can pray and move God’s Judicial Hand!