1 Samuel 19:24 (KJV)
And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
Matthew Henry says of this passage, “He stripped off his royal robe and warlike habiliments, because they were either too fine or too heavy for this service, and fell into a trance…”
Jamieson-Fausett-Brown writes, “that is, divested of his armor and outer robes…”
And John Gill says, “not entirely naked, both without his upper garment or royal robes, or else his armour; so an unarmed man is said to be naked.”
We are prone to read into the Word of God what we want to read, not necessarily what is actually there.
On my recent trip to the United Arab Emirates, one of the pastors took my wife and me to see the Miracle Garden in Dubai. It is a tourist destination that reminded me in some ways of Disneyland. The UAE, and Dubai in particular, is attempting to become a world-class tourist destination. Realizing their oil reserves are diminishing and anxious to maintain their wealth, they are seeking alternative sources of income. Tourism is logical because of the climate. However, in order to welcome tourists, the Muslim-led government has had to ease restrictions significantly. We Christians would call that compromise.
As we walked through the gardens, the pastor hosting us—who has lived in the UAE for around three decades—bemoaned what he called the nudity there. There were virtually no standards of dress. Modesty was nowhere to be seen. Mind you, no one was dressed more immodestly than what we might see at Disneyland in California, but this pastor had lived there in a time when no one, man or woman, would have exposed any skin. He was not a legalist by any means, but he did describe public exposure of the neck and shoulders, the stomach area, and the thighs as nudity.
That is all this passage has to mean. Saul was not stripped entirely naked, but rather stripped perhaps of his upper garments, his royal apparel, or—what I find most compelling—his armor and weapons. Remember, his mission was to kill David. God took away his weapons and his means of doing harm.
When God is protecting us, no weapon of the enemy may harm us. (Isaiah 54:17)
#RightlyDividingTheWord #BibleContextMatters#NoWeaponFormed #GodsProtection #AmongTheProphets
Stripped of Purpose: Reading the Text, Not Our Imagination
Looking for clear Bible answers instead of confusing interpretations? 📖
Scripture makes sense when we read it in context, not through modern assumptions.
👉 What’s a Bible passage that confused you until you studied it more carefully?
Drop it in the comments—I’d love to hear from you and help point you to the text itself. 💬
For more straightforward, Scripture-centered teaching and practical Bible studies, visit 👉 marvinmckenzie.org 🌐
Let’s search the Scriptures together. 🔍✝️
To my readers:
For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.
If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.
My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org
Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/
Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more
Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give.
No comments:
Post a Comment