Merciful Providence
1 Samuel: Focusing on the Heart • Sermon • Submitted
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· 30 viewsSaul is chosen and installed as Israel's first king.
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, knew a thing or two about mercy. In the early days of his presidency, Coolidge awoke one morning in his hotel room to find a burglar going through his things. Coolidge spoke up, asking the burglar not to take his watch chain because it contained an engraved charm he wanted to keep. Coolidge then engaged the thief in quiet conversation and discovered he was a college student who had no money to pay his hotel bill or buy a ticket back to campus. Coolidge counted $32 out of his wallet — which he had also persuaded the dazed young man to give back — declared it to be a loan, and advised the young man to leave the way he had come so as to avoid the Secret Service! (Yes, the loan was paid back.)
Mercy has been described as not getting what we deserve. Israel’s rebellion against God, their sinfulness, their rejection of Him, warranted absolute punishment. In fact, if they were to avoid total destruction it would only be on account of His mercy.
What happens when we knowingly choose to rebel against the Lord? What happens when, by our actions, we reject His lordship over us? Can our hard-headed stubbornness thwart His guiding hand of providence over us? Israel prov
Thank God for mercy. Without it, none of us would be here today. Thank God that when we rebel, when, by our actions we reject His lordship over us, He doesn’t simply wash His hands of us and walk away. Thank God He doesn’t remove His providential guiding hand from us. Thank God He doesn’t forsake the covenant relationship that He has made with us.
As we’re headed toward a time of Thanksgiving this next week this is the perfect passage to set the table for us. In our text tonight we’re going to find out more about God’s mercy and provision for us in spite of our sometimes stubborn and always sinful rejection of Him.
Body:
Body:
Chapter 8 ends somewhat ominously.
Expect a reaction of hands off “you’re going to get what’s coming to you...”
“Suit yourself”
“It’s your funeral”
Expect a reaction of hands off “you’re going to get what’s coming to you...”
Expect a reaction of hands off “you’re going to get what’s coming to you...”
Let’s see what happens.
Chapter 9:1-14
Introduction of Saul (9:1-2)
Pedigree, lineage, and physical description.
The problem of the missing donkeys and the introduction to Samuel (9:3-14)
The encounter with Samuel (9:11-14)
What follows in verses 15-17 is the key to understanding all of .
15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “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.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”
1 Samuel 9:15-17
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.” When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”
Two things should jump out at us from these verses.
First, even though Israel rejected Him God still gave them their king.
If it had been up to the people we would have had “Israel’s Got Talent” going on to find the next king.
But the text is clear that it was God who chose Saul.
In the Hebrew “the Lord” is in the place of emphasis in 9:15 leaving no doubt as to who was responsible.
Saul get’s a bad rap and for good reason, but we can’t lose sight of this one important fact, Saul was God’s man.
A reality David knew very well. ()
Second, God isn’t vindictive, He’s merciful.
15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “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.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”
God acts on behalf of Israel in response to their cry (16b).
7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
God’s mercy here wasn’t Him relenting from His displeasure over Israel’s rejection of Him.
Rather, it was Him remaining faithful the covenant He had made with them.
It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
What does all of that lead us to? It leads us to acknowledge with Paul in , “if we are faithless, he remains faithful —” We can write it down this way....
Rejoice in the mercy of God’s providence (9:1-17)
Rejoice in the mercy of God’s providence (9:1-17)
Providence is God’s perfect way of ruling His world and sustaining His people - DRD
Our foolish and stubborn sinfulness doesn’t thwart God’s providence or remove His mercy.
Rejoice in the provision of God’s providence (9:18-10:13)
Rejoice in the provision of God’s providence (9:18-10:13)
Adam and Eve
Abraham and Sarah — lying about her being his sister
Abraham and Sarah — lying about her being his sister
Israel and the Exodus
Israel had in essence rejected God’s leadership, but His merciful, leading hand had not been removed from His people.
Apply:
Apply:
There’s a humility that should accompany this realization for us. Israel didn’t get what they deserved. You and I haven’d gotten what we deserve.
The thief from our opening illustration deserved the full wrath of the SS. Instead he was given $30 and a way to escape to avoid the authorities.
ValJean in Les Mis.
Are you aware of how God has shown you this mercy in your life? Do you feel that humble gratitude?
Illustration: Move to AZ
I didn’t take this to the Lord as I should have.
Have you seen even in those situations God’s providential hand showing you mercy you didn’t deserve?
I rushed the decision and led my family very poorly.
But God, in His mercy, still kept His guiding and leading hand upon us.
Rejoice in the mercy of God’s providence.
Rejoice in the mercy of God’s providence.
As our text continues in chapter 9...
Samuel gives a prophecy that puzzles Saul (9:18-21)
Who was he to have this prophet speak of him in such a way?
He may have been from a noble family, but his tribal pedigree was nothing to boast about.
The smallest, most insignificant, unimportant of the tribes.
Saul and his servant honored at a feast (9:22-26)
Saul is privately anointed by Samuel (10:1-8)
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.
Where we derive the word “Messiah” from; Christos in the NT.
Prince - God is still the king.
9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 10 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. 11 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?” 12 And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
1 Samuel 10:9-
Saul was right to question Samuel back in 9:21.
There never had been a king in Israel.
He was as unlikely candidate as any.
Without divine intervention he was ill-equipped for the task at hand.
But…10:9b - God gave him another heart.
God changes Saul, transforms him, to equip him for the role before him.
God changes Saul, transforms him, to equip him for the role before him.
God changes Saul, transforms him, to equip him for the role before him.
“Another” — different, “other gods”
There’s a saying that goes, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” That’s a bit of what we’re seeing here with Saul. You can write it down for point number two today this way....
Rejoice in the provision of God’s providence (9:18-10:13)
Rejoice in the provision of God’s providence (9:18-10:13)
God had providentially chosen Saul for a monumental task, and immediately we begin to see how He would equip him for this role and provide for his leadership needs.
Moses - a shepherd in the middle of nowhere with a speech impediment
Joshua - following in the footsteps of Moses
David - the runt of the litter
The 12 Disciples - a raggamuffin band
Saul, then Paul - from persecutor to proclaimer
Apply:
The evidence of this provision is seen in Saul’s prophesying.
Apply:
Saul wasn’t ready to be the King when Samuel anointed him. But he was going to be God’s prince.
What has God called you to? How has he provided for you!
Saul’s anointing by the HS was temporary, but you have the HS indwelling you!
What are the evidences of God’s presence and power in your life?
Illustration: My call to ministry
I needed to be equipped.
Seminary
Volunteering
Discipleship
Rejoice in the provision of God’s providence.
Rejoice in the provision of God’s providence.
The account continues in chapter 10:17 where we begin to read of Saul’s public anointing.
Samuel gathers the people together before the Lord at Mizpah.
Samuel reminds Israel of their sin (perhaps one more opportunity to repent?)
Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”
Samuel set the stage for God’s pick to be revealed apart from human interference.
1 Samuel 10:21-
He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
Samuel distracts from Saul’s timidity by appealing to his stature and appearance.
“Long live the king!”
What do people say, “hindsight is 20/20”? Well, with God any time we reflect on the events of our lives or the events of world history we can see with 20/20 clarity His providential hand at work. God is not shy about signing His name to His handiwork. And this is yet another reason for us to rejoice. Point number three can be written down like this....
Rejoice in the clarity of God’s providence (10:17-24)
Rejoice in the clarity of God’s providence (10:17-24)
Previous to his public anointing, Saul had experienced the clarity of God’s providence through the fulfillment of Samuel’s prophesy back in 10:1-16.
The men who relayed that the donkeys were found (10:2)
The gift of the travelers (10:3-4)
Encountering the prophets (10:5)
Saul’s anointing with the Spirit (10:6)
Now not only he, but all of Israel saw God’s providential clarity on display in the selection of him by lot.
God was delivering a clear message to Israel through this whole process that though they had rejected Him from being their ruler, He still ruled.
Daniel answered and said:
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever,
for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”
Apply:
We don’t live in a world of chance, luck, or fate, but of God’s sovereign providence.
Think about your life, everywhere you’ve been, everything that has happened to you, none of it was random, none of it was accidental, all of it was part of God’s providential plan for your life.
Illustration: Rhodes College —> Master’s
In the valley we cling to passages like
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
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Rejoice in the clarity of God’s providence.
Rejoice in the clarity of God’s providence.
As the passage concludes Samuel takes a very important step in outlining the God-ordained duties and rights of the king. In front of Saul and all Israel Samuel made it absolutely clear what was expected of their king. There could be no denying it, no plea of ignorance. They were now accountable.
Rejoice in the clarity of God’s providence.
Rejoice in the clarity of God’s providence.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
In the Lord’s response to Israel we certainly see His merciful providence at work in the lives of His people, but as we close our time together I want to draw our attention to the big idea behind everything we’ve just covered.
Mercy for His name’s sake
Rejoice, be thankful this week for the Lord’s merciful hand of providence in your life. For the sake of His name He will never leave you or forsake you. Even in those moments when you are faithless He remains faithful.
God privately chose Israel’s King.
God equipped Israel’s King.
Anoints Saul to the be the Prince to His role as King
God publicly displayed Israel’s King.
What does that reveal to us even as Israel was shouting long live the king to her first earthly prince? It reminds us that the reason God can be merciful in His providence, the reason He can provide in His providence, and the reason He can be so clear in His providence, is that He and He alone is the One, True King, and He always will be.
So
Rejoice because
Selecting an unsuspecting individual who needed His equipping
Rejoice in the mercy of His providence.
Rejoice in the provision of His providence.
Rejoice in the clarity of His providence.