Long Live the King

Intro-Where we left off.

Different kind of Sermon. Looking at this whole story of Saul becoming King.

What this passage tells us about who God is.

Prayer.

Faithfulness

The people of God have rejected the Lord, but he will give them the “ideal” king.

Kish was a wealthy benjaminite man.

1 Samuel 9:2 ESV

And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

Despite their abandonment of God, he gives them the king they are likely envisioning.

Good family

Most handsome man in Israel

Taller than anyone else by a head.

This is the embodiment of what we see in 2 Timothy 2:13

2 Timothy 2:13 ESV

if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

We are going to see a parallel throughout with another Saul in the Bible.

Both named Saul, both of the tribe of benjamin.

We serve a God who is faithful beyond the point of comprehension.

He bears with us in love.

He blesses us when we do not deserve it.

He is patient and merciful with us.

So what is Saul doing? Saul is going with one of the young men to look for some donkeys of his father.

Looked everywhere, and could not find them.

1 Samuel 9:5–6 ESV

When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.”

Where do you go for advice?

Are you turning to worldly sources?

Are you trusting in your own power?

From Saul and his servant we can learn that when we face issues, we should take it to the Lord.

We should take it to those who will give us solid biblical wisdom.

I am always here for you, it is never a burden.

So they decide they will go see Samuel. They get some directions from some people along the way and are headed to find him.

This is where we see Gods....

Sovereignty

1 Samuel 9:15–16 ESV

Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.”

I want you to approach this story from a place of ignorance. From the perspective of Saul and Samuel, there are two completely different things going on.

Saul is just out looking for his dad’s donkeys.

Samuel is heading for an encounter that God has established. “I will send you a man.” God is sending this person to him.

The word sovereignty simply means that God is in control over all things. He has the authority and power to do what he pleases. This is something we will explore in greater detail this coming Wednesday night.

What does this mean in this situation?

In the midst of the apparently mundane (perhaps annoying) God is working powerfully.

Saul is looking for donkeys, and is unwittingly walking into a kingship.

This accomplishes the will and purpose of God.

Samuel is told the Lord is sending him someone who will be king.

It is God’s intention that Saul would come to Samuel.

How did God “send” Saul?

Did God cause the donkeys to run off?

Did God cause the young man to know about the prophet?

What is clear is that in His sovereignty, God is over all.

He is so much bigger than we are. When we make choices, we are unaware of how they will affect others, or how others will respond.

God is not confined by that. God’s willing and working are in perfect sovereign over even his free creatures decisions.

Saul freely chose to go to Samuel and God intended that he would do so.

Parallel with NT Saul going on a journey for one reason but God has radically different plans.

What we can take from this, is that God can and will work in ways we cannot imagine when we are not expecting it.

Think through your life when you had the most life changing encounters.

God was working in and through those moments, even though you were not expecting it.

The story of the day that I met Jada.

Take peace as you walk through this life that wherever you are, God is sovereign over you. He can and will use your life for His glory.

In the middle of your everyday life, God might interject and allow you to be used by Him for His glory.

In doing so, your life and the life of others will be changed.

But remember that you are accountable for your actions. seek after him in all that you do.

Then Samuel and Saul began to talk.

Saul told him not to worry about the donkeys, because they had been found. (phones are so convenient)

They eat together and then the next day is when we see Gods...

Calling

1 Samuel 10:1 ESV

Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.

Saul is anointed as king, but notice the phrasing of prince

Saul is still supposed to be subject to the high king, the Lord.

King Saul called to protect from outsiders, Apostle called to reach the outsiders.

We need to be aware of God’s calling in our life.

Calling to salvation.

Calling to specific action and purpose.

We must be faithful in our calling.

What are we called to? Let us be encouraged by the face that God has called us! He will equip us.

In the face of discouragement we must remember what we are called to, and who called us.

We must remember that we need to be focused on our calling.

We are not Saul in this story.

You are not me and I am not you.

We should not seek to live as others, but should be attentive for how God is leading us in our life.

Samuel then told Saul the signs that would take place when he departed. Concluding with this statement 1 Samuel 10:6

1 Samuel 10:6 ESV

Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

This clearly shows Gods...

Transformation

1 Samuel 10:9–13 ESV

When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

It is clear that when we come to encounter God in a real way, we will be transformed by it.

What we see in Saul is something that is rare in the Old Testament. God dwelt among his people, and so they were not all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Saul was, as were those like the prophets.

New Covenant believers, those who have believed in Jesus should expect this tranformation.

Being born again.

Filled with the Holy Spirit.

Newness of life

The transformation seen in both Sauls

We too should experience this.

The old should pass away, the new should come.

We should turn from our sin, and seek after the Lord.

All who knew us previously should see the change in our lives.

There should be a marked change.

This new transformation did not make Saul perfect. He didn’t tell his uncle about what had happened fully with Samuel.

Samuel then called all the people together to show them the new king. He initially didn’t make himself known.

He hides among baggage when the time comes for him to be shown as the king.

Finally he is presented before the people and stands a head above all of them.

1 Samuel 10:24 ESV

And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

1 Samuel 10:27 ESV

But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

Very quickly Saul would be able to prove himself. He would have to show that through him, Israel would experience Gods...

Deliverance

Nahash the Ammonite took over Jabesh-gilead and they people asked for a treaty.

His treaty was that they would have to gouge out their eyes so that they would be disgraced.

The elders were considering this when word of this came to Saul.

1 Samuel 11:6–7 ESV

And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man.

Through Saul’s leadership, God delivered his people from the enemy.

And it is in this moment of victory that we see Saul demonstrate God’s...

Grace

1 Samuel 11:12–15 ESV

Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.” Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.” So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

The people wanted to put those who doubted Saul to death.

Saul recognized the Lord’s work of salvation.

He gives grace to those who had wronged him.

As we live, we must remember the grace that has been given to us.

Like the people of Israel, we chased after things other than God. We have chosen sin over God.

God was faithful while we were faithless.

In the face of our undoing, we have been given Salvation through Jesus.

While we were still sinners Christ died for us.

While we interact with others who wrong us, we must remember the Lord’s Salvation.

We must remember what Christ has done for us in all things.

Christ must be central to our lives if we want to honor him in how we live.

We must daily put the work of Christ forefront in our minds and remind ourselves Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 ESV

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It is for this reason that today we will observe the Lord’s Supper.

Invitation/Lord’s Supper.

Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.