In Jesus we have a King who is worthy to be followed day by day.   ~~~   God’s word is to be feared and obeyed. He is to be served, and not our own interests. And this is why God says, “The LORD has sought out a man after His own heart.” Now here is where we must be very careful with 1 Samuel, and all of the Bible. This text is not here to show us that we should be the opposite of Saul and to stand tall when others scatter and the enemy gathers. We must fight against that urge to insert ourselves into the position of the hero. Our place in this story are the people hiding out in the caves and cisterns, wondering what the King is going to do to fix this situation. And as we peer out of our hidey holes, we hear Samuel scold Saul and tell him that he will not have a lasting reign. So this must not be the king we need. This may be the king we asked for, but it is not the king we need. And we know this because Samuel says so right here, but also, if you remember your OT history, you will remember that Jacob prophesied about his son Judah, that the scepter would never leave his throne, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. But Saul is of the tribe of Benjamin, not Judah. So we shouldn’t be surprised that Saul is not going to have an everlasting dynasty. So who is the king after God’s own heart? We will find out in the days to come that the short term answer to that question is David. David would be a king after God’s own heart. David loved God and obeyed his word, when the enemy was great, when others backed away from him, it was never a ritualistic thing with David. But we also see in David just a man. A man who needed to repent of sin, and offer sacrifices for his own sin. So we need a greater king than David. And that is what we have in Jesus. Jesus is a king after God’s own heart because Jesus is God’s own Son. And in Him we have a King who is worthy of us to follow him day by day.

Doing things our own way risks the minimization and devaluing of God’s Word.   ~~~   1 Samuel 13:14 “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of teh Lord your God, with which he commanded you. Now your kingdom shall not continue.” Upon reading the text that way, all of our sympathy moves in the direction of Saul, and our eyebrows are raised at the reaction of God. We can see his punishment, the removal of the kingdom, as too harsh, too reactionary, filled with vitriol. It is moments like this that we can start to have this image form in our minds of an OT God that is not loving, not caring, and overly-vengeful. But is that really the case? Remember the warning that was given. “If you will fear the LORD and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, if both you and the king who reigns over you will allow the LORD your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king.” The word of God is very clear on this, is it not? His voice and His command and His word is to be feared, adhered to, over and above any other voice, including the voice of the fearful who run away, and including the rising shout of the enemy as they draw closer. Do you sometimes find yourself in that very situation? Friends moving away from you and the enemy moving closer? This is what can happen when you are a leader? When you go to war spiritually for those under your care. In order to make this group happy, and to keep that group away, you start making decisions that you think are best. Now at this point, it is important to ask, just what was the command of the LORD that Saul has not listened to. Is it that he, a king, offered a sacrifice and that job is reserved for priests only? I do not think that is the issue here. We are not in the temple at this point, where the priests would serve. What is at issue is that Samuel has instructed him to wait seven days for Samuel to come to him and offer the sacrifices in the right way. And it has been shown to us repeatedly that Samuel speaks the word of the LORD. So Saul has taken it upon himself to break this command from Samuel, which is really the command of God. The reason this is so grievous is because the direction and attitude of the King towards God’s word would greatly influence the direction and attitude of the people toward’s God’s word. This is not your next door neighbor of whom you don’t know their last name. This is THE KING. If the word of God is not good enough for the king, then why should the people care anything about it? If it is displayed that the king’s own personal authority is higher than the word of God, then why would the people listen to the word of God? That is what is at risk here—the minimization of God before the people, the devaluing of God, the striking at the holiness and weight of the glory of God Himself. God was not about to let that happen, when He knew His word is the best thing, the highest authority, for His people. But we have a king who had the authority of God’s word as his ultimate authority in King Jesus. And it is to him we look day by day. And when you look to him, you will not see any minimalization of His father’s word.

As you seek to follow the Lord day by day, remember that it is done through trusting obedience to his revealed word.   ~~~   We need a king who trusts the word: OVER RITUALISTIC CEREMONY 1 Samuel 13:12 tells us that Saul offered the burnt offering, and he says one of the reasons as to why he did this, even though Samuel told him to wait, was, “‘I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” So get this clear. Saul knew what the command was. He knew he was to wait for seven days on Samuel, but when Samuel didn’t come according to Saul’s convenience, then Saul thought it necessary to offer the sacrifice himself in order to secure the LORD’s favor. Catch that—Saul believed that going about the LORD’s work, but not in the LORD’s way, not according to the LORD’s word, would secure the LORD’s favor. Saul thought that the way the sacrifice was done didn’t matter at all, so long as it was done. What is that? That is a belief in ritualistic ceremony. That is Saul attempting to secure God’s favor and do God’s work, but according to Saul’s ways and authority. Listen Christian, listen up church, we risk the same consequences today when we try to adapt our worship, and our ways to satisfy ourselves, even though they go against God’s clear word, and still expect God’s blessing because, “God knows my heart.” Yes, he knows your heart. Your heart is obviously far from wanting to serve and obey His word. Your heart is telling you that your authority is greater than His word. Your heart is telling you that any old way will do, when God’s word clearly says something different. Do you think God will bless a marriage just because the ceremony took place in a church, when in reality you have no intention of being a biblical wife or husband? Do you think God will bless our church just because we have a worship service, even if we soften up the word of God? All of this, and much more, Samuel would say to us, “You have done foolishly!” So as you seek to follow the Lord day by day, remember that it is done through trusting obedience to his revealed word.

Speaking verses out loud is a great tool for memorizing Scripture verses.

Jesus, in the moment that the enemy surrounds him, time and time again, looks the enemy in the face and shows that he is unflinchingly committed to God’s word.   ~~~   Yesterday we saw that in 1 Samuel 13, Saul disobeyed God’s word when others started running away from, heading for the hills. Another excuse Saul gave for abandoning God’s word was that the enemy was starting to gather around him. We need a king who trusts the word of God: WHEN THE ENEMY GATHERS The text says that the Philistines had 30,000 chariots, 6,000 men on horses, and ground troops that were innumerable, and that they were encamped at Michmash. That is where Saul was previously, and perhaps that is why the Philistines went there initially. But Saul is not there, but he can see the growing tide of Philistines. After all, they were not that far away from Gilgal. I get it. No one likes to stand alone. No one enjoys watching people run away because they do not think you can overcome the situation or because they do not think you know what you are doing. It is usually at this point, when people scatter away from and the enemy starts to gather around us, that we get antsy and feel like we have to do something, anything other than wait on the LORD. So Saul realizes that his forces are getting depleted. His forces are too weak, too scared, for him to be able to do anything about the enemy. And what we see is that Saul’s believes that his reign depends upon the strength of others, the strength and might of the army around him and the weakness of the enemy in front of him. This is what makes David such a better king than Saul, which we will see in 2 Samuel. But I can even do you one better. Jesus is a better king than David. Jesus does not abandon God’s word, even when the enemy gathers around him. One of my favorite words of Jesus comes when the enemy is gathering around him at his betrayal, and Jesus is says, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.” It may not sound like much, but this is a declaration of power and authority from Jesus. He is telling the enemy that they have fixed amount of time before the power of God reigns down on the power of darkness. Jesus, in the moment that the enemy surrounds him, time and time again, looks the enemy in the face and shows that he is unflinchingly committed to God’s word. What a man, what a Savior, what a King we get to follow day by day.

We should be glad that Jesus didn’t abandon God’s word when others abandoned him.   ~~~   Saul had gathered his army for war, but he had been instructed by Samuel for seven days. Seven days came and went. And this is where Saul’s impatience gets the best of him. He decides to go ahead and offer sacrifices, even though Samuel has not arrived yet. And just as soon as he finishes up the burnt offering, Samuel strolled into town, saw what was goin on and said, “What have you done?” Samuel does not exchange pleasantries with Saul. He doesn’t ask how the family is doing or if he is enjoying his time as king. Two words in the Hebrew language. He wastes no time and no words in getting to the heart of the matter—“What have you done?” So what is the big deal here? Saul wants the Lord’s blessing over the battle that is about to take place. Time was running out. The enemy was moving in. The people needed to have a rally point or else there was going to be no army left. What else was there to do? What would you have done? Im pretty sure I know what I would have done, and it probably wouldn’t have looked a lot different than Saul’s action. We notice that in 1 Samuel 13 11, one of the motivating factors in Saul’s abandoning the word of God for his own authority is when the people start hiding themselves in caves and holes and rocks and tombs and in cisterns. The approaching Philistine army is so overwhelming that men are hiding in above ground caves and underground water tunnels, and others just flat out ran away from the place altogether. Samuel will tell Saul that God desires a man after his own heart. And that man will ultimately be Jesus, who does not abandon God’s word, even when other abandon him. There were many occasions in Jesus’ ministry when people just stopped following him as they once did. The most poignant of those times was on the night of his betrayal, when the disciples ran away as Jesus was arrested. And you and I should be glad that Jesus didn’t abandon God’s word when others abandoned him. It was his devotion to His Father that brought him to the cross.

We are to serve God faithfully with all our hearts in every area of our lives.   ~~~   Serve God This God we hear about, this God we fear, His word is meant to be lived out. You will notice that it says in 1 Samuel 12:24 to serve him faithfully with all of your heart. When we hear this, we often think that it means with all of our energy, or with everything we have. And it does to an extent. But it also means that every area of our life is to be his. There is not to be a sacred and secular divide. Every part of your life is religious. Every part of your life is worship. The reason this is so is because the earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof. Every nail you drive into a piece of wood, the nail and the wood, and the hammer belong to God. When you mow your grass, you are actually mowing God’s grass. When you mix asphalt, it belongs to God. When you pave roads, cut hair, handle money, paint buildings, raise children, teach subjects, they all belong to God! And we are to serve Him faithfully with all of our heart in every area, as he instructs us.

We do not have to be afraid of the LORD’s harsh discipline if we are trustingly serving him.   ~~~   Fear God We ended last week by seeing that in 2 Samuel 12, Samuel gave his farewell address and encouraged the Israelites to hear from God as he continued to pray for them and instruct them. That would be their proper response, but not the only response. Not only were they to hear from God, they were to fear God. This is an interesting one. In verse 20, Samuel says, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil.” And then in verse 24, Samuel says, “Fear the LORD.” So in one verse he says, “Fear not.” And then turns around and says, “Fear the LORD.” What are we to make of this? I think if we read it with the context in mind, we will see that we do not have to be afraid of the LORD’s harsh discipline if we are trustingly serving him. If there is a greater reverence, if we see Him as He truly is and as He presents himself to us, we will not have to fear his judgment because our lives will be aligned in His ways. So we must fear Him, revere Him, stand in awe of Him. The type of fear that Isaiah had, when after seeing him in His glory, and becoming undone, but then having the cleansing of that piece of coal brought to His lips, Isaiah was ready to go anywhere and say anything the LORD commanded. So we are to hear from God, and when He is made plan to us through instruction, we are to fear Him in reverence and awe.

There are a variety of methods for learning how to memorize Scripture.

We were made for community, we were saved and are to be placed in community.   ~~~   What were the Israelites to say and do in response to this miracle? What are we to say or do in response to the way God has acted on our behalf? Samuel gives three main responses (19-25). He lists them in the negative and in the positive, but they fall into these three main categories. Hear God’s word We hear Samuel tell us what are his responsibilities, and that is to pray for the people of God and teach the people of God God’s word. So one main response that should be taking place in our lives is to be hearers of God’s word. We must be underneath the instruction of God’s word. This is a primary means of our relationship with God. God’s word is food for our souls, air for our lungs. We are to hear God’s word preached and proclaimed from God’s appointed men, from God’s ordained church. This is no light thing we do here week after week. I do not hammer this home for my own sake, but because we see it explicitly and implicitly all over God’s word. We were made for community, we were saved and are to be placed in community. We need each other pointing each other to Christ. We are being built up into a holy temple, a dwelling place for God.

The greatest miracle God does is the miracle of changing sinful hearts.   ~~~   God shows He is faithful to his covenant with Israel by the men he gives to lead, and in the mercy he displays. But we also need a miracle. We need a miracle to show us our true condition and lead us to repentance. How is it that hard-hearted people like you and me ever realize our need? Ever realize the grace of God? It is a miracle of God that it happens. You see, what Samuel is doing is accusing the people of God, the Israelites, of sin. They have rejected God and exalted Saul. They believe they are on their way to being a great and mighty nation. But Samuel stops the party, and says, “You have acted sinfully in asking for a king like the other nations. And if you can’t trust that I am speaking honestly to you, then maybe you will take heed from this miracle.” And so Samuel tells the Israelites that God will bring forth thunder and rain right then. This would be like us experiencing a snow storm in the middle of our July. IT was the word of God, the action of God that brought the people to fear and repentance. Are you not thankful that the word of God worked a miracle on your stony heart? The Holy Spirit drew you in, softened your heart towards God, hardened your heart towards sin, and made you new. Miracle of miracles.

The basis of God’s faithfulness to His people is the covenant He made with His people.   ~~~   Not only do we see God’s covenant faithfulness in the men God uses to guide us, but in the ever-present mercy God gives us. We read about this mercy in 1 Samuel 12:6-16, and it is staggering. Samuel begins by commanding the people to stand still, to stop whatever they were doing. And what were they doing, they were rejoicing (11:15). How interesting is it that Samuel interrupts the party and worship service in order to teach the people about God’s character. Why would he do this? Because the people were heading in a wrong direction with their worship and thinking. They were headed down the path of thinking that all was good in the hood, when it was not. So stand still, “that I may plead with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous deeds of the LORD that he performed with you and for your fathers.” Two phrases become immensely important here. First, Samuel does all of this “before the LORD.” In other words, I am going speak honestly with you, and if I am not honest, then God is here watching and listening and He will judge me. All that I say will be said in front of the LORD. So Samuel is quite serious at this point. Next, he says he wants to plead with the people concerning the “righteous deeds of the LORD.” That word “righteous” means “the fulfillment of just expectations between two parties. That which corresponds to being just.” What are those righteous deeds? God brought the Israelites out of the oppression of the Egyptians to dwell in the promised land. And when the people turned their backs on God, He disciplined them because he loved them. And when they cried out to Him in repentance, He rescued them…again, and again, and again. It was a cycle of rebellion, repentance, and rescue. Generation after generation. Time after time. Why? How can God say, “Do not fear,” to people who have rejected him, and not just once, but over and over again? What is the basis of God’s faithfulness to His people? Could it be that God sees something in us that we do not see in ourselves…that one day, we will finally get it right, that we will turn this thing around?…Since God knows how it all ends, does He see that we will finally come around to being completely faithful to Him on our own? No! No! No! The basis of God’s faithfulness to His people is the covenant He made with His people.When it is all said and done, and the people of God surround the throne of God, no one will be talking about how wise God was in choosing good people, smart people, wise people, strong people, from every tribe and nation and tongue. But rather, we will all be utterly astounded at the grace of God in rescuing and changing such sinners like you and me into being trophies and spoils of His Grace!

God uses spirit-filled leaders to guide believers in our walk with Him.   ~~~   Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone, or a group of people. Maybe it was at a retirement party, or maybe you were moving from one town to another. Perhaps it was when your child moved out of the house, to a college dorm, or to their new married life. You may not remember the exact words you said, but without a doubt, the words and the feelings/sentiments behind them were much different than just the normal words you might say to someone when you knew you would see them again on the next day, in the same place. Those farewell addresses carry weight, maybe warnings, and sometimes your deepest wishes for the people with whom you are addressing. If you have been there, then you have been in the shoes that we are seeing Samuel fill in our text today. 1 Samuel 12 is widely known as Samuel’s farewell address. From the understanding of the context, and the reading of the text, we can see that Samuel is perhaps not quite as jovial as the rest of Israel, but he does hold out hope for the Israelites. And he tells them that God’s covenant faithfulness is to fuel their faithfulness to Him. And he lays out several ways the people can see God’s covenant faithfulness. The first evidence we see of God’s covenant faithfulness is the men who guide Israel. Chapter 12 begins with Samuel detailing his resume. He tells the people that he has listened to them and to God, and Samuel has delivered unto them a king. He compels the people to bring forth any witness who could testify to any corruption, any misdealing, underhanded ways of Samuel. Samuel has been a faithful leader and judge for Israel. He has been faithful to do the hard work of ministry by telling Eli, back in chapter 3, the harsh truth about his sons. Samuel has done the laborious work of telling all of Israel the word of the Lord. Samuel has done the mediatorial work of interceding on behalf of a rebellious people. Samuel has given himself to God’s word, to God’s mission, and to God’s people. Did he do it perfectly? Of course not. He is human. But He has done the work. Samuel goes on to list other men who were appointed to the Israelites, like Moses and Aaron, and others who were sent to Israel, like Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, all men that you will find listed in Hebrews 11 as faithful men who conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. They were men who constantly pointed the people back to God, and to a future hope of the Messiah to come. And the Messiah eventually showed up. And He, too, pointed people to God, but he did something drastically different than the other prophets, and priests, and kings from ages past. He pointed people to God by pointing people to Himself! “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” “Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.” We see that Mosaic covenant comes to an end in Christ who fulfills all the law, and becomes the perfect, atoning, complete, sufficient sacrifice for all those who believe and trust in his death and resurrection! This is why he says “This is my blood of the new covenant!” A new covenant that promises the enduring presence of God’s spirit within His people. And we see that even through this new covenant, God guides us with Spirit-filled men who point us back to the cross and resurrection, and the new life that is found in Christ. Those men are to warn us of false teachers, war with us against sin and strongholds and evil, and always walk us to Christ by means of God’s word. We call these men pastors, elders…all the more reason you need to belong to a church!

We should memorize Bible verses that are impactful in our lives.

In the face of constant attacks against the church, we must be uncompromising and rely on the Holy Spirit.   ~~~   We all have a part to play in warring for each other’s deliverance. Saul sent out the message for all the fighters to join him for the sake of this people in Jabesh-Gilead. And you know from our study in 1 Corinthians that every believer that belongs to this church has been given a gift, or maybe better fitting terminology for our purposes today is a weapon to fight the enemy and encourage and build up the church, which, when used consistently makes the people say, “We are glad!” Attacks upon the church are constant, whether they come from within or without. Compromise is not an option. Compromise to the attacks only makes us weaker. We must pursue and depend upon the Spirit of God together. Our posture is never one of comfort or ease in this world. Our posture, although one of being joyful and abiding, is at the same time a posture of warfare. Do we think of ourselves as people who are going to battle together? With one another instead of against one another? Are we going to battle depending upon the Spirit to deliver those who are under attack? Of those who feel helpless, of those who are not sure if there is anyone in their corner who will fight for them, of the hurting, the threatened. Listen, when one among our flock is attacked, we are all attacked. We are family in that sense.  

No human leader was meant to be our ultimate Savior.   ~~~   The power for the church is not if she has a dynamic pastor, but if the power of the Spirit has a hold on the pastor and church. 1 Samuel 11:5 “Now behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, ‘What is worn with the people, that they are weeping?’ So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled.”   The same Spirit that rushed on the anointed one, Saul, in all of his weakness to give deliverance to Israel, is the same Spirit that resided on Jesus Christ, the perfect and all powerful King. You see, Saul, with all of his faults and shortcomings, helps us to see that no mere man can deliver people from their own calamities and distresses. We need God. We need a Savior. Jesus is that Savior. The Spirit of God led the perfect and willing Son of God to attack the greatest threat to mankind, and that is man’s own sin and the punishment that comes along with it. Jesus was despised and rejected like Saul was. But Saul would ultimately rebel against God. As would all the other kings that would come along, in some way. They were not made to be ultimate kings or saviors. But they made us long for one. And Jesus is that one. He is the one who truly delivers us from our sin, and it is in His Spirit that our strength as churches is found.  

We are constantly surrounded by enemies who want to prey on God’s people.   ~~~   As we finish up reading about the growing animosity from the worthless fellows from within, we are introduced to a new character named Nahash the Ammonite. Nahash brings threats of shame and slavery upon Jabesh-Gilead.. Nahash tells them that he will strike a treaty with them, but part of the treaty will be to gouge out the right eye of each man. This will accomplish two goals. First, it will just bring pure and utter humiliation upon that tribe. It will be a mark that they will have to bear for a generation or two, and will always be known in that way. The second goal that would be accomplished by the gouging out of the right eyes is that it would not afford them to fight in battle. The customary way to hold a shield was to protect one eye or side of your face, while using your other eye to peek around the shield. This could not be done, so it would reduce the men of the tribe to servanthood or slavery. So you have the threat of shame and slavery. And Nahash is so confident in his power and in the men of Jabesh’s, and perhaps surrounding Israel’s weakness, that he allows the men of Jabesh to try and hunt up an army for the next seven days. Can I tell you that we are surrounded by Nahash’s at every turn—people who want to prey on the perceived weakness of the people of God. They want to make a mockery of us as the church of God. They want us to live in fear and guilt and shame. They want to kill, steal and destroy because they act just like their father. The enemy, Satan, wants to silence the church, to render us ineffective. But this is where the story gets good. Now I want you to notice something…there is a tension that has been building since the middle of chapter 10. Samuel said in verse 19—“You have rejected your God who saves you from all your calamities and distresses.” What was the question the worthless men asked about Saul—“How can this man save us?” And what is the request of men of Jabesh to Nahash in verse 3?—“Give us seven days that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” In 11:9 “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance (salvation).” The question hanging in the air is, “Who will save Israel? Can Saul really save Israel? Can Saul bring peace to the threats from within and vanquish the threats on the outside?” That question is one you should ask? Who can save you? Deliver you day by day? Who can rescue you from the threats of the enemies that surround the church? To find out what happens, join us for another episode of Day by Day tomorrow.  

Ridicule of church leaders is like a virus that spreads if we do not control it.   ~~~   Do you find it easier to ridicule church leaders versus praying for them? When we ridicule others, the real goal is to make ourselves look smarter, braver, wiser, better. Ridicule offers no help, no concern, no compassion, no burden bearing. Ridicule does nothing to move the church forward. It only seeks to derail others while propping yourself up. And ridicule is like a virus that spreads. One person opens up the way to nit-pick and find fault, so others think they have the same right to do the same thing. In 1 Samuel 10 we read where Saul has just been designated as king of Israel, to which a few men quip, “How can this man save us?” They are actually described as worthless fellows. What makes what these worthless men were doing and saying so bad is not so much that they were doing it against Saul the man, but against the one God had just designated as King. We will see in a few chapters, that when David is anointed as king, while Saul is still king, that David never raises his hand against Saul, even when he had the easy chance to do so. This is about recognizing what God is doing, and not trying to undo it in underhanded ways. Threats from within are constant. The threat and reality of division is constant. There were those who looked at Jesus and said, “How can he save us?” And there will be those within the church who look at the church and say, “How in the world can she be effective in the culture?” They will look at the pastors and say, “How can they lead us?” That temptation will be there, for sure, because I am a man of many faults. If you think I am bad, can I tell you that you do not know the half of it. I am far worse than you can imagine. And the real answer to the question is “I cannot lead you.” But there is a solution to that very problem. It is the Spirit of God leading me and leading you.

An important part of our walk with the Lord is Scripture memorization.

What we ask for is not always what we need.   ~~~   1 Samuel 10:5 In verse 5, Samuel says to Saul, “After that, you shall come to Gibeath-elohim (hill of God), where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophet coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flue, and lyre before them, prophesying. Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you!” So on the hill of God is a garrison, or a group of Philistine soldiers. When you get there, Saul, the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you are to do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. That is a strange phrase, isn’t it—“do what your hands finds to do.” What is Samuel getting at in telling Saul this? Well, we see a similar phrase in Judges 9:33, and there it has to do with military advancement and attack. Could this be why Samuel mentions the Philistine garrison? Here is an opportunity, Saul, for you to have faith in God, the power of God upon you, and let him move through you to attack the enemy, from whom you are to deliver your people. But we do not hear of that taking place. We see a little bit of military might later on in Saul’s career, but here it seems we get a sneak peak on what it is going to be like in the majority of Saul’s reign, and that is that Saul spiritually yellow. He is a spiritual coward, unwilling to trust the LORD’s presence and power in his life. So Israel is getting what they asked for, but it is not at all what they need.

When we want to be like the world, we will not exhibit godly qualities.   ~~~   1 Samuel 9 begins by listing off all the characteristics that the world may think would make a great leader. Saul is wealthy, Saul is tall, and Saul is incredibly handsome. But can he be a great leader? Are these qualities of a great leader? As the story continues, Saul’s father has some donkeys that get out of the barn and get lost. So Kish sends out Saul to find the animals. But this story actually speaks to Saul’s inability to lead… When they go looking for the donkeys, and Saul wants to give up the search and return home, it is the servant who brings up the possibility of seeking out the prophet. And the question is, “Why doesn’t Saul do this? Why isn’t Saul’s solution to seek God, and why doesn’t Saul know he is in Samuel’s land?” Samuel had been traveling throughout all of Israel. Samuel’s word and prayer is what sustained and delivered Israel into victory in chapter 7. Why is Saul not aware of any of this? He is not even aware that it is Samuel that he runs into in the road. All of this is the author’s way of pointing to the fact that Saul is spiritually bankrupt, or at the least, spiritually shallow and immature, not the type of leader Israel needs, but it is actually what they want if they want a king like the nations.  

Sometimes God gives us what we ask for to show us it is NOT what we need.   ~~~   From the introduction in 1 Samuel 9, it seems to us like Saul is a good choice to be king over Israel. Wealthy, strong, handsome. What is not to like? But embedded within each of the next several scenes are very undesirable characteristics that the first audience would have picked up on, and that we need to pick up on, so that we might see and understand that sometimes God gives us what we ask for to show us it is NOT what we need. One of the first noticeable features that we learn about Saul is that he is the most handsome man in Israel and incredibly tall. What a sight to behold! But the first audience would have picked up on something. They would have known their bible and they would remember that Saul is the first Israelite noted as being especially tall. All the other people recognized for their physical stature and size were Israel’s enemies, men and people who did not follow after God. Numbers 13:33—“we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers (in comparison to them)” Deut. 1:28 “the brothers have made our heart melt saying, “The people are greater and taller than we.” Deut. 2:10 “(the Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim.) Deut. 9:2 “…a people great and tall, the sons of Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’” 1 Samuel 17:4—Goliath—nearly 9’ What are to learn from this? Is this just a coincidental circumstance? Are all tall people evil? No. Remember, the people wanted a king like the other nations, and what they saw was that might and strength were wrapped up in physical appearance and height. If you were tall it was understood that you were to be mighty and strong. Just like in some third world countries, an overweight person is thought to be wealthy because they have means to eat abundantly. Listen, there is nothing wrong with Saul being tall. The fault comes in that the people believed that made him a great leader. They are getting what they desired, but what they desired is not what they needed, as we will soon see.

Prayer is an important part of personal time with God.

Sometimes God gives what we want to show us it is not what we need.   ~~~ I recently read the story of a married couple who were enjoying a romantic meal, celebrating their 40th anniversary. They were each twenty years old when they got married, so they were now 60 years old. They were reminiscing over the glorious years of marriage, and once their meal came and was set in front of them, they raised their glasses and the husband said, “Here’s to 40 more.” Once the glasses met and chimed, a fairy appeared and said to them, “Since you two have maintained such an exemplary marriage, I am here to grant you each one request.” A big smile came across the wife’s face and she started clapping her hands, and she said, “I know exactly what I want. I want to travel to Europe with my husband.” The fairy waved her wand and then poof, she had two first class tickets in her hand. Looking over at the husband, the fairy said, “And what is your request?” Knowing that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and not wanting it to go to waste, the husband looked around the restaurant, noticing all the young women, mustered up the courage, closed his eyes and said, “I want a wife 30 years younger than me!” The fairy waved her wand, and poof, he turned into a 90 year old man. Have you ever asked for something and then been less than satisfied, or even really disappointed, even though what you received was exactly what you asked for? Sometime you get exactly what you ask for. Getting what you ask for and not being happy with it, or growing tired of it quickly, is actually pretty common among us. There is always the bigger and the better just around the corner it seems But when it comes to our spiritual lives, we can oftentimes think that if we pray for it, and ask God for it, and if it comes to fruition, then we must have been in alignment with God’s will. Why in the world would he send something our way that was not in alignment with His will? Well, actually, we will discover that God does that very thing and he does it for a reason. Sometimes God gives what we want to show us it is not what we need.  

If the desire to be like the world goes unchecked, you will have rejected God’s kingship over you.   ~~~ A desire to be like the world hardens your heart to God’s word. 1 Samuel 8:19 “but the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel.” Fathers, what is your desire? Some of you are here are you not? You want what the world offers. And when you chase that bait, you abandon the mission of God, you blind your eyes to the misery and costs that comes with being like the world, and you harden your heart towards God. If the desire to be like the world goes unchecked, you will have rejected God’s kingship over you. You see, our human nature refuses God’s words, minimizes it. Our human nature steers us away from God, calling on us to reject his authority, and leads us to desire another authority, namely ourselves. And we are in great need of a God, a redeemer, who can overcome the sinful and natural tendencies of our human hearts. We need a hero who can woo us and win us, who can give us a new heart, with new desires. And this is exactly what God offers to us in Christ. When a person puts their hope and confidence and trust and reliance in Jesus, His life, his death and resurrection, then the Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Why is it necessary that we be in Christ? Because Jesus completely fought off the desire to be like the world. When Jesus began his ministry on earth, Satan came to him, and tempted and tried to lure him to bow down to him by offering him all the kingdoms of the world. He tempted Jesus to put on his power in a worldly way. He tempted Jesus to slide down that slippery slope of minimizing God’s word. And Jesus refused. He refused in the barren land of the wilderness. He even refused temptation while hanging on the limbs of a rugged cross when the religious leaders mocked him by saying, “You saved others, why can’t you save yourself. You say you are the king of Israel, why don’t you come down from the cross, and then we will believe you. You say you trust in God. Why doesn’t God deliver you if he loves you so much.” Every step of Jesus’ life, people were trying to get him to abandon the mission God the Father had given him. But Jesus would not abandon the mission, because He would not abandon the Father’s words. Where the Israelites and ourselves refused to obey God’s word, Jesus refused to disobey God’s word. And now, instead of like in 1 Samuel, where God says to Samuel, “Obey their voice” so that they might learn discipline, God says to us about Jesus, “This is my beloved Son. Obey Him,” so that we might have joy!

A desire to be like the world around you blinds you to the reality that awaits you in that world.   ~~~ When we become like the world, we lose our freedom; we become Blinded to the fact that we will lose GOd’s generosity. Notice the very stern warning that God gives them in 8:9-18 “you shall solemnly warn them…” “he will take…” Six times God tells them that a king like the other nations will take from them. If you want a king like the other nations, to fight your battles, then he will want a standing army. So he will take your sons to be in his army. But not only that, a king like the other nations will want to live in extravagance and luxury. So he will take your sons to be plow fields and reap harvests, to make weapons, and take care of the horses for the chariots. And he will want to eat well, so he will take your daughters to fix and prepare. And then, who will you have to work in your fields, to prepare your meals, to prepare your wine, to reap your harvests. You see, a king was going to make it a harder life on all the people all the way around. You won’t have your sons and daughters to help you. You won’t have any abundance because it will go to take care of the king. He will take, take, take. And they had forgotten that God was the one who gave, gave, gave. And God wasn’t going to let up on what HE required from them. Why? Because HE was the REAL KING. But perhaps the greatest tragedy comes in that last sentence. You will cry out to God because of the misery you have brought on yourself, but the LORD will not answer you in that day. A desire, a lust to be like the world around you blinds you to the reality that awaits you in that world.

It is a battle to remain distinct as God’s people, and not become a cheap duplicate.   ~~~   Church, a desire to be like the world makes you forfeit the very feature that makes you great. Being like the world means you lose your distinctiveness/mission. The Israelites cried out that they want “To be like all the nations” which is stated at the beginning of this passage (vs.5) and at the end of the passage (vs. 20). And the great reality that is lost on the people of Israel is that God never intended His people to be “like” the other nations. In fact, their distinctiveness was to be a hallmark feature of who they were. We could turn to countless passages that make this clear, but I want you to understand this. One of the reasons God has not called or led his people to be like other nations was in order to set His people off from them, to make them distinct, to stand out, so that the other nations would see the grace and blessing of God upon them. Their distinctiveness was in no way meant to keep them from the good things that life has to offer, but the very opposite, to help them enjoy all that life has to offer. And neither was their distinctiveness meant to be God’s way of turning his back on the other nations, but as the means of Him reaching out to them. There was a fundamental reason that is cited time and again throughout the OT about why Israel was NOT to be like the other nations, and it had to do with their mission. And the same goes for us. We have a mission. We have a purpose for our existence. We exist to bring the joy of knowing Christ to the nations, starting with Hope, Arkansas. And a big part of how we fulfill that mission is in being trustingly obedient to our KING. How are we to show that there is abundant life in Christ and fullness of joy if we continually say to Him in front of the world, “I know a better way. I have a better idea. I have a different purpose.” Each time you say that and live that out, the spotlight turns from being on Christ to being on yourself. So it is a battle to remain distinct as God’s people, and not become a cheap duplicate. It is a battle to be trustingly obedient. We must fight this battle, because if we do not, then by losing our distinctiveness, we lose our mission.

Bible reading plans are useful to help guide us on our daily walk with God.

A desire to be like the world is a constant battle we must fight.   ~~~ A desire to be like the world is a constant battle we must fight. 1 Samuel 8:7-8 “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.” God says that this request that the Israelites have made is simply the latest actions in a long line of forsaking the LORD, and serving other gods. Samuel, what they are doing to you, in rejecting your leadership at this point, is that they are really rejecting me, and they have been doing it for centuries. They have this constant craving to be like the world, and to distrust my word. This is definitely a battle we all face, isn’t it. The future looks rocky, or the ground beneath our feet begins to quake a little bit, and so we look around to see what other people are reaching for and we reach for the same thing. It’s called pragmatism. We look to see what seems to be working for other people, and then we want the same thing. The church seems to be ineffective, or even wayward, so what are the latest techniques of the world that will get her back on track? I know. How about churches based on common interests like horses, or nascar, or style of worship. The world suggests using marketing ploys and gimmicks and turning ministry into fun-filled theaters, and to avoid talking about sin and the destruction it causes; stop holding people accountable to God’s word and let them just be their own unique self. My marriage is unstable, what does the world suggest? It suggests stepping out bc the grass is greener, at least for a little while; or giving up; consult your girlfriends without ever consulting your bible There is a lack of manly leadership and there doesn’t seem to be much hope for it in the future, what does the world offer as suggestions? It suggest you take a back seat and let women assume the role of leadership and protection. It suggests looseness and laziness concerning marriage; it suggests putting off responsibility for as long as possible; it suggests to fill your life with toys and entertainment and amusements with no concern for righteousness, dignity, humility, or masculinity. The desire to distrust the word of God and be like the world is one of the oldest desires. The desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions is not from the Father but from the world…and we must go to battle against it.

We can look back over our history and see the work of God in and around our lives. And yet, when things seem to be getting sour, we can glance at what we see in the world and say, “I want some of what they have,” without remembering that that life is nothing but shame, regret, and defeat.   ~~~   1 Samuel 8:1 begins by telling us that Samuel is old. To trace a timeline, remember that in chapter 3, Samuel was described in verse 1 as a young man. We know that he was handed over to the High Priest’s care very early in his life, that he grew up in the temple, and that as a young man begin speaking for the LORD. We also know that approximately 20 years have passed from chapter 4 through chapter 7 (see 7:2). So we might say that by the time chapter 7 comes along, Samuel is middle aged. And we learn at the end of chapter 7 that Samuel is going around Israel to different cities bringing God’s word to bear in those different locations. Now, as chapter 8 opens up, Samuel is old. All of this to say that some time has passed between the events of chapter 7 and what we will see take place in chapter 8. We are also told that Samuel’s sons have grown up enough to be judges in certain parts of Israel. So God’s plan was that He, God, would be their king, and that there would be qualified and skilled men who would bring God’s word to bear on local situations. In Samuel’s prime, remember, he was traveling throughout all of Israel, but now he is appointing men, his sons, to judge in local places. I think it is an obvious fact that there was a lack of qualified and skilled men from the previous generations, since those were the generations where every man was doing what was right in their own eyes, and also there was no mechanism in place to produce godly men, especially since the priests were corrupt themselves. But we quickly learn of a flaw in the character of Samuel’s sons. They were not righteous like Samuel. They took bribes. In other words, if you had a dispute with someone else, and brought it to either Joel or Abijah, you couldn’t count on God’s word bearing on the situation, but rather your wallet. You could buy a favorable ruling, thereby perverting justice. This is a problem, a big problem. And the elders recognized it as such. They have already lived through the perversion and corruption of Hophni and Phinehas. Now we have Samuel’s own sons blazing a similar path. But the people are not going to tolerate it this time around. They see the problem and they want to head it off before it becomes too great. So they caravan together to Ramah in order to speak to Samuel about this. Now notice their reasoning for the request they are about to make: You, Samuel are old Your sons do not walk in your ways (we can’t trust them) So what is their primary concern? Their primary concern is the future. What does the future leadership look like? Well, to them it looks like corruption and perversion. And their assessment is not wrong. That is exactly what Samuel’s sons were bringing to the table as leadership skills. They sniffed it out and didn’t want to live under that type of tyranny again. But then they say, “Appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’” What exactly were the people hoping to find in a king? Well, I think several things are clear from the text. First, they were looking for leadership. They wanted a king to “judge” them, or make decisions for them and lead them. That is the general idea behind the word “judge.” Samuel had been “judging” them according to God’s word, but they didn’t see that lasting too much longer, so they wanted a replacement. Not only that, they wanted protection and progress. Notice what it says in verse 19-20—“There shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” So yes, their distrust of the leadership rising through the ranks was spot on. We can’t fault them for that. But the actual request should have been to go to the LORD and seek His wisdom on what to do, instead of looking over the wall to see what the world was doing. The very first audience, as they are reading this, was probably thinking, “But what about what God has done on your behalf the last 7 chapters? God raised up Samuel for you out of nowhere and from obscurity in order to carry His word to you; God defeated the mighty Philistines by Himself; He taught the self-centered Israelites about His holiness; He thundered and routed the Philistines for you a second time. All of chapters 1-7 set us up to see the foolishness of the request that is now being made—the request of a king like the other nations have seems senseless since they now have repossessed their land and the surrounding nations were afraid of them. We can often find ourselves doing the same thing. We can look back over our history and see the work of God in and around our lives. And yet, when things seem to be getting sour, we can glance at what we see in the world and say, “I want some of what they have,” without remembering that that life is nothing but shame, regret, and defeat.