1 Samuel 10:14-27 - Saul is annointed and proclaimed king over israel
Introduction:
1. Saul hides his experience from his family (v.14-16).
a) Where did you go (v.14)?
(1) This may have been a simple, logical question. Or, Saul’s uncle may be asking because he noticed that Saul had very, very oily hair!
b) About the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him (v.16):
(1) We must be honest when we are dealing with others, although we don’t tell everybody everything, those who are over us (parents) we must tell.
(a) Samson did a similar thing as well (Judges 14:6)
(b) Proverbs 29:11 Don’t be a fool
(2) Of course, it seems strange that Saul would not tell of what he had experienced. Didn’t he have a lot to tell about?
(3) Perhaps Saul was wise, knowing that the LORD had to reveal him as king over Israel. What point was there in saying, “I’m the king now!” until the LORD had declared him to be king?
(4) Or, perhaps Saul is just experiencing what many experience after a powerful encounter with the LORD: an attack from the enemy, making us fearful and cowardly to tell others what God has done in our lives.
B. Saul proclaimed as king.
1. Samuel’s Speech To The Nation Before The Appointment Of A King (v.17-19).
a) I brought Israel out of Egypt (v.18):
(1) Before God appoints a king for Israel, God reminds Israel of all He has done for them. In a sense, God is reminding Israel that He was still more than qualified to be their king, and their rejection of Him was all because of them, and not because of the LORD.
b) But you have rejected your God (v.19).
(1) Ultimately God himself was King (Exod 15:18; Num 23:21; Deut 33:5); he alone possessed absolute power and authority (Exod 15:6, 11; Judg 5:3-5; cf. also Judg 8:22-23).
(2) Because Israel lived in a land surrounded by nations that had kings, their desire arose for a king as well. According to (Deut.17:14), God knew their desire for a king would arise and He would let it happen:
“When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman." (Deuteronomy 17:14-15, NASB95)
(3) This Was Great Wickedness & Evil On Israel’s Part (1 Samuel 12:16-25).
c) What Caused Them To Reject God (1 Samuel 8:5, 20)?
(1) They Wanted To Be Like Other Nations (1 Samuel 8:5, 20)
(a) God never wanted this to be the goal for Israel. God wanted to make them a special treasure to Me above all people . . . a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6). God wanted to make Israel something special, and they wanted to be just like everyone else!
(b) You are His own special people now (1 Pet.2:9-10)
(c) Tickle me Elmo, cabbage patch dolls, always wanting what others have!
(d) Wanting to be like the world (Romans 12:1-2), instead of being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ (Rom.8:29) is a bad mistake.
(e) God Told Samuel Give Them What They Want. God was going to give them what they want to teach them a lesson, not because they were right.
(f) Sometimes, when we insist of having something bad, God will allow us to have it, and then learn the consequences (Hosea 13:9-11; Psalm 88:11-12).
(g) God will not force you against your will to serve Him. If You Don’t Want To Serve God, He’s Not Going To Force You To Serve Him.
(h) That’s not what the kingdom of God is about. It will be when Jesus comes: He will rule with a rod of iron (Rev.19:15) and that will be enforced righteousness for one thousand years. People will be forced to serve Him at that time. But at the present time, God doesn’t force a man to serve Him.
(2) Don’t Take It Personal Samuel, They Are Rejecting Me, Not You (v.7b-8)
(a) Jesus said, “He who receives you receives Me” (Matthew 10:40). A person who receives us and our testimony also receives Christ, because we are His ambassadors.
"Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And anyone who rejects me is rejecting God who sent me.”" (Luke 10:16, NLT; John 13:20)
“Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”" (Acts 9:4, NLT)
"Do you remember what I told you? ‘A servant is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you! The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don’t know God who sent me." (John 15:20-21, NLT)
C. Is Jesus your king? (John 6:15)
1. A King Is One Who Rules, Not One Who Is Ruled By Others.
a) Luke 19:11-14—This Is The Message The World Has For The Lord Jesus Today.
(1) People do not want Jesus ruling over their lives, for they love darkness (John 3:18-21)
(2) They rebelled against God and His Messiah; they did not want Him to rule over them so they nailed Him to the cross.
(3) At the beginning of His life, magi came to Herod, asking where they could find the King of the Jews (2:2). At the end of His life, Pilate asked Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He affirmed that He was (27:11–12), and Pilate approved His crucifixion on that basis (27:37).
b) The Multitude Was Determined To Use Jesus But Had No Desire To Obey Him.
(1) In John 6, Jesus had delivered a particularly hard message, & the Scripture tells us:
“As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and walked with Him no more” (v. 66). As the crowds left, our Lord turned to His disciples and asked, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” (v. 67). Peter’s reply on behalf of the Twelve is significant: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (v. 68). That was the right response.
(2) Peter’s response revealed the difference between true disciples and hangers-on: their hunger for the Word. Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed” (John 8:31).
(3) People seeking to be entertained or fed, curiosity-seekers, and people who just follow the crowd are by no means true disciples. It is those who love & obey the Word of God that are true followers of Christ. Jesus said why do you call Me Lord, Lord and do not do the things I tell you (Luke 6:46)
(4) There Is A Sense In Which Their Rejection Of God As Their King Is Prophetic. When Jesus stood before Pilate, the assembled Jewish mob declared, we have no king but Caesar (John 19:15). Jesus was a rejected King also.
(5) God Himself saved them out of all their adversities tribulations. The LORD, speaking through Samuel, is showing Israel how their rejection of Him made so little sense. Why would anyone reject the one who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations?
(6) It is easy for us to think, “Wow, those Israelites were really stupid. How foolish to reject God like that!” But are we much different? Whenever we, even in the smallest way, reject God, we show the same lack of sense.
2. Saul is selected by lot (v.20-21a).
a) And Saul the son of Kish was chosen (v.20)
(1) Why did God do it this way, when He had already anointed Saul as king over Israel? Because this would show the whole nation that Saul was the right man. It would show that God had chosen Saul, not that any man had chosen him.
(2) They inquired of the LORD: “Either by Urim or Thummin, which was the usual way of inquiry . . . or by Samuel, who by his prayer procured an answer.” (Poole)
(3) “It appears that, in order to find out the proper person who should be made their king, they must determine by lot:
(a) The tribe.
(b) The thousands or grand divisions by families.
(c) The smaller divisions by families.
(d) The individual.
When the lot was cast for the tribe, Benjamin was taken; when for the thousand, the division of Matri was taken; when for the family, the family of Kish was taken; when for the individual, Saul, the son of Kish, was taken.” (Clarke)
(4) It is important to say that Saul did not become king because he was chosen by lot. Instead, he was chosen king because of God’s word to the prophet Samuel. The choosing by lot simply confirmed the word of the LORD through Samuel.
b) They Inquired of the Lord Further (v.21b-21a)
What Does It Mean To Seek The Lord? It means you will:
(1) Put God First In Your Lives (Matthew 10:37-38). No matter what happens to us or around us, we choose to obey God, follow God, and have a daily and intimate relationship with God.
(a) The disciple must love and follow Jesus supremely. Our devotion to Jesus must come above even our own household.
(i) We should expect that normally, following Jesus makes us better husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, sons, daughters and so forth. Yet there are times when the presence of Jesus divides rather than unifies.
(ii) The greatest danger of idolatry comes not from what is bad, but from what is good - like love in family relationships. The greatest danger to the best comes from second best.
(b) The disciple must follow Jesus even to the place of taking his cross. When a person took a cross in Jesus’ day, it was for one reason: to die, because the cross didn’t negotiate, didn’t compromise, didn’t deal. There was no looking back when you took up your cross, and your only hope was in resurrection life.
(i) Your “cross” isn’t really your particular trial or trouble. The cross means one thing: death - death to self, but resurrection life unto God.
(2) Want The Lord In Your Life. Those who seek the Lord are in pursuit of the Lord. They talk to Him, listen to Him, and are eager to consult Him at all times.
(3) Be Reading God’s Word On A Regular Basis. Over time, we will grow in our understanding of the fullness of God’s plan and His desires for us.
(4) Be Asking The Holy Spirit To Lead And Guide Our Daily Decisions. We will turn often to the Lord and ask, “Is this something You want me to have? Is this something that has Your stamp of approval on it? Is this something that is right for my life?”
(5) Consult God First & Foremost In All Matters (Prov.3:5-6; 16:3; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 2 Chronicles 26:5; 1 Samuel 23:2-4; 30:8; 2 Samuel 2:1; 5:19-20, 22-25; 21:1)
(6) To inquire is to ask, and to continue to ask until an answer is received. We do this when we shut ourselves away with God and His Word, and as we read God’s Word, we continually ask or inquire of the Lord (2 Kings 22:13).
3. Rewards Go To Those Who Seek Him.
In these following verses, note especially that blessing and righteousness are the rewards of those who seek God with a humble and repentant heart:
Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God. (2 Chronicles 19:3 NKJV)
But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause-- (Job 5:8 NKJV)
The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. (Psalms 14:2 NKJV)
He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face (Psalms 24:5-6)
One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. (Psalms 27:4)
When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek. (Psalms 27:8)
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. (Psalms 63:1-2 NKJV)
The humble shall see this and be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live. (Psalms 69:32)
I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. (Proverbs 8:17)
With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early (Isaiah 26:9)
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)
4. Saul is revealed to be the king (v.21b-24).
a) Hidden among the equipment (v22).
(1) In fact, here Saul shows a healthy embarrassment and humility. He was not looking forward to being “center stage” in front of the nation; he seems to be dreading it. Saul was not made king because of his own personal ambition, or to gratify a desire for the limelight.
(2) Spurgeon, in his sermon Hiding Among the Stuff, shows how both believers and unbelievers can be hidden among the equipment, avoiding the crown God has for them.
“There may be some of you here present, who may be doing precisely what Saul did, only you are doing it more foolishly than he did. He did but hide away from an earthly crown, but you hide from a heavenly one.” (Spurgeon)
b) He was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward (v.23).
(1) The physical description of Saul shows he is exactly what the people wanted. Israel wanted a king that would look good to the other nations, and God gave them “the king from central casting”!
c) Long live the king (v.24)!
(1) The people of Israel, in their desire for the image and pageantry of a human king had been longing to shout these words for a long time. They knew all the other nations got see royal ceremonies and functions. Now they get to also!
(2) Do you see him . . . there is no one like him among all the people: What did Samuel mean by this? Probably, there was a note of sarcasm in his voice when he said this. He wanted the nation to see the king, and according to what they could see, he was a great king. But Samuel, from his long conversations with Saul (1 Samuel 9:25-26), probably knew him well enough to mean something else when he said, there is no one like him among all the people.
5. The monarchy established (v.25-27).
a) Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty (v.25).
(1) Samuel taught them God’s guidelines for both rulers and subjects, probably using Deuteronomy 17:14-20.
(2) When it says the behavior of royalty, we can guess that Samuel was not explaining how a king should hold a teacup. Instead, Samuel was probably warning them about the wickedness and selfishness kings have, just as Jesus said:
You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But Jesus added this word of instruction: Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45).