1 Samuel 2:8 KJV
“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He hath set the world upon them.”
In this passage, we are told of a lovely redemptive work that God does — a work that He is able and willing to do on you today. We are told that He has the ability to raise a poor and beggarly person from the dust and dunghill, and transform that person into a prince that inherits the throne of glory. Meaning, in any area of your life where you are poor, God is able to raise you from the dust today and make you victorious like a prince upon the throne.
What does it mean to be poor and a beggar?
Spiritually speaking, a poor person is one who does not have the riches of God’s virtue (His abilities: in character and power) present in his or her life. God’s virtues are like treasures. In different places in scripture they are represented using precious stones like gold, silver, emerald, topaz etc. A poor person does not have these precious virtues in his or her life. So also a beggar. But the word “beggar” highlights the fact that the poor person is not willing to remain poor, but is crying out for help. And there is only one who can help — God, through Jesus our Lord. Today’s text (1 Samuel 2:8) says God raises the poor and beggar out of the dust and dunghill to make him a prince that inherits the throne. How does God do this?
We can get a clue from Isaiah 55:1-3 and John 6:27. Isaiah 55:1-3 says:
“[1] Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. [2] Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken (listen) diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. [3] Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”
In this passage, God is addressing us when we find ourselves in a poor state. He is asking us to come and receive bread, wine and milk (things we are unable to afford when in a poor state). Meaning, symbolically speaking, a poor state is linked to a lack of bread, wine and milk. If a person has bread, wine and milk they will find themselves rich with God’s precious virtues. That is, when God wants to raise a person out of the poverty of not having His virtues, He will supply them with bread, wine and milk.
How do we receive the bread, wine and milk?
Verses 2 and 3 of the Isaiah 55 passage say “… hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good … Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live …”. What this means is that we are to receive the bread, wine and milk by hearing God’s word. This is because bread, wine and milk are actually symbols for the Word of God.
For example, speaking of the Word of God as milk, 1 Peter 2:2 says “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”. And speaking of the Word of God as bread, in John 6:35, Jesus (who is also called the Word of God) says “… I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst”. While for the Word of God as wine, John 2:3-10 mentions how Jesus created wine from water (He turned water to wine), and speaking of the Word of God as water, Ephesians 5:25-26 says “[25] Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; [26] That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”. Meaning, wine represents the Word of God (water) in the context of an influencer (intoxicator). That is, whereas bread gives you energy, and milk gives you nutrients, wine inspires you to take actions that ordinarily you may not have been bold enough to take; for example, Peter on the day of Pentecost who boldly came out to declare that Jesus is the Messiah though they had been afraid before and were in hiding. That was an effect of the Word of God as wine (where it is not just information, but operates as the Spirit of Life to influence your actions).
These are the means by which God lifts us out of times of poverty. He supplies us with His Word to lift us out of the poverty of lacking His Christ-like virtues and out of the dust (the dunghill) of sinful virtues into the glorious victory of being a prince on God’s throne (a Christian life defined by expressing the virtues of the King, our Father).
Now that you know this, what is that aspect of your Christian life where you are poor (where you are lacking in God’s Christ-like character or ability)? God is able to raise you out of it and make you a prince in that area. Is it morality? Is it forgiveness? Is it humility? Is it unconditional love? Is it wisdom? Is it power? Is it faith? God is able to lift you from the dust of the sinful scenario (e.g. immorality, pride, doubt) to being a prince in the God-like scenario (e.g. holiness, humility, faith). Just cry out to Him as a beggar would, and run to Him to receive the bread, wine and milk of His Word (and its varying effects: strength, nutrient, influence).
Prayer for today
O Lord, I come to You as a beggar. I acknowledge that I am poor in (mention the areas). I cry out to You for help and I come to receive Your bread, wine and milk. Father, please give me revelations in Your Word that would lift me out from the dust of sin to the glory of Your nature so that I can indeed be Your prince, living a Christian life that expresses the authority of Your throne. O Lord, show me the sure mercies of David and mould me into a pillar of Your Kingdom work on the earth. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
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