Study In 1 Samuel

1. Study In1 Samuel Presentation 08

2. Chapter 9v1-27 Saul Anointed King Presentation 08

3. We saw in our last study that Israel rejected the theocracy by which she had been governed since being constituted a nation at the foot of Mt. Sinai. It was not enough that God was their leader! They did not want to be different from other nations. They wanted a monarchy with all the trappings and a leader whom they could showcase and who would be instrumental in repelling their enemies. Introduction Presentation 08

4. Israel thought Saul an ideal candidate for kingship. He is a man of great stature, gift and charisma. Outward appearance can be deceptive. George Verver was due to speak in Glasgow. Three men walked onto the platform. Two were built like American football stars, the third was a small, frail, bespeckled man carrying a briefcase. The audience believed him to be Verver’spersonal assistant. When the speaker was introduced it was the bespeckeledman who got up to speak. And what a word he preached. For many the sub text of his address was 'Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart’. The Chosen Man Presentation 08

5. Saul belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, which acted as a buffer tribe between two powerful rivals Judah and Ephraim. We need to understand the significance of this. It would not have been easy for either of these great tribes to accept a king who came from their rival tribe. But a Benjaminite was more likely to gain the acceptance and approval of both the larger tribes. They clearly would not feel threatened by such a king. The Chosen Man Presentation 08

6. Saul seemed promising material; he was obedient v4, thoughtful v5, teachable v10 and humble v21. He would have been described as 'a good man'. But morality is not the same as spirituality. When 'a good moral man’ comes under pressure, or when circumstances change, the 'goodness' that survived in a quiet ordered world can evaporate like the morning mist. Think of the things character witnesses say in court; “For years he was the best neighbour a man could ask for but then he got a promotion, won the lottery, lost his job, lost his wife ... and he became a completely different man”. This is what happens to 'goodness' that is divorced from God. The Chosen Man Presentation 08

7. Prior to this incident, Saul does not seem to have heard of Samuel. This seems quite remarkable. For a comparison imagine someone in America saying they have never heard of Billy Graham! The fact that Saul has not heard of Samuel surely reveals something about Saul's disinterest in religious things? The Chosen Man Presentation 08

8. The incident of the lost donkeys reminds us that there are no such things as coincidences in life. The loss initiated an important journey. Saul was poised to give up the search for the family donkeys when he learned that the prophet Samuel lived in that region, someone able to help. Saul's servant clearly knows about Samuel and even where he stays v6. Note that God had a man in place to help with what was to be a significant encounter. God’s Providence Presentation 08

9. Saul had no gift for Samuel and was about to give up on asking for his help, when the servant puts his hand in his pocket and says, ‘Heh boss I've got money you can use’ cfv8 . The prophet just happened to have arrived home from his regular travels that day! And Saul just happens to bump into Samuel at the gateway of the town v14. Is this an interesting series of coincidences? No they point to God's sovereign and providential control! God’s Providence Presentation 08

10. We do not always understand God's providence. It must have been irksome to Saul to chase a bunch of donkeys around the countryside. Our lives can be surrounded by irksome circumstances. It is difficult to see ‘all things working together for good’. John Flavel wrote, 'Sometimes providences like Hebrew letters, must be read backwards'. As Saul made his way home did the newly anointed king of Israel, read back from the time of his anointing to the time when the donkeys were lost and his irksome task of finding them? God’s Providence Presentation 08

11. Saul's arrival did not take Samuel by surprise. God had already prepared him v16-17. This knowledge was given to Samuel only the day before Saul's arrival. If God gives us long term notice about what he is planning we can easily be distracted from service we have to carry out in the present. One of the most helpful principles of guidance I’ve ever read is, “While seeking to discover God's will get on with the job in hand”. A King Marked Out Presentation 08

12. The issue of the donkeys v20 is almost skipped over as the more central issue of kingship is grappled with. Saul is surprised to learn that he was 'the desire of Israel'. Saul was not accustomed to being treated as someone special. However, as the years advance Saul would come to view his kingship and a royal dynasty as his inalienable right. Power and authority can so easily erode humility. A King Marked Out Presentation 08

13. Samuel was concerned to anoint Saul in secret v27. Why? Perhaps in the interests of Saul's safety or, more probably, to await God's timing for a public revealing of the king to the nation. It is significant that not only Israel's high priest but also her king were anointed to office. What then was the significance of the anointing? A King Marked Out Presentation 08

14. Anointing was not only a sign of God's choice, but a reminder that the king was not an absolute monarch. He was a vassal king ruling as God's man, dependant upon God's grace and power, ruling only by God's pleasure. Sadly, as Saul worked his way into the role of king, he forgot the symbolic significance of his anointing. He was reluctant to acknowledge God’s Lordship over his life. A King Marked Out Presentation 08