In Search of a King Part 8
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Preaching the Word: 1 Samuel—Looking for a Leader His Person (v. 2)
The Hebrew word for “Saul” is a form of the verb “to ask.”
Who you are is revealed over time not simply in a moment of time.
Who you are is revealed over time not simply in a moment of time.
1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.
2 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.
1 samuel
What you conclude after reading chapters 9-10 is that Saul is very impressive.
Saul was physically impressive.
Saul was physically impressive.
He was head and shoulders above the rest.
He was described as handsome.
Saul seems spiritually impressive.
Saul seems spiritually impressive.
a. He submits to his father. (in contrast to Samuel’s and Eliah’s sons)
3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.”
4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
1 sam 9:
b. He is humble not haughty. (in this entire story Saul never seeks the position of king. It is not like he has political aspirations. He doesn’t through his hat into the ring. - Saul is not attempting to get his resume before Samuel. In fact he is not looking for the job.
21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”
c. He is spirit filled.
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.
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.
9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today’s “prophet” was formerly called a seer.)
10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
1 sam 9 9-
Be careful about being overly impressed by first impressions.
Be careful about being overly impressed by first impressions.
Everything you see about Saul seems to indicate that he is the dream candidate for the position of King. But Israel will soon see their wildest dream turn into their worst nightmare.
Why because Character is revealed over time not in a moment of time.
The events of leadership and the responsibility of leadership and the authority of leadership will reveal Saul’s character in crystal clear ways.
Abraham Lincoln
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abraham Lincoln
Character Counts!
Character Counts!
27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that—whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent—I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,
"Nothing is more pathetic than having a small character in a big assignment. Many of us don't want to give attention to our character; we just want the big assignment from God."
- Henry Blackaby
Character matters - it matters in the White House and it especially matters in the church house.
What is at stake in the conduct of God’s people? - The Gospel is At Stake!
God still rules even when people rebel.
God still rules even when people rebel.
17 Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah.
18 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.’
19 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.”
20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
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.
22 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.”
23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
24 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 sam 10
This is the story of providence not coincidence.
This is the story of providence not coincidence.
There is an unseen had to me,
That leads through wave I cannot see
While going through this world of woe,
This hand still leads me as I go
17 Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah.
18 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.’
19 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.”
20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
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.
22 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.”
23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
24 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!”
CHORUS:
I’m trusting to, the unseen hand,
That guides me through this weary land
When some sweet day I’ll reach that strand,
Still guided by the unseen hand
In this story you must see the unseen hand.
The donkeys get lost and Saul gets sent. They can’t find the donkeys so they go look for the prophet who can tell them about the Donkey. Don’t worry about he Donkeys God has a much bigger plan.
The Hebrew word for “Saul” is a form of the verb “to ask.”
The Hebrew word for “Saul” is a form of the verb “to ask.”
It is a subtle reminder that God was giving exactly what they had asked for.
God is still ruling over His rebellious people.
God is still ruling over His rebellious people.
Israel chose to have a king but God chose which king she would have.
Israel chose to have a king but God chose which king she would have.
This is what I hear all the time - David is the king God Chose while Saul is the King Israel Chose.
That is not consistent with what we see the scriptures teaching.
The king is selected by casting lost.
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.
22 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.”
1 sam 10
Samuel assembles Israel and from the 12 tribes Benjamin’s number comes up. Then from all the clans of Benjamin the clan Matrites number comes up. This same procedure is followed all the way until Saul’s number comes up.
Why did they cast a lot?
33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
The people in the Old Testament that God was sovereign even over the rolling of dice.
24 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!”
23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
Who you are is revealed over time not just a moment in time.
Who you are is revealed over time not just a moment in time.
Be careful about being overly impressed by first impressions.
Be careful about being overly impressed by first impressions.
Don’t fail to see the hand of providence in your particular circumstance.
23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
1 sam 10 23
God does extraordinary things in some of the most ordinary moments of life.
God does extraordinary things in some of the most ordinary moments of life.
1 sam 9
1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.
2 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.
God w
Your first impressions about Saul is that he was impressive!
Two Jewish families had been ripped apart because of World War 2. Marcel Sternberger had immigrated to the United States and found work. He always took the 9:09 Long Island train from his home to Woodside, New York where he caught a subway into the city. On January 10, 1948, he boarded the 9:09 as usual. En route, he suddenly decided to visit a Hungarian friend who lived in Brooklyn and was ill. So he changed to the subway for Brooklyn, went and visited his friend and then boarded a subway heading toward his office downtown Manhattan.
11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.”
14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
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.”
Let me read the account written by Marcel in person. He wrote, I’d been living in New York long enough not to start conversations with strangers. But, being a photographer, I have the habit of analyzing people’s faces, and I was struck by the sad features of the passenger near me. He was probably in his late 30’s and seemed to be terribly sad. He was reading a Hungarian newspaper, and something prompted me to say in Hungarian, “I hope you don’t mind if I glance at your paper?” The young man seemed surprised to hear someone speaking his native tongue, and answered politely, “You may.” During the half hour ride to town, we ended up carrying on a conversation. He said his name was Bela Paskin. He had been a law student when the war started and he’d been arrested and immediately put into a German labor battalion and sent to the Ukraine. He hadn’t been able to tell his family or even his wife goodbye.
1 sam 9:11-17
war started and he’d been arrested and immediately put into a German labor battalion and sent to the Ukraine. He hadn’t been able to tell his family or even his wife goodbye.
3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.”
Later during the end of the war, he was captured by the Russians and put to work burying the German dead.
3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.”
4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
5 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.”
6 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.”
7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”
8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.”
9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today’s “prophet” was formerly called a seer.)
10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.”
14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
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.”
18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?”
19 Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind.
20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s house?”
1 sam
When the war was finally over, he covered hundreds of miles on foot until he reached his home in Debratzin, a large city in eastern Hungary. I myself knew Debratzin quite well and we talked about it for some time.
2. He is not haughty but humble.
2. He is not haughty but humble.
21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”
He told me that upon arriving to the apartment once occupied by his father, mother, brothers and sisters, he found strangers living there. Then he went upstairs to the apartment that he and his wife once had. No one in the building had ever heard of his family. No one knew his wife or the whereabouts of his family.
3. He is filled with the Spirit of God.
3. He is filled with the Spirit of God.
As he was leaving, full of sadness, a boy ran after him, calling, “Uncle Paskin, Uncle Paskin.” The child was the son of some old neighbors of his and he went to the boy’s home to talk with the boy’s parents. They informed him, “You’re entire family was killed; the Nazis took them and your wife to Auschwitz.”
Paskin gave up all hope. A few days later, too heartsick to remain any longer in Hungary, he set out again on foot, stealing across border after border, until he managed to immigrate to the United States in October, 1947 – just three months before I met him on the subway.
All the time, Marcel wrote, I was thinking about a young woman whom I’d met recently at the home of friends who had also been from Debratzin. She had been sent to Auschwitz and then transferred to work in a German munitions factory. Her family had been killed in the gas chambers but she was liberated by the Americans and brought American in the first boatload of displaced persons in 1946.
Her story had moved me so much that I had written down her address and phone number, intending to invite her to meet my family and try, to relieve the terrible emptiness in her life.
It seemed impossible that there could be any connection between these two people, but as I neared my station, I fumbled anxiously in my address book. I asked in what AI hoped was a casual voice, “Was your wife’s name Marya?”
He turned pale and said, “Yes, why do you ask?”
I said, “Let’s get off the train.” I took him by the arm at the next station and led him to a phone booth. He stood there like a man in a trance while I dialed her phone number. It seemed like hours before Marya answered. When I heard her voice at last, I told her who I was and asked her to describe her husband. Then I asked her where she’d lived in Debratzin and she told me the address. Asking her to hold the line, I turned to Paskin and said, “Did you and your wife live on such-and-such a street?” “Yes!” Bela exclaimed. He was trembling. I said to him, “Bela, something miraculous is about to happen . . . here, take this telephone and talk to your wife.”
I said, “Let’s get off the train.” I took him by the arm at the next station and led him to a phone booth. He stood there like a man in a trance while I dialed her phone number. It seemed like hours before Marya answered. When I heard her voice at last, I told her who I was and asked her to describe her husband. Then I asked her where she’d lived in Debratzin and she told me the address. Asking her to hold the line, I turned to Paskin and said, “Did you and your wife live on such-and-such a street?” “Yes!” Bela exclaimed. He was trembling. I said to him, “Bela, something miraculous is about to happen . . . here, take this telephone and talk to your wife.”
He was so overwhelmed he could hardly speak coherently. I took the receiver from his shaking hands and said to his wife, “Stay where you are . . . I am sending your husband to you.”
Marya would tell me later that she walked to the mirror like in a dream to see if her hair had turned gray. The next thing she knew was that a taxi had stopped in front of the house and it was my husband coming toward me . . . details I can’t remember, but I do know that this was the happiest time I could remember in many, many years. God definitely brought us together that day.
Remember God is working in places and in ways that you don’t currently see or understand.
Remember God is working in places and in ways that you don’t currently see or understand.
Matt and Venessa Huff - Matt’s is being reassigned in Louisiana
Matt and Venessa Huff - Matt’s is being reassigned in Louisiana