A Leader for a Nation

Introduction

We have been working through the Bible:

Last week:

We looked at the story of Joshua and the conquest of the promised land

We looked at the necessity of generational transitions

How Joshua didn’t just pop up out of nowhere—he was trained to lead the Israelites from a young age

And how God is working in each generation

We looked at the importance of obedience in the life of God’s people

When God’s people trust and obey God—blessings come

Joshua’s success wasn’t because he was an amazing military strategist

It’s because he trusted and followed God

But today we are moving forward in the story

God’s people eventually take the land that was promised to Abraham and settle in it

And eventually this group of wandering ex-slaves becomes a nation and kingdom

And today we are going to be talking about that transition

Scripture Reading:

1 Samuel 13:13–14 (CSB)

Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

1 Samuel 16:1–13 (CSB)

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have selected for myself a king from his sons.”

Samuel asked, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!”

The Lord answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate to you.”

Samuel did what the Lord directed and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?”

“In peace,” he replied. “I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before him.”

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said. Then Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either.” After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.” So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy, handsome appearance.

Then the Lord said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

The Desperate Need for a Leader

Between the conquest of Joshua and the founding of the nation we have the book of Judges

And this is one of the lowest points in Israel’s history

They fall away and worship false gods

There is child sacrifice

There are priests that are selling out for money

And it ends with a terrible story that results in a civil war

God is faithful to Israel in this time and delivers them over and over again

But most of Israel’s saviors (the judges) are majorly flawed

The end of Judges shows us the desperate need for a leader

(SLIDES)

Judges 21:25 (CSB)

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.

Because there was no leader, everyone did whatever seemed right

Then Samuel comes onto the scene… He is the last judge and a prophet

And part of what he comes to do is anoint a king for Israel

But we see that God works in unexpected ways

An Unexpected Leader

Saul comes onto the scene:

1 Samuel 9:2 (CSB)

He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man. There was no one more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else.

And although he was impressive, he came from the least of the tribes—Benjamin

(SLIDES)

1 Samuel 9:21 (CSB)

Saul responded, “Am I not a Benjaminite from the smallest of Israel’s tribes and isn’t my clan the least important of all the clans of the Benjaminite tribe? So why have you said something like this to me?”

And Saul is given a chance to lead Israel but even he fails God over and over

So Samuel approaches him and says:

(SLIDE)

1 Samuel 13:13–14 (CSB)

Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

God then raises up David to be King:

And again God chooses the unexpected, overlooked one to be his chosen leader

(SLIDES)

1 Samuel 16:7 CSB

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

And David becomes king… but the road was not easy—He was a king in exile

Although he has been anointed as king—his life was on the line

He was constantly running and hiding—despite being innocent

And eventually Saul is killed and David becomes the king

And David goes on to be THE King—the one that all others would be compared to

He established Israel in peace

Peace within the tribes

Peace/Safety from their Neighbors

Was this the leader that all of Israel had been longing for?

(SLIDE to Cover Photo)

Someone Better than David

Even though David was an amazing leader—he wasn’t perfect

Even he pointed to the fact that God’s people were in desperate need of a leader

We’ve all heard of Davids failure

Sinning against Bathsheba and Uriah

David’s military census

1 Chronicles 21:1–8 (CSB)

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring a report to me so I can know their number.”

Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply the number of his people a hundred times over! My lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem. Joab gave the total troop registration to David. In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand armed men and in Judah itself four hundred seventy thousand armed men. But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king’s command was detestable to him. This command was also evil in God’s sight, so he afflicted Israel.

David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, please take away your servant’s guilt, for I’ve been very foolish.”

David was allowed to reign as King but God would not allow him to build his temple

(SLIDES)

1 Chronicles 22:8–10 (CSB)

but the word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for my name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before me. But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies, for his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

So all of this hope is on Solomon…

How does he do?

And then the next king…

And the next...

A Messianic Promise

Although David is not the leader Israel was longing for… God promised that he was not done working through David’s descendants

In a covenant with David, God promises this:

(SLIDES)

2 Samuel 7:11–16 (CSB)

“ ‘The Lord declares to you: The Lord himself will make a house for you. When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals. But my faithful love will never leave him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and your throne will be established forever.’ ”

And so the rest of the OT follows this line of David

And king after king—none of them live up to this promise

Some are good, some are wicked, but none of them are the leader God’s people were hoping for

That is until Jesus shows up

And like David he is an unexpected leader

Born to a poor family in a manger

From the no good town of Nazareth

Although he is innocent—many want him dead

(SLIDE to Cover Slide)

Our Need

The reason I took all of this time to highlight the story of the kings of Israel is because it’s a story we can find ourselves in

Like the times of the Judges we live in a time where everyone does what is right in their own eyes

Our governments fail us, our leaders and role models fail us—and when left to ourselves, we fail ourselves constantly

How do we live our lives if we just do what is right in our own eyes

We too have a desperate need for a king—a leader that knows what is best

And guys Jesus is the answer

We often emphasize that Jesus is savior, but Jesus is also Lord (cultures mistake)

We need someone more than a rescuer

We need someone to follow, to model our lives after

We need more than just the forgiveness of our sins

We've been freed from sin and serving ourselves—we need something new to live for

Jesus and His Kingdom

This is the good news: The kingdom of God is here!

(SLIDES)

Mark 1:14–15 (CSB)

After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

God’s kingdom is here

Like the story of Joshua and the commander of the Lord’s army last week:

Its not about God coming onto our side—but us being on God’s side

Conclusion

As we finish today I want you to think… is Jesus Lord of my life?

Does he have the final say on how I live my life?

Or am I living for myself—Doing whatever seems right in my own eyes?

What is on the throne of my heart?

Wealth and success

Popularity and fame

Pleasure and doing what feels good

Fear of what other people think of me?

What kingdom am I putting my time, energy, and resources building?

My own?

God’s Kingdom?

Guys we are being invited into an everlasting king (as Hebrews says “a kingdom that cannot be shaken”)

In Christ we are given a new purpose for our lives—to build something that actually matters

And something that will outlive ourselves

And its not just for people working in the Church

We are being called to be faithful followers of Jesus in every school, workplace, and family

There are unique things and people God has called you for

(SLIDES)

Jesus as Savior:

The question is will you die for Jesus?

Jesus as Lord:

The question is will you live for Jesus?

~Both are important~

(SLIDES)

Reflection Questions:

Is Jesus the Lord of my Life?

Who/What Sits on the Throne of My Heart and Mind?

What Kingdom am I Building?