1 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?[a]
This is what a king is. Jesus is the one who has been anointed ruler over his inheritance. There is a stunning and dramatic contrast between Jesus and Saul.
2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’
Step 1 in becoming a king, don’t be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and petition let your request be made known unto God. They had been ready to give up finding the donkeys until they decided to go ask the prophet. So remember this experience, if you need something, let your request be made known to God.
3 “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
Second, realize that as a king you are now a recipient of a portion of the sacrifices that were for God. When you pray you are not a beggar, you are a king, on earth to do God’s will and God will surely supply what is needed for that ministry. The first experience reminds us who God is, and the second reminds us of who we are.
5 “After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
You will be animated and filled with the Spirit. This is how you will be transformed. Praise, worship, speaking and testifying for the Lord transforms us into a different person.
7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
Whatever -- could be a teacher, could be a mechanic, could be a businessman or a politician. Know that God is with you in your endeavor. Three signs: God is your Father, you are his son, and the Spirit is in you transforming you. Once you are immersed into the Triune God know that God is with you in whatever your hands find to do.
8 “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”
It is impossible to read this without considering Saul’s failure in 1Samuel 13. So this is the next lesson, wait on the Lord by faith. We have faith the Lord will answer our prayers, we have faith that we are redeemed of God and we are filled with the spirit praying, praising and testifying. As a result we have entered the field of battle which will test our faith.
9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
It is very important for us to think on our own experiences of God supplying our need, answering our prayers, assuring us that we can stand before God and ministering the Spirit to us which has changed us.
14 Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” “Looking for the donkeys,” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
I think we have all had this experience. We are willing to share the testimonies that anyone can see, he told us where the donkeys were and we found them, but not so willing to share testimonies that have yet to be fulfilled he said I would be made king. No one can argue about the donkeys, but talk about the kingship and you open yourself up to ridicule.
17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah 18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”
It is God’s desire that everyone would be a king, that we would all be a royal priesthood. They rejected this and want one person appointed for this task. This is where we are today, in a democracy every person must take the responsibility to be a royal priesthood. If you want someone else to bear that responsibility so you are free to do your own thing then the democracy is doomed to fail. You may get a George Washington, but eventually the crooks will make their home in the government.
20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.” 23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
This is really a difficult question, “how to pick a king”. Consider Tom Brady, a quarterback who almost wasn’t chosen at all. He was drafted with pick number 199. When you consider that quarterback is the most important position no one could possibly see that this would be the greatest quarterback of all time. King Saul definitely would have been drafted in the first round, probably with the first or second pick. Obviously what everyone else is looking at is not what is important. This book of 1Samuel demonstrates this to us, first by letting us see our choice in great detail and then by letting us see God’s choice in great detail.
25 Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.
We have this scroll, it is called the Bible. The Bible tells us the rights and duties of God’s people who are to be a royal priesthood.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
This is a great question, “how can this fellow save us”. Yes it is spoken by scoundrels, yes it is insulting, but Jesus is Lord of all. All things are under His sovereignty, including this question. In fact many people are probably asking this same question silently, like the Philistines. Saul needs to know the answer to this question: it is not by might, nor power, but by the Lord’s Spirit. It is not of himself but wholly of God.
This is what a king is. Jesus is the one who has been anointed ruler over his inheritance. There is a stunning and dramatic contrast between Jesus and Saul.
2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’
Step 1 in becoming a king, don’t be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and petition let your request be made known unto God. They had been ready to give up finding the donkeys until they decided to go ask the prophet. So remember this experience, if you need something, let your request be made known to God.
3 “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
Second, realize that as a king you are now a recipient of a portion of the sacrifices that were for God. When you pray you are not a beggar, you are a king, on earth to do God’s will and God will surely supply what is needed for that ministry. The first experience reminds us who God is, and the second reminds us of who we are.
5 “After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
You will be animated and filled with the Spirit. This is how you will be transformed. Praise, worship, speaking and testifying for the Lord transforms us into a different person.
7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
Whatever -- could be a teacher, could be a mechanic, could be a businessman or a politician. Know that God is with you in your endeavor. Three signs: God is your Father, you are his son, and the Spirit is in you transforming you. Once you are immersed into the Triune God know that God is with you in whatever your hands find to do.
8 “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”
It is impossible to read this without considering Saul’s failure in 1Samuel 13. So this is the next lesson, wait on the Lord by faith. We have faith the Lord will answer our prayers, we have faith that we are redeemed of God and we are filled with the spirit praying, praising and testifying. As a result we have entered the field of battle which will test our faith.
9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
It is very important for us to think on our own experiences of God supplying our need, answering our prayers, assuring us that we can stand before God and ministering the Spirit to us which has changed us.
14 Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” “Looking for the donkeys,” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
I think we have all had this experience. We are willing to share the testimonies that anyone can see, he told us where the donkeys were and we found them, but not so willing to share testimonies that have yet to be fulfilled he said I would be made king. No one can argue about the donkeys, but talk about the kingship and you open yourself up to ridicule.
17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah 18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”
It is God’s desire that everyone would be a king, that we would all be a royal priesthood. They rejected this and want one person appointed for this task. This is where we are today, in a democracy every person must take the responsibility to be a royal priesthood. If you want someone else to bear that responsibility so you are free to do your own thing then the democracy is doomed to fail. You may get a George Washington, but eventually the crooks will make their home in the government.
20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.” 23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
This is really a difficult question, “how to pick a king”. Consider Tom Brady, a quarterback who almost wasn’t chosen at all. He was drafted with pick number 199. When you consider that quarterback is the most important position no one could possibly see that this would be the greatest quarterback of all time. King Saul definitely would have been drafted in the first round, probably with the first or second pick. Obviously what everyone else is looking at is not what is important. This book of 1Samuel demonstrates this to us, first by letting us see our choice in great detail and then by letting us see God’s choice in great detail.
25 Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.
We have this scroll, it is called the Bible. The Bible tells us the rights and duties of God’s people who are to be a royal priesthood.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
This is a great question, “how can this fellow save us”. Yes it is spoken by scoundrels, yes it is insulting, but Jesus is Lord of all. All things are under His sovereignty, including this question. In fact many people are probably asking this same question silently, like the Philistines. Saul needs to know the answer to this question: it is not by might, nor power, but by the Lord’s Spirit. It is not of himself but wholly of God.