Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Today we’re going to examine a message that is very profound and applicable to us today here in 1Sam.

8.

I’ll explain some more of the backstory here in my first point, but whenever I’m in this book I want to make sure to explain the Governmental system that is setup.

It’s extremely important to understand it for today’s message.

God used a man named Moses to bring the COI out of Egypt.

Then after that, God used a man by the name of Joshua to bring them into Canaan’s Land.

These men weren’t kings, presidents or prime ministers.

They were simply Prophets of God.

An instrument utilized to bring deliverance unto the people.

Once established in Canaan’s Land, the operating Government was administered not by men - but by God Himself.

God had given the Law to which they would be governed by - and the Grace that they would be saved by.

God was their King - and there was no other.

But as you’ll see in this message today, that was not good enough for them.

They didn’t want to be special

They didn’t want to be different

They desired to be just like everybody else.

But church, there’s a cost to being just like everybody else.

You know, we Christians are supposed to be different.

The Bible tells us the manner to which we are to ascend:

Tit.

2:13-14 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

1Pet.

2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

You and I (Christians) are suppose to be different.

We’re not supposed to be like everybody else.

We have been born of a different seed

We have been given Salvation and a Seal

Our eyes have been anointed

Our ears have been unstopped

We have been given a new song

We should ACT different

LOOK different

Have different priorities

Have different desires

But all too often, we Christians don’t want to be different - we want to be just the same as everybody else.

Well I’m here to tell you - there’s a cost to being just like everybody else.

The first thing that I want to notice today is Their Situation (The COI)

I. Their Situation

Their Past

Their Disobedience

In times past, the COI would follow the desires of the flesh or the dependence upon self.

When Joseph was over Egypt and the famine came, the COI sought refuge in the land of Egypt.

Instead of seeking God’s providence in Canaan’s Land, they sought provision in Egypt.

They depended on themselves during this trial instead of God.

Of course, God used this for their good & His Glory by reuniting Joseph with his family.

Once God brought them out of Egypt, the COI lived under the Kingship of God Himself.

God enabled & provided for them in Canaan’s Land.

Their disobedience is better shown in how they responded to God’s Leadership once back in the land during the times of the Judges.

The beginning of this cycle that we’re examining is illustrated best by Jg. 17:6 “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

God not being a taskmaster, did not stand over them and force them to obey.

This led to the flesh of the Israelites leading them to stray from God

We see their Disobedience, after which we saw God’s Discipline

God’s Discipline

There’s a difference between forcing a begrudging servant to do what is commanded, it’s another to disciple them once they have gone astray.

Like a good Father, God will discipline His children when they go astray - and that’s what God did for the COI.

When the COI would turn against God, God would bring chastisement down.

We see an illustration of that in Jg. 2:13-15 “And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.”

God would bring Discipline - which in turn would bring about Repentance from the COI

Their Repentance

We see this play out with Othniel, the first Judge specifically mentioned in Jg. 3:7-9 “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.

And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.”

Notice the word ‘when’ - WHEN they cried out, God would deliver

Once they Repented, God brought Restoration

Their Restoration

Continuing on Othniel’s time: Jg. 3:10-11 “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim.

And the land had rest forty years.

And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.”

So we see their past.

Whenever they would turn away from God, God brought about Judgment from an outside source - such as the Mesopotamians, Philistines and the like.

So we see their past, next let’s look at their Present

Their Present

God at this point has went through the time of the Judges - close to 300 years of the back and forth, and we’re getting down to what would be the finality of this time period known as the time of the Judges.

An Unwise Decision (v1)

(By an otherwise wise man).

Samuel was called of God, followed God, served God - but was like you and I, just a man with full ability to make mistakes.

This was one of them.

The reason being is that it wasn’t Samuel’s place to make his sons Judges.

That was God’s doing.

(Remind them of the order of their past - they’d sin & GOD would raise up a Judge).

(This situation was like unto the apostles choosing Mathias in Act. 1)

So the COI are dealing with an unwise decision by their leader (Ill.

we all here know what that’s like - if you don’t, just turn on the news).

It was an Unwise Decision that led to an Unjust Situation

An Unjust Situation (v3)

So in other words, the sons were taking bribes to rule in their judgments unjustly.

(Ill.)

Imagine how you’d feel if you had to take someone to court - let’s say someone stole your cattle & sold it.

Then to escape punishment, paid off the judge.

They sell your cattle and make money, pay a little to the judge and you have no cattle and no justice.

That would certainly make you mad!

Nothing was right about what was going on with this situation.

And I bring this up just to point out that the people had a right to be upset.

They had reason to be concerned - as this wasn’t a judgment from God as they had certainly deserved in the past.

This wasn’t an outside force that God was using to bring them to repentance, this was trouble from within.

So the COI have found themselves in a bad Situation.

Not something that they were responsible for.

Next we’re going to see where they went wrong with Their Solution