REJECTING GOD’S RULE FOR AN EARTHLY KING
1 SAMUEL 9:1-2. 10:17-25
BACKGROUND
Samuel held multiple roles for the Nation of Israel. He was a priest, judge, prophet,
and military leader. When he became old, he made his two sons judges over Israel.
Samuel’s sons took bribes and perverted justice. Israel rebelled and asked for a
King to rule over them to be like the surrounding ungodly nations.
Samuel became upset and took the people\’s request to God. Samuel was reminded that
the people were not rejecting him but God. Their request was granted but the nation
was informed that they would soon regret their decision.
God chose Saul a tall, strong, good-looking man to be their King. According to the
Clark commentary great respect was paid to the appearance of a King. Saul was from the
tribe of Benjamin the youngest son of Jacob
SAUL’S GENEALOGY
1 Samuel 9:1-2
V:1 There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. 2 He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites — a head taller than any of the others.
Saul’s genealogy is traced back to Jacob. Benjamin was the last son of Jacob and Rachel.
Rachel, Jacobs\’s first love, died during the birth of Benjamin. Benjamin was the smallest tribe
of Israel.
GOD USES WHAT WE LOSE TO DRAW US TO HIM
V:3 Now the donkeys belonging to Saul\’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, \”Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.\” 4 So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.
5 When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, \”Come, let\’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.\”
GOD PROVIDES AN OFFERING FOR US TO GIVE
V:6 But the servant replied, \”Look, in this town, there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let\’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.\”
7 Saul said to his servant, \”If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?\”
8 The servant answered him again. \”Look,\” he said, \”I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.\” 9 (Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, \”Come, let us go to the seer,\” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)
It is apparent in the text (verses 3-8) that Saul was obedient to his father, but did not know
Israel\’s history or its worship of God. Saul did not know Samuel was a priest or the times he
worshiped the Lord. This points to the lack of teaching God’s commands and the lack of worship
of the nation.
The donkeys of Saul\’s father were lost, and Saul was sent on a mission to find them with one
of his father\’s servants. They searched for several days without any luck and were about to
return home when the servant suggested going to see the seer, which was Samuel. In the
evening some girls going to get water, directed them to Samuel.
GOD PREPARES US TO MEET HIM
God prepared Samuel to receive Saul whom he would anoint as King of Israel.
The servant knew the God of Israel and that you approach him with a gift. Saul
had no gift to offer the man of God, but the servant freely gave the money he
had brought on the trip.
You never know when your service to others becomes an opportunity to be blessed by
God. Samuel was blessed and Saul and his servant were blessed. God puts people
in our lives that can guide us on the highway of life.
Notice it was Saul\’s servant who knew of God and the worship procedures. We must be careful
not to take for granted the teaching of God’s Word to our children. It is our job as parents to
express God’s love to our children. We cannot be with them every second of the day
but it is important for them to know to call on God.
ISRAEL CHOSE THE WORLD OVER GOD
1 Samuel 10:17-27
V:17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah 18 and said to them, \”This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: \’I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.\’ 19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, \’No, set a king over us.\’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.\”
Be careful what you ask the Lord for, you may get it with regrets.
It is good to review the history of what God has done for you. Before you complain
about your life, remember it is God who sustains you amid your troubles.
The Israelites forgot what God had done bringing them out of Egypt into
the promised land. They failed to realize that their disobedience to God’s commands
put the enemy at an advantage over them. They failed to consider that each time they
called out to God, He delivered them from their enemies and gave them rest.
They were so bent on looking like the world that they could not see the benefit of
God’s rule over their lives. The church today is no different. We are so focused on
building up the membership numbers that we preach a feel-good message rather than
a message of repentance and restoration. When obedience to God’s commands is
not first in the Gospel, Satan and His demons are.
SAUL INTRODUCED AS ISRAEL WORLDLY KING
V:20 When Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri\’s clan was chosen. Finally, Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the Lord, \”Has the man come here yet?\”
And the Lord said, \”Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.\”
God chose a man who ran with donkeys and was too fearful to stand as king to be their
leader. Saul\’s heart had been changing and he became a new person, the spirit of
the Lord with power came upon him (Verse 10:5-9). Yet Saul did not embrace the
Spirit of the Lord with gratefulness. We do not find Saul in prayer before the Lord.
We do not find Saul asking for the wisdom to lead the nation.
God chose a king who looked good on the outside but not so good on the inside.
It is not said that Saul was a man after God’s heart. He had the power but was not
connected or controlled by the power
WHAT LOOK’S GOOD IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD
V:23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, \”Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.\”
Then the people shouted, \”Long live the king!\”
25 Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited them before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people, each to his own home.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some troublemakers said, \”How can this fellow save us?\” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
The nation of Israel was excited to have a good-looking man as their king who was unproven
with no experience of being a leader or warrior. God had guided, protected, and provided
for Israel for 300 years in the promised land. They rejected God\’s leadership for a man
with no skills to look like the enemy.
God gave Israel new rules to live by under their new king. They were free from God’s
control. They were on a collision course with self-destruction. They gave up a history
of assured success with God for uncertainty with an inexperienced man. They gave up
the infinite power of God for the finite power of man. They gave up the infinite wisdom
of God for the limited wisdom of man. They gave up the infinite resources of God for their
finite resources.
Choosing man over God is foolishness that shows up when trouble arises.
