19/10/2025
WE WILL NOT SIT DOWN…Ist Samuel 16:1-5, 10-11.
1Sam.16.1 - And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
1Sam.16.2 - And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
1Sam.16.3 - And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
1Sam.16.4 - And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
1Sam.16.5 - And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
1Sam.16.10 - Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
1Sam.16.11 - And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
In the verse of the scriptures above, we read the story of how God sent Samuel, one of the greatest and faithful servant of God recorded in the Bible, to go to the house of Jesse and anoint a King for Israel. It was a very risky task at the time, given that Saul the King was still on the throne as king of Israel. Samuel told God right away that Saul was going to kill him in the event of hearing about such an underken by Samuel.
God accepted the fears of Samuel to be realistic, but nonetheless, asked Samuel to carry out the task under the pretence of going to sacrifice for God at Bethlehem. On getting to the house of Jesse, David the object of Samuel’s mission was out of town tending to the sheep of the father. As soon as Samuel learnt of the absence of the object of the mission- David - he declared:
‘.. FOR WE WILL NOT SIT DOWN UNTIL HE COME HITHER.’
Samuel commanded that no one will sit down until the assignment God sent him on was accomplished, not even the great servant of God Samuel himself was made an exception. Samuel must have discerned the mind of God in given such a stringent command which did not exempt him, even as a very old man and an established leader of God's people.
Everyone, including Samuel must be on their feet until David, a little teenager and a nobody at that point in time comes in, and is annointed. That is how crucial and critical this task was in the scheme of God.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”. Isaiah 55:9.
Sometimes, we get carried away by the things we consider a priority to our interests and pursuits in life, and in the process we fail to discern the plans and purposes of God - the things that God actually demands of us per time. How could Samuel condescend to come and sacrifice at Bethlehem? The elders of Bethlehem were scandalized and trembled -Samuel, are you coming peaceably?
Every other engagements must wait, notwithstanding the personalities affected, until the issue in the heart of God is accomplished. Samuel did not allow his position and great accomplishments to distract him from ensuring that the plans and programs of God for the moment was made a top priority.
The Church of God, the people of God and every thing accomplished for God's kingdom in Nigeria, and the world at large is presently in grave danger. Forces of hell have been let loose, and they are killing, maiming, destroying lives and properties at reckless abandon, and the worse is still coming. Any man or woman of God, any child or servant of God that sits down to watch what is happening at this point in time deserves pity.
Not that the people of God have not been praying over this situation in the country and the world at large, but the time has come for everyone of us to stand up and make this task of interceding for the glory of God and His kingdom a priority. The time has come for all that are named by the name of the Lord to come together and collaborate to ensure that the plans of God for this age and dispensation is not overridden by the forces of wickedness.
God releases a great annointing and blessings for His people when we come together with a united purpose. Psalm 133: 1-3. God is calling His Church at this point in time to come together in unity and defeat the forces of hell that has been let loose in Nigeria and the world at large. That is the main focus of the Nehemiah Project 2025.
May we find grace to discern the mind of God for the hour, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Jesse Daniels Onuigbo
( Convener, The Nehemiah Project 2025)
