King Saul

King David Begins His Reign

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Chosen Sovereign David’s Reign

1 Samuel 31-2 Samuel 4
1 Chronicles 10

When we last left David, he was being hunted down by King Saul. Saul wanted David dead!

The Philistines had been pushed back into the land that they claimed and were not a threat again until Saul allowed them to regain their strength, while he concentrated all his resources in search of David. Nothing else mattered to King Saul.

If we are to remain free in America we cannot focus on things that lack in importance. We must keep a keen eye on all our enemies while remembering that our number one enemy is Satan and we need to keep our focus on Jesus to keep Satan away.

When Saul could have been making Israel a better place and doing more for the people of Israel, he wasted 10 years trying to destroy David.

We also see this happening in America today when our own politicians are more concern with the destruction of each party rather than for the good of the people and our nation.

Saul was not paying attention to Israel’s enemies!

AND, America is not paying close attention to her enemies!

*****1Sa 31:1  Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
1Sa 31:2  And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.

Not since Samuel was a child in the hands of Eli and the Ark stolen, had Israel had to flee as they did this day from the Philistines.

Mount Gilboa is a mount that over looks the Valley of Jezreel south of Jerusalem. This mount is remembered in the Bible as the place where Saul and his sons were killed by the Philistines.

Saul’s son Jonathan we have read about but Saul had at least three other sons with the two daughters we have already met.

One named Abinadab, also called Ishui, and the other Malchishua who we meet only at their death in this battle with the Philistines.

There was one other son, Ishbosheth, and it is not said why he was not in this battle and we will probably meet him later because Abner made him king after his father’s death.

*****1Sa 31:3  And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.

I was a Staff Sargent and a Platoon leader when I was in Vietnam but when we were on patrol every soldier dressed alike. We did not wear insignia and among other things I did not stay close to the ones that handled the radios and sometimes we would all make our selves look like we had radios with our camouflage. We did not want the enemy to tell who was in charge. We did not want a sniper to jeopardize the entire mission.

In fact I walked on point most every where we went for many reasons.

BUT, Saul wore the armor of a king which made him an easy target and there are always those, such as snipers, whose only job to is to try to take out the leaders of an army and they had found Saul and his sons who also wore the armor of royalty or of Generals.

Being "sore wounded" meant that Saul may not have survived those wounds even if he had won the battle.

*****1Sa 31:4  Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

In those days, a king that was captured in battle was not shown any respect if captured alive.

If we can remember Samson we can see that these Philistines were such a people to do such things.

If we remember Nebuchadnezzar also showed no respect for a King of Israel

It is a fact that even their dead bodies were not shown any respect.

When Saul saw that all his sons had died in battle and he could not defend himself, he chose to die with them.

Jewish tradition says that this armor bearer was Doeg but the Bible does not say who this man was.

It is God who is in charge of all our deaths!

Heb 9:27  And as it is "appointed" unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Appointed means that the time of our death is written down on God’s calendar!

It seems Saul did not use his own sword but used a sword nearby, maybe even the sword of Doeg, so it seems he did not want anyone to think he had a weakness even in his death.

Saul wanted to leave an impression that he died in battle!

But even this move had not killed him because his death came by an Amalekite who was scavenging dead bodies to rob them.

*****1Sa 31:5  And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

We should consider that Jewish tradition says this armor bearer was Doeg

Even Josephus, a Jewish historian says this was Doeg, who had been promoted from head sheepherder to armor bearer and that Saul actually used the sword of Doeg to kill himself.

If this is true and many believe it is, then this would also have been the same sword that had killed 85 of God’s priests.

It would seem to be justice served of God!

The Bible does not say these things are true and we cannot know these things to be true.

*****1Sa 31:6  So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.
There are those that point out a conflict in the Bible using this verse and one from the next chapter but we know that there no conflicts in God’s Word and we must always realize that our English language does not always have the proper words to use while translating the Hebrew language.

The Bible says:

2Sa 1:5  And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
2Sa 1:6  And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
2Sa 1:7  And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.
2Sa 1:8  And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.
2Sa 1:9  He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.
2Sa 1:10  So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

We know that when the Philistines found Saul and stripped him of his armor, his crown and bracelet was not mentioned because they had already been stolen.

This Amalekite was scavenging the dead bodies of the soldiers of Israel to take what he could find of value.

It is more than likely that Saul continued to live for a while in a failed attempt of suicide and this man had actually finished killing Saul.

Again we should remember that Saul had been told of God to kill "all" the Amalekites and he had failed to do this again we can see that justice of God was served.

God said these things:

1Ch 10:13  So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
1Ch 10:14  And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

And this next verse in the Book of Hosea is a reminder to all national leaders especially Israel:

Hos 13:11  I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.

David could not condone what this Amalekite had done because David himself had had this same opportunity several times and would not kill Saul.

David also knew that if Saul had obeyed the Word of God then this Amalekite could not have killed King Saul.

After all Saul was still in the hands of God and not mankind!

So we read what David had to do:

2Sa 1:15  And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
2Sa 1:16  And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’S anointed.

Again, One of reasons Saul was condemned was because he had not destroyed the Amalekites, So David could not allow this thief and lier to live!

*****2Sa 1:11  Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:

When we would think that David would have been relieved at the death of Saul, we see in David the opposite is true.

The Lord had not allowed David to assist in the destruction of Israel.

In fact the Lord had sent David after some of the Amalekites that Saul had failed to destroy.

It had taken three days for the news of Israel defeat to reach David at Ziklag which was 80 miles from the battlefield of Israel.

That Amalekite was not expecting to see this sudden remorse of David and had really expected a reward BUT all he got was death himself.

David had never seen Saul as his enemy but only as the God appointed King of Israel!

If God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked then we should also be like Him!

The Bible teaches us in the Book of Ezekiel:

Eze 33:11  Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

God ask every lost sinner this same question: Why Do You Choose To Die?

*****2Sa 1:12  And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

There was this inward show of grief and this outward show of tears because Israel had lost the battle.

Israel had lost their king.

David had lost his closest friend.

It was time to mourn for these things happening to Israel because they had fallen by the sword.

Those that can have joy and not remorse at a time when our own nation is suffering are not true patriots.

We must pray for our nation and it’s leaders because they are still God’s appointed!

And then David then wrote a new song.

*****2Sa 1:25  How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
2Sa 1:26  I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
2Sa 1:27  How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

Just as in this day in Israel, many soldiers die in battle and we need to mourn for them.

Since the Revolutionary War, 1,190,085 soldiers, are recorded as died defending our nation.

Since the Revolutionary War, 1,430,290 soldiers, are recorded as wounded defending our nation.

The death or the wounding of every American soldier deserve our respect.

These are the mighty men of America, not the politicians, not the movie stars and not the sports stars.

BUT, even mightier that these are all those that serve in the army of God!

David knew many of these men and David knew these officers and Generals of Saul’s army.

As a soldier I can still relate to those that are on the battlefield but I can also relate to those that die as mighty men and heroes of our nation.

We could not be America if these men had not shed their blood!

That hill top Jonathan had chosen to defend had brought his death.

He was David’s brother in law and as a brother to David but most of all he was a friend to David, much more than a brother.

Jonathan was not a soldier nor these others that had died on foreign soils but they had died defending their own nation on their own soil.

Hopefully our soldiers will never have to die on our own soil!

We cannot allow our nation be get so weak that our sons and daughters die defending our nation at home but it seems our government chooses this way today!

David would miss all the pleasant conversations he would have with his closest friend.

They had agreed on more things than they had disagreed on.

It was Israel that had bound these two together!

That love they had could be compared to that of a husband and wife, not a sexual thing, but an absolute caring love and respect for each other.

Those weapons of war were not just the armament that they carried.

The true weapons of war that each nation has is in the men and women who carry and use those weapons.

It is these living weapons that were truly lost at this time to Israel.

*****2Sa 2:1  And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.

David knew that Israel was in a turmoil so he did what he should have done, he enquired of the Lord!

David had the only organized army left in all of Israel so God told David to go to Hebron.

Hebron is centrally located in the land assigned to Judah about 20 miles south of Jerusalem.

Hebron was on a mountain and could be defended from an attack.

Hebron was also the city of refuge given to Caleb a mighty man in the time of Joshua.

If David was to defend Israel from her enemies, it would have to begin with the land assigned to his own tribe of Judah.

So, David prepared to defend Israel from the Philistines and all other enemies of Israel!

*****2Sa 2:2  So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.
2Sa 2:3  And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

David was in fact Israel’s lawful king but at this time it was a time that David’s own soldiers and all their families could reunite.

Most of the elders of Judah and all those that knew how David had acted wisely, would also be at Hebron.

*****2Sa 2:4  And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.

David was now 30 years old and had gained the respect of these elders who had witnessed him all the time of King Saul.

This was the second time that David was anointed to be King of Israel.

The Bible tells us 3 times that David was anointed to be King.

Samuel had anointed David:

1Sa 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

A second time in our verse and there will be a third time:

2Sa 5:3  So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.

It was this day that David learned the fate of the bodies of Saul and his sons.

The Bible teaches us:

1Sa 31:11  And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;
1Sa 31:12  All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
1Sa 31:13  And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

And David immediately thanked these men for what they had done:

2Sa 2:5  And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

But Abner the general of Saul’s army had other plans at this time and King Saul did have one son still alive.

Remember Abner was not only Saul’s General, he was also Saul’s uncle and adviser!

2Sa 2:8  But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;
2Sa 2:9  And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

These things caused much turmoil to the nation of Israel and God would not allow this to stand!

God had already anointed the next king of Israel!

*****2Sa 3:1  Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

This long civil war in Israel lasted 7 and one half years.

David waited patiently in Hebron while God removed all the obstacles and paved the way for David to unite Israel again under one king.

What should this remind us of?

Mar 12:36  For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

David wrote these words in one of his songs and the Apostle Paul added:

Heb 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

We have seen David as a "type" of a Holy Ghost filled sinner, doing good when he followed the Word of God, and doing badly when he did things his own way.

But at this time we can see him as a "type" of Christ.

We will end our lessons on David at this time and next week move into the Book of Mark.

So, Let’s revue some things about David:

David was the youngest of 8 sons in an ordinary family that came from the city of Bethlehem.

David had a sincere love for God and a profound trust in Him.

He had displayed this trust in God by slaying a bear and a lion in defense of his father’s sheep.

It was God that chose David to replace King Saul.

God knew that Davids heart was firmly planted and anchored in the Lord.

Only Samuel knew what God told him to do with David.

This is where we stand or fall with God!

Because just as Samuel, we are to know and believe what the Word of God tells us!

David’s promotion was not announced in the daily paper.

David’s promotion was not displayed on the city streets.

None of David’s neighbors were told that David was anointed to be their new king.

But what did happened was that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and then, only then, did an evil spirit trouble Saul.

This was something Saul caused and not God!

David was brought in before King Saul because he made beautiful music but even then Saul would have killed David if he had known what Samuel had done and once he sensed it Saul spent the rest of his life trying to kill David.

David had removed one giant that hindered Israel.

But God removed the other thing that hindered Israel.

David in all his ways behaved himself wisely in his time with Saul.

In all these things we should be able to see a "type" of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Both were born in Bethlehem.

Both were shepherds of their father’s flock.

Both were obedient sons and humble in their ways.

Both were misunderstood by their brothers.

Both were mistreated by governmental officials.

Both  fled from a king that was trying to kill them. (Herod)

Both of them had many enemies and suffered of them,

Both were men after God’s own heart.

Both were anointed to be king long before they reigned. (The Lord will soon be King Of Kings on this Earth)

Both were prophets.

Both wept over Jerusalem.

And Both had the promise of a house from the Father.

David promised to build the Temple, a house for God.

But Jesus promised to prepare a house for those that are the Temple of God!

The Bible says:

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

A Cowardly Ruler Saul’s Disobedience

/ Bobby Mayfield / 4 Comments

A Cowardly Ruler Saul’s Disobedience

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 13-15

In last weeks lesson we saw Samuel’s last sermon to the nation of Israel. Samuel was bringing his ministry to Israel to a close. King Saul would now lead Israel and also judge Israel for 40 years.

Israel hopes are in the success of Saul as king.

We saw as the Ammonites were defeated but an enemy that still harassed Israel were still a problem. The Philistines still controlled a large portion of Israel.

The Lord had told Samuel that the new king would deliver Israel from the Philistine:

1Sa 9:16  To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, [that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines]: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.

When Samuel had anointed Saul, he had told Saul that when he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and it was time to take action against the Philistines but Saul had refused up to this time.

1Sa 10:5  After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, [where is the garrison of the Philistines]: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:

Saul was presented with an opportunity to remove this garrison of Philistines on this day!

In our lesson today we will see these things unfold.

Our lesson today is to know that serving the Lord means doing the right thing, at the right time, and in the right way. God expects all His people to obey His Word and follow His Will!

Disobedience always has consequences!

Let’s Begin:

*****1Sa 13:1  Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
1Sa 13:2  Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

According to time lines Saul began his reign of Israel in 1051 BC and David the next king of Israel was born in 1041 BC.

Saul reigned at least two years before he began to establish an army. Over 300,000 men had offered their services to Saul in the battle with the Ammonites.

But, Saul had only chosen 3000 soldiers and then divided them between himself and his son Jonathan.

*****1Sa 13:3  And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

We will see this son of Saul’s, Jonathan several times in Scripture but we can see the type of this man in this verse, that Jonathan was a brave and victorious soldier.

All these signs will point us to the fact that Jonathan would probably have been a great king had his father not rejected the Lord.

The Philistines controlled Israel at this time and when Jonathan attacked and defeated this Garrison of the Philistines, it was a declaration of war and the Philistines were quick to respond.

This prompted King Saul to gather his troops at Gilgal while the Philistines gathered at Michmash.

Suddenly Saul finds himself in the situation that had been foretold by Samuel, waiting for Samuel to come to Gilgal.

Saul was to wait seven days for Samuel to arrive to offer the appropriate sacrifices.

Even though some time had passed Saul realizes that he was in this situation.

*****1Sa 13:8  And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
1Sa 13:9  And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.
1Sa 13:10  And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.

For what ever reason that Samuel was delayed, and, Saul goes ahead and offers a sacrifice and this
will bring divine judgment from the Lord.

There can only be one King/Priest and that will be King Jesus!

*****1Sa 13:13  And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
1Sa 13:14  But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

Saul had done a foolish thing and Samuel informed him that because of this, his kingdom would not continue.

Saul is informed that the Lord was seeking a man after his own heart and Saul had failed.

This event began the downfall of King Saul!

*****1Sa 13:19  Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:

We can see in this verse how the Philistines were denying the children of Israel the ability to defend themselves.

Today in America we call this our second amendment rights. The right to bear arms.

The right to bear arms is not only for hunting and providing food but it also gives the people the ability to defend themselves against an oppressive government.

And, the United Nations is trying to disarm the public in every nation.

The Chaldeans, had a similar policy:

2Ki 24:14  And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.

The Romans also had this policy and many governments since that time, including Adolf Hitler.

Without weapons, the means to defend themselves, the children of Israel were greatly distressed

1Sa 13:6  When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

*****1Sa 14:3  And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’S priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.

Ahiah was now High Priest of Israel. The High Priest wore the ephod. It was the High Priest that carried the Urim and the Thummim.

At this time in Israel, we have a King whose time is doomed and the representatives of the family of Eli whose priesthood is also doomed.

"This Ahiah is probably the same as Ahimelech who Saul put to death for helping David".

*****1Sa 14:4  And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

Jonathan had a plan to go against this Philistine garrison.

That word Bozez means "shining" but it can also mean "ooze" which could indicate a bog or a swamp.

That word Seneh means "bush" and probably a thorn bush.

Jonathan had trouble on the left and trouble on the right and straight ahead were the Philistines.

*****1Sa 14:6  And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: [for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few].
1Sa 14:7  And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.
1Sa 14:8  Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.
1Sa 14:9  If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.
1Sa 14:10  But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.

In chapter 13 we read that in the face of the enemy, Saul had panicked and not waited on Samuel.

We now see Jonathan, the son of Saul, in this chapter and how much trust and faith he had in the Lord.

There is quite a contrast between father and son!

Jonathan realizes that God is not constrained and can win a war just as easily with a few as with many.

Jesus had these words for all those that believe:

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

And the Apostle Paul added these words:

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

*****1Sa 14:18  And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.
1Sa 14:19  And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.

This was another rash decision made by King Saul.

The Ark of God was still in the house of Abinidab even though the Tabernacle may have been in Nob at this time.

And Saul still being in a panic, would not wait on the High Priest to make contact with the Lord.

While these things were going on Saul’s army were not in the battle and were confused!

*****1Sa 14:24  And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.

Here again we see another rash decision by King Saul.

Saul was so panicked that he would not wait for his army to eat and prepare for the battle and he made the taking of food a capitol crime requiring death.

The army of Saul became so exhausted for want of food, that they could not pursue their enemy!

*****1Sa 14:37  And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day.

God had already delivered the Philistines into the hand of Jonathan, so the Lord was silent at Saul’s request.

AND, it will not be very long before The Lord will cut off all contact with Saul:

1Sa 28:6  And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

*****1Sa 14:44  And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.
1Sa 14:45  And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.

Another reason God had rejected Saul was because of this threat to murder his own son.

Saul had foolishly ordered that no food be eaten by his troops until the Philistines were defeated.

Jonathan, his son, was unaware of this command and had eaten some honey.

The people, however, refused to let Saul carry out this foolish law and saved Jonathan from death.

God saved Israel that day but this was in spite of Saul’s stupidity through all these things:

1) Jonathan had formed the battle plan and had shown his personal courage.

2) God had sent an earthquake that caused the Philistines to tremble and be afraid.

3) There came a panic among the Philistines troops and they fled before Israel.

King Saul could not take credit for any of these things.

*****1Sa 14:52  And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him.

Now Saul tries to surround himself with the strongest and bravest men of all Israel.

This verse fulfills what Samuel had told Israel about their king:

1Sa 8:11  And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
1Sa 8:12  And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

Saul began building an army but not with volunteers.

Saul began to rely on the power of the flesh and not on Power of God!

Remember Saul had not proved his leadership skills when he denied his own army the food to keep them strong and this had also denied them a total victory over the Philistine.

*****1Sa 15:1  Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

We will see that God did not finally reject Saul until He had given him one more opportunity to fully carrying out His commands.

We need to realize that God takes us all and puts us in certain conditions to see if we will stay obedient to His Word.

The life we now live is like being on probation!

We have the trial of Saul before us "as an example" as God will not hide anything from us!

Saul began as a humble young man who happened to be the tallest man in Israel but also had a great physique.

We will see as these things fade and fail him!

Saul’s pride in his own self and defiance of God and even later jealousy and envy take over Saul’s life and he becomes a miserable person in himself and a total wreck before his nation.

The Bible says:

1Ti 1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

This first King of Israel became like a shipwreck!

*****1Sa 15:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

We can see that the Lord intends to punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as came up from Egypt!

Exo 17:8  Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Remember Balaam and what he prophesied only because he was forced to by the Lord?

Num 24:19  Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
Num 24:20  And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, "Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever".

We now read King Saul’s command.

*****1Sa 15:3  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Here is what Moses had already told Israel:

Deu 25:17  Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
Deu 25:18  How he met thee by the way, and "smote the hindmost of thee", "even all that were feeble" behind thee, "when thou wast faint and weary"; and he feared not God.
Deu 25:19  Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

This gives us a better idea of just how cruel the people of Amalek truly were and the reason for God’s judgment upon them.

Remember in verse 2, it reads that this was the Lords punishment and when it comes to obeying the commands of the Lord we are to respond without question!

Anything less than total destruction of the Amalekites would be a failure to obey God!

In His holiness and infinite wisdom we are to completely trust knowing that He will never go beyond His own Righteousness and His Own Perfectness.

We do not yet have the wisdom of God and that will only come at the time of the Rapture, when we meet the Lord in the air:

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, "we shall be like him"; for we shall see him as he is.

It is at this time we will understand all things!

*****1Sa 15:7  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

Saul gathered an army of 210,000 soldiers and laid wait in a valley until the Kenites had an opportunity to depart from among the Amalekites.

The Kenites were mostly traveling smiths by trade, some would say gypsies, and normally no ones enemies, though they never worshiped the Lord and always held on to their false religion.

Saul and his army won this battle but we see that Saul did not completely obey the Lord!

We also know that the Land from Havilah to Shur was the same land occupied by the descendants of Ishmael:

Gen 25:17  And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
Gen 25:18  And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

And we know that the descendants of Esau and the descendants of Ishmael occupied the same land.

God had said:

Rom 9:13  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Oba 1:10  For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, "and thou shalt be cut off for ever".

Mal 1:2  I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
Mal 1:3  "And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness".

We should never forget these words of the Lord for they still hold true today:

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

God will punish the wicked or He would not be God!

This promise will be kept just as all other promises will be kept!

*****1Sa 15:8  And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

Saul missed his last opportunity to preserve his kingdom for his son Jonathan, who we can see and will see could have been a great king.

Saul was showing respect to a king who ruled a people "that destroyed children" and even "those that could not defend themselves with the old" as we saw when they attacked Israel. They were also cowardly and thieves, who took what they could get from the innocent. (Deut 25:18)

The Apostle Paul used this in his sermon to the Galatians:

Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

*****1Sa 15:9  But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

It has already been stated that Saul disobeyed the Lord but we now see that his army also is involved.

Saul had little control of his army and actually feared them as we will see.

This army was also not fighting for the "Glory of God", they were instead fighting for personal profit.

Saul and his army were careful to protect the innocent Kenites but God had said that everything else was "worthless" to Him.

If it was "worthless to the Lord" then it should hold no value to God’s people!

God had given King Saul another chance and he was failing miserably!

It would be these same evil people who would bring Saul to his own death.

Listen as King David questions an Amalekite:

2Sa 1:8  And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, "I am an Amalekite".
2Sa 1:9  He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.
2Sa 1:10  So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

Had Saul obeyed the Lord even this could not have happened!

We must realize that when we are not obedient to the Lord it will affect us and our families in the future, as well as today!

*****1Sa 15:10  Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
1Sa 15:11  It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

God cannot change His mind and still be God!

AND, God cannot go against His own character regarding sin and it’s consequences!

God explains His statement by saying Saul had turned back from following Him.

Saul had made the decision to go his own way and reject the Word of God!

Samuel had told Saul earlier these words:

1Sa 13:13  And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: "for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever".

Saul could have been blessed with a kingdom that would have extended through his family but his own actions would cause his kingdom to end with his own 40 year reign.

Samuel had anointed Saul and we have already seen that in the life of Samuel, no one had found a blemish in his ministry.

It grieved Samuel that Saul had caused this thing to come upon Israel.

It was Israel that had demanded a king and their first king was a total failure!

*****1Sa 15:12  And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
1Sa 15:13  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

Samuel had not slept since God had made His will known to him and in this time Saul "had set up a memorial to himself" in Carmel for his victory.

Saul had ceased in the war with the Amalek with this one victory and proceeded with King Agag and those animals that were not destroyed to Gilgal to make a sacrifice before all of Israel.

Saul seemed very content with himself that he had obeyed the commandment of the Lord and he lied to Samuel about his victory not knowing that Samuel had already been informed by the Lord.

Samuel quickly responds with, "then what is all this noise coming from these animals"?

*****1Sa 15:15  And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Again Saul shows the breaking down of his moral character "by laying the blame upon his army".

Saul indicates to Samuel that these were the best of the animals were only saved for the purpose of sacrifice.

We already know that God had said that these things were worthless for any purpose!

*****1Sa 15:16  Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
1Sa 15:17  And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
1Sa 15:18  And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
1Sa 15:19  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

That word "stay" meant for Saul to stop his lies and to listen to what the Lord had to say and Saul said "say on".

Samuel reminded Saul how he had been a humble man and felt unworthy to be king but was now full of pride and arrogance, doing things in his own way.

Samuel reminded Saul that it was the Lord that sent him to destroy the Amalekites also using the word "sinners" which means God had already judged them and Saul was to be the executioner and to fight against them until "all" were destroyed.

Saul had not been obedient!

Saul had seized the spoil for his own use,"in an act of greed".

Saul had done these things knowing that nothing can be hid from the Lord.

Saul had "purposely" ignored the Word of God!

*****1Sa 15:20  And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
1Sa 15:21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

Saul breaks in on Samuel before he finishes, not in agreement with these words from Samuel.

Saul admits to bringing back Agag but blames the taking of the spoil upon his army.

*****1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Samuel says it is better to obey the Word of God, then, there would be no sacrifice needed.

We need no repentance or sacrifice for sins we have not committed!

To the Church we have these words:

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

These are the words of truth but if we stand on the Word of God then we would not have sin to confess:

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, [that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, "to stand"].

If we stand on the Word of God then we will have less sin in our lives and no sacrifice is needed.

We need forgiveness only for those things that go against the Word of God!

*****1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

What is the sin of witchcraft? Witchcraft is "divination" or the telling of future events.

It is a false system for trying to find the divine will of God!

Rebelling against God is going our own way!

Pro 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, "but the end thereof are the ways of death".
And being too stubborn is to insist that your are innocent as Saul has done!

Saul was his own idol at this time!

Because he had rejected the Lord, he was therefore rejected of the Lord!

*****1Sa 15:24  And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
1Sa 15:25  Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1Sa 15:26  And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

While Saul was trying to confess his sin, he began making excuses for his sin.

Saul was more concerned about his reputation before the people than in the eyes of God!

This is not an attitude of repentance!

Samuel could not join Saul because it would look like he was still in support of Saul.

Saul was rejected because he had rejected the Word of God!

Why will this earth be punished?

Jer 6:19  Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, "because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it".

We are judged by God’s Word and only God’s Word!

*****1Sa 15:27  And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
1Sa 15:28  And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

Because of Saul’s own evil conduct and bad behavior the kingdom of Saul would end with his reign and be given to another.

We know that this neighbor would be none other than David who would be a man after God’s own heart and therefore better than Saul whose heart had turned to himself.

*****1Sa 15:29  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

It is Jehovah who is the true "Strength" of Israel and what God purposes "He will bring to pass".

God will never change His purpose!

What is God’s Purpose?

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, [and to come unto the knowledge of the truth].

God will never deviate nor repent from this purpose and those that reject Him will suffer for that choice.

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; [because they received not the love of the truth], "that they might be saved".

*****1Sa 15:30  Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
1Sa 15:31  So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.

Samuel could not pardon the sin of Saul only the Lord could do that.

It was in  the best interest of Israel for their allegiance to remain with Saul at this time, that he be not despised.

And Samuel needed to do what Saul had neglected to do!

*****1Sa 15:32  Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
1Sa 15:33  And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

This cruel king who would kill a child, even sacrificing his own children to false gods.

He murdered the old with the young.

He lived an immoral lifestyle.

He rejected the Word of God and hated God?s people.

Yet he now begged for mercy.

There would be no mercy!

*****1Sa 15:34  Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
1Sa 15:35  And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Samuel went no more to council King Saul because he had been rejected of the Lord, yet he did mourn for him.

King Saul had lost his dynasty, his character, and his throne and his crown.

He had lost a godly friend in Samuel.

We will soon see David appear on the scene and Saul will loose his self control and his good sense and will soon loose it all including his own life.

This was the decision he had made for himself and the results were that he was judged by the Word of God.

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

A Cowardly Ruler Saul’s Disobedience

/ Bobby Mayfield / 4 Comments

A Cowardly Ruler Saul’s Disobedience

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 13-15

In last weeks lesson we saw Samuel’s last sermon to the nation of Israel. Samuel was bringing his ministry to Israel to a close. King Saul would now lead Israel and also judge Israel for 40 years.

Israel hopes are in the success of Saul as king.

We saw as the Ammonites were defeated but an enemy that still harassed Israel were still a problem. The Philistines still controlled a large portion of Israel.

The Lord had told Samuel that the new king would deliver Israel from the Philistine:

1Sa 9:16  To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, [that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines]: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.

When Samuel had anointed Saul, he had told Saul that when he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and it was time to take action against the Philistines but Saul had refused up to this time.

1Sa 10:5  After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, [where is the garrison of the Philistines]: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:

Saul was presented with an opportunity to remove this garrison of Philistines on this day!

In our lesson today we will see these things unfold.

Our lesson today is to know that serving the Lord means doing the right thing, at the right time, and in the right way. God expects all His people to obey His Word and follow His Will!

Disobedience always has consequences!

Let’s Begin:

*****1Sa 13:1  Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
1Sa 13:2  Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

According to time lines Saul began his reign of Israel in 1051 BC and David the next king of Israel was born in 1041 BC.

Saul reigned at least two years before he began to establish an army. Over 300,000 men had offered their services to Saul in the battle with the Ammonites.

But, Saul had only chosen 3000 soldiers and then divided them between himself and his son Jonathan.

*****1Sa 13:3  And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

We will see this son of Saul’s, Jonathan several times in Scripture but we can see the type of this man in this verse, that Jonathan was a brave and victorious soldier.

All these signs will point us to the fact that Jonathan would probably have been a great king had his father not rejected the Lord.

The Philistines controlled Israel at this time and when Jonathan attacked and defeated this Garrison of the Philistines, it was a declaration of war and the Philistines were quick to respond.

This prompted King Saul to gather his troops at Gilgal while the Philistines gathered at Michmash.

Suddenly Saul finds himself in the situation that had been foretold by Samuel, waiting for Samuel to come to Gilgal.

Saul was to wait seven days for Samuel to arrive to offer the appropriate sacrifices.

Even though some time had passed Saul realizes that he was in this situation.

*****1Sa 13:8  And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
1Sa 13:9  And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.
1Sa 13:10  And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.

For what ever reason that Samuel was delayed, and, Saul goes ahead and offers a sacrifice and this
will bring divine judgment from the Lord.

There can only be one King/Priest and that will be King Jesus!

*****1Sa 13:13  And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
1Sa 13:14  But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

Saul had done a foolish thing and Samuel informed him that because of this, his kingdom would not continue.

Saul is informed that the Lord was seeking a man after his own heart and Saul had failed.

This event began the downfall of King Saul!

*****1Sa 13:19  Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:

We can see in this verse how the Philistines were denying the children of Israel the ability to defend themselves.

Today in America we call this our second amendment rights. The right to bear arms.

The right to bear arms is not only for hunting and providing food but it also gives the people the ability to defend themselves against an oppressive government.

And, the United Nations is trying to disarm the public in every nation.

The Chaldeans, had a similar policy:

2Ki 24:14  And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.

The Romans also had this policy and many governments since that time, including Adolf Hitler.

Without weapons, the means to defend themselves, the children of Israel were greatly distressed

1Sa 13:6  When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

*****1Sa 14:3  And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’S priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.

Ahiah was now High Priest of Israel. The High Priest wore the ephod. It was the High Priest that carried the Urim and the Thummim.

At this time in Israel, we have a King whose time is doomed and the representatives of the family of Eli whose priesthood is also doomed.

"This Ahiah is probably the same as Ahimelech who Saul put to death for helping David".

*****1Sa 14:4  And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

Jonathan had a plan to go against this Philistine garrison.

That word Bozez means "shining" but it can also mean "ooze" which could indicate a bog or a swamp.

That word Seneh means "bush" and probably a thorn bush.

Jonathan had trouble on the left and trouble on the right and straight ahead were the Philistines.

*****1Sa 14:6  And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: [for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few].
1Sa 14:7  And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.
1Sa 14:8  Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.
1Sa 14:9  If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.
1Sa 14:10  But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.

In chapter 13 we read that in the face of the enemy, Saul had panicked and not waited on Samuel.

We now see Jonathan, the son of Saul, in this chapter and how much trust and faith he had in the Lord.

There is quite a contrast between father and son!

Jonathan realizes that God is not constrained and can win a war just as easily with a few as with many.

Jesus had these words for all those that believe:

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

And the Apostle Paul added these words:

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

*****1Sa 14:18  And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.
1Sa 14:19  And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.

This was another rash decision made by King Saul.

The Ark of God was still in the house of Abinidab even though the Tabernacle may have been in Nob at this time.

And Saul still being in a panic, would not wait on the High Priest to make contact with the Lord.

While these things were going on Saul’s army were not in the battle and were confused!

*****1Sa 14:24  And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.

Here again we see another rash decision by King Saul.

Saul was so panicked that he would not wait for his army to eat and prepare for the battle and he made the taking of food a capitol crime requiring death.

The army of Saul became so exhausted for want of food, that they could not pursue their enemy!

*****1Sa 14:37  And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day.

God had already delivered the Philistines into the hand of Jonathan, so the Lord was silent at Saul’s request.

AND, it will not be very long before The Lord will cut off all contact with Saul:

1Sa 28:6  And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

*****1Sa 14:44  And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.
1Sa 14:45  And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.

Another reason God had rejected Saul was because of this threat to murder his own son.

Saul had foolishly ordered that no food be eaten by his troops until the Philistines were defeated.

Jonathan, his son, was unaware of this command and had eaten some honey.

The people, however, refused to let Saul carry out this foolish law and saved Jonathan from death.

God saved Israel that day but this was in spite of Saul’s stupidity through all these things:

1) Jonathan had formed the battle plan and had shown his personal courage.

2) God had sent an earthquake that caused the Philistines to tremble and be afraid.

3) There came a panic among the Philistines troops and they fled before Israel.

King Saul could not take credit for any of these things.

*****1Sa 14:52  And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him.

Now Saul tries to surround himself with the strongest and bravest men of all Israel.

This verse fulfills what Samuel had told Israel about their king:

1Sa 8:11  And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
1Sa 8:12  And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

Saul began building an army but not with volunteers.

Saul began to rely on the power of the flesh and not on Power of God!

Remember Saul had not proved his leadership skills when he denied his own army the food to keep them strong and this had also denied them a total victory over the Philistine.

*****1Sa 15:1  Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

We will see that God did not finally reject Saul until He had given him one more opportunity to fully carrying out His commands.

We need to realize that God takes us all and puts us in certain conditions to see if we will stay obedient to His Word.

The life we now live is like being on probation!

We have the trial of Saul before us "as an example" as God will not hide anything from us!

Saul began as a humble young man who happened to be the tallest man in Israel but also had a great physique.

We will see as these things fade and fail him!

Saul’s pride in his own self and defiance of God and even later jealousy and envy take over Saul’s life and he becomes a miserable person in himself and a total wreck before his nation.

The Bible says:

1Ti 1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

This first King of Israel became like a shipwreck!

*****1Sa 15:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

We can see that the Lord intends to punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as came up from Egypt!

Exo 17:8  Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Remember Balaam and what he prophesied only because he was forced to by the Lord?

Num 24:19  Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
Num 24:20  And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, "Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever".

We now read King Saul’s command.

*****1Sa 15:3  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Here is what Moses had already told Israel:

Deu 25:17  Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
Deu 25:18  How he met thee by the way, and "smote the hindmost of thee", "even all that were feeble" behind thee, "when thou wast faint and weary"; and he feared not God.
Deu 25:19  Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

This gives us a better idea of just how cruel the people of Amalek truly were and the reason for God’s judgment upon them.

Remember in verse 2, it reads that this was the Lords punishment and when it comes to obeying the commands of the Lord we are to respond without question!

Anything less than total destruction of the Amalekites would be a failure to obey God!

In His holiness and infinite wisdom we are to completely trust knowing that He will never go beyond His own Righteousness and His Own Perfectness.

We do not yet have the wisdom of God and that will only come at the time of the Rapture, when we meet the Lord in the air:

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, "we shall be like him"; for we shall see him as he is.

It is at this time we will understand all things!

*****1Sa 15:7  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

Saul gathered an army of 210,000 soldiers and laid wait in a valley until the Kenites had an opportunity to depart from among the Amalekites.

The Kenites were mostly traveling smiths by trade, some would say gypsies, and normally no ones enemies, though they never worshiped the Lord and always held on to their false religion.

Saul and his army won this battle but we see that Saul did not completely obey the Lord!

We also know that the Land from Havilah to Shur was the same land occupied by the descendants of Ishmael:

Gen 25:17  And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
Gen 25:18  And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

And we know that the descendants of Esau and the descendants of Ishmael occupied the same land.

God had said:

Rom 9:13  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Oba 1:10  For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, "and thou shalt be cut off for ever".

Mal 1:2  I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
Mal 1:3  "And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness".

We should never forget these words of the Lord for they still hold true today:

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

God will punish the wicked or He would not be God!

This promise will be kept just as all other promises will be kept!

*****1Sa 15:8  And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

Saul missed his last opportunity to preserve his kingdom for his son Jonathan, who we can see and will see could have been a great king.

Saul was showing respect to a king who ruled a people "that destroyed children" and even "those that could not defend themselves with the old" as we saw when they attacked Israel. They were also cowardly and thieves, who took what they could get from the innocent. (Deut 25:18)

The Apostle Paul used this in his sermon to the Galatians:

Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

*****1Sa 15:9  But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

It has already been stated that Saul disobeyed the Lord but we now see that his army also is involved.

Saul had little control of his army and actually feared them as we will see.

This army was also not fighting for the "Glory of God", they were instead fighting for personal profit.

Saul and his army were careful to protect the innocent Kenites but God had said that everything else was "worthless" to Him.

If it was "worthless to the Lord" then it should hold no value to God’s people!

God had given King Saul another chance and he was failing miserably!

It would be these same evil people who would bring Saul to his own death.

Listen as King David questions an Amalekite:

2Sa 1:8  And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, "I am an Amalekite".
2Sa 1:9  He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.
2Sa 1:10  So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

Had Saul obeyed the Lord even this could not have happened!

We must realize that when we are not obedient to the Lord it will affect us and our families in the future, as well as today!

*****1Sa 15:10  Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
1Sa 15:11  It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

God cannot change His mind and still be God!

AND, God cannot go against His own character regarding sin and it’s consequences!

God explains His statement by saying Saul had turned back from following Him.

Saul had made the decision to go his own way and reject the Word of God!

Samuel had told Saul earlier these words:

1Sa 13:13  And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: "for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever".

Saul could have been blessed with a kingdom that would have extended through his family but his own actions would cause his kingdom to end with his own 40 year reign.

Samuel had anointed Saul and we have already seen that in the life of Samuel, no one had found a blemish in his ministry.

It grieved Samuel that Saul had caused this thing to come upon Israel.

It was Israel that had demanded a king and their first king was a total failure!

*****1Sa 15:12  And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
1Sa 15:13  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

Samuel had not slept since God had made His will known to him and in this time Saul "had set up a memorial to himself" in Carmel for his victory.

Saul had ceased in the war with the Amalek with this one victory and proceeded with King Agag and those animals that were not destroyed to Gilgal to make a sacrifice before all of Israel.

Saul seemed very content with himself that he had obeyed the commandment of the Lord and he lied to Samuel about his victory not knowing that Samuel had already been informed by the Lord.

Samuel quickly responds with, "then what is all this noise coming from these animals"?

*****1Sa 15:15  And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Again Saul shows the breaking down of his moral character "by laying the blame upon his army".

Saul indicates to Samuel that these were the best of the animals were only saved for the purpose of sacrifice.

We already know that God had said that these things were worthless for any purpose!

*****1Sa 15:16  Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
1Sa 15:17  And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
1Sa 15:18  And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
1Sa 15:19  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

That word "stay" meant for Saul to stop his lies and to listen to what the Lord had to say and Saul said "say on".

Samuel reminded Saul how he had been a humble man and felt unworthy to be king but was now full of pride and arrogance, doing things in his own way.

Samuel reminded Saul that it was the Lord that sent him to destroy the Amalekites also using the word "sinners" which means God had already judged them and Saul was to be the executioner and to fight against them until "all" were destroyed.

Saul had not been obedient!

Saul had seized the spoil for his own use,"in an act of greed".

Saul had done these things knowing that nothing can be hid from the Lord.

Saul had "purposely" ignored the Word of God!

*****1Sa 15:20  And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
1Sa 15:21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

Saul breaks in on Samuel before he finishes, not in agreement with these words from Samuel.

Saul admits to bringing back Agag but blames the taking of the spoil upon his army.

*****1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Samuel says it is better to obey the Word of God, then, there would be no sacrifice needed.

We need no repentance or sacrifice for sins we have not committed!

To the Church we have these words:

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

These are the words of truth but if we stand on the Word of God then we would not have sin to confess:

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, [that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, "to stand"].

If we stand on the Word of God then we will have less sin in our lives and no sacrifice is needed.

We need forgiveness only for those things that go against the Word of God!

*****1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

What is the sin of witchcraft? Witchcraft is "divination" or the telling of future events.

It is a false system for trying to find the divine will of God!

Rebelling against God is going our own way!

Pro 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, "but the end thereof are the ways of death".
And being too stubborn is to insist that your are innocent as Saul has done!

Saul was his own idol at this time!

Because he had rejected the Lord, he was therefore rejected of the Lord!

*****1Sa 15:24  And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
1Sa 15:25  Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1Sa 15:26  And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

While Saul was trying to confess his sin, he began making excuses for his sin.

Saul was more concerned about his reputation before the people than in the eyes of God!

This is not an attitude of repentance!

Samuel could not join Saul because it would look like he was still in support of Saul.

Saul was rejected because he had rejected the Word of God!

Why will this earth be punished?

Jer 6:19  Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, "because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it".

We are judged by God’s Word and only God’s Word!

*****1Sa 15:27  And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
1Sa 15:28  And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

Because of Saul’s own evil conduct and bad behavior the kingdom of Saul would end with his reign and be given to another.

We know that this neighbor would be none other than David who would be a man after God’s own heart and therefore better than Saul whose heart had turned to himself.

*****1Sa 15:29  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

It is Jehovah who is the true "Strength" of Israel and what God purposes "He will bring to pass".

God will never change His purpose!

What is God’s Purpose?

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, [and to come unto the knowledge of the truth].

God will never deviate nor repent from this purpose and those that reject Him will suffer for that choice.

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; [because they received not the love of the truth], "that they might be saved".

*****1Sa 15:30  Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
1Sa 15:31  So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.

Samuel could not pardon the sin of Saul only the Lord could do that.

It was in  the best interest of Israel for their allegiance to remain with Saul at this time, that he be not despised.

And Samuel needed to do what Saul had neglected to do!

*****1Sa 15:32  Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
1Sa 15:33  And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

This cruel king who would kill a child, even sacrificing his own children to false gods.

He murdered the old with the young.

He lived an immoral lifestyle.

He rejected the Word of God and hated God?s people.

Yet he now begged for mercy.

There would be no mercy!

*****1Sa 15:34  Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
1Sa 15:35  And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Samuel went no more to council King Saul because he had been rejected of the Lord, yet he did mourn for him.

King Saul had lost his dynasty, his character, and his throne and his crown.

He had lost a godly friend in Samuel.

We will soon see David appear on the scene and Saul will loose his self control and his good sense and will soon loose it all including his own life.

This was the decision he had made for himself and the results were that he was judged by the Word of God.

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

A Coveted King Israel Makes A Choice

/ Bobby Mayfield / 10 Comments

A Coveted King – Israel Makes A Choice

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 9-11

It would have been very easy to title this lesson the permissive will of God. The decisions we make can change our lives forever. In fact some people are in such a position that the decisions they make can affect the entire world.

In most cases we just do what we do without thinking of the consequences of our choices!

When we do not place our trust in the Lord God for every situation that comes into our lives then we will make the wrong decisions!

The people of Israel would get what they asked for through the permissive will of God.

The people of Israel have lived with this decision up until the day we live in right now!

In learning from these lessons we need to also acknowledge the "providence" of God!

God will guide His plan of "salvation" into a perfect ending!

Israel had a king, including the Herods for more than 570 years!

Israel’s first king was King Saul.

Let’s begin our lesson:

*****1Sa 9:1  Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

Benjamin was the last of the sons of Jacob. Of this tribe there was a man named Kish.

Kish was the father of the first King of Israel, Saul. The one thing that we know about Kish is that he was a mighty man of power.

Kish had great wealth and great substance and his family was regarded highly in the tribe of Benjamin.

And Kish was also a man of considerable physical strength.

*****1Sa 9:2  And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

Saul was a man with a fine appearance according to the Bible. Saul was probably close to 7 feet tall and Saul had the body of an athlete.

There was none other like Saul throughout Israel!

Saul was a great physical specimen of a man.

The name Saul means "asked for".

We can see that Israel was far more interested "in the physical things of government" than in their spiritual relationship with God.

Saul came to the attention of Samuel as he was searching for the families lost donkeys. Saul and one of his servants had searched for these animals for a long period of time and when they can could not find them Saul’s servant persuaded him to consult the man of God, this would of been Samuel.

At this time of Samuel, the true prophets of God were called Seer’s.

Zadok and Gad were also called Seers.

Some have thought that a seer was only a recorder of the events of the king’s reign and a prophet was one who acted in the Lords name, and by the Lord’s authority.

Some Seers were also called prophets and some were not but the Hebrew word "raah" used here for Seer is used 1308 times in the Old Testament mostly concerning seeing or being seen.

Samuel was sought out by Saul, not because he was God’s "voice"  but because he was a "Seer".

We can see here that Saul had not observe the annual "feasts of the Lord" because he did not know Samuel.

It was probably evening time when Saul arrived at Ramah because the young ladies were going out to draw water as they did in the evening or the cool of the day.

By this time it is believed that Shiloh had been destroyed and we know that the Ark of the Covenant was not at Shiloh and therefore no worship services were held in Shiloh.

The name Ramah,  the home of Samuel,  actually means "high place" and it seems that this is the place were at least some sacrifices were offered.

And, we should remember that during the period when Shiloh had been destroyed it seems that that Tabernacle was moved to Nob and then to Gibeon, probably by Saul, and worship was in Gibeon until the time that Solomon built the Temple.

During this time of Samuel it seems that the people of Israel worshiped in high places because there was no house built for the Lord.

We should remember Noah built his altar to the Lord while he was still on Mount Ararat. Then did also Abraham and Jacob.

The Israelites were instructed to throw down the high places of the Canaanites.

This "high place" was built in Zuph which was the home region of Elkanah who was the earthly father of Samuel.

Some scripture that tells us of some things are found in the Book of Psalms:

Psa 78:60  So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
Psa 78:61  And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.

The Ark had left the Tabernacle in Shiloh and had gone into the hands of the Philistines. It was finally recovered and after the wrath of God at Bethshemesh it had been placed in the house of Abinadab at Kirjathjearmim and stayed there until King David recovered it some 100 years later.

2Sa 6:2  And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.
2Sa 6:3  And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.
.
The Tabernacle was moved to Nob and then to Gibeon:

(Note) Nob is within eye sight of Jerusalem!

1Ch 16:39  And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon,

It was probably  King Saul that moved the Tabernacle to Gibeon but the Lord refused this place:

Psa 78:67  Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

And the Lord chose the tribe of Judah:

Psa 78:68  But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

(Note) the Ark was still at Kirjathjearmin which was part of Judah:

1Ch 21:25  So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
1Ch 21:26  And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.
1Ch 21:27  And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.
1Ch 21:28  At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
1Ch 21:29  For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.
1Ch 21:30  But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

It can be said that the Lord chose Judah, in sight of Jerusalem. God did not follow the location of political power.

*****1Sa 9:15  Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
1Sa 9:16  To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.

We should immediately notice that even though Israel had rejected the Lord he had not rejected them.

It would also be good to notice that the word Captain is the Hebrew word "nagid" was not a word that’s used for king which is the Hebrew word "melek"

To be Captain at this point would be the commander of Israel’s military. In other words any king of Israel would be one who was officially chosen by the Lord and serve as the Lord’s Vice-regent.

This Captain will save the children of Israel out of the hand of the Philistines "as a tool in the hand of God".

So, even though the Lord was rejected by Israel He still recognized their need for security!

*****1Sa 9:17  And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.

We must remember that Saul was close to 7 feet tall and when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him "Behold".

This was the man that the Lord would use, just as he did Samson, God would use Saul to begin to weaken the Philistines and prepare them for King David’s final conquest of this enemy of Israel.

The purpose of Saul was to stop Israel from walking in their own ways!

We must remember the theme of the Book of Judges.

Jdg 17:6  In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

King Saul would at least hold Israel together and keep them from going their separate ways.

*****1Sa 10:1  Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

Saul had never met Samuel but Samuel knew a lot about Saul. The tribe of Benjamin had been almost wiped out completely not too many years ago and Saul had told Samuel  that his own family was nothing. This statement was not true because the Bible tells us that Kish,  the father of Saul was a mighty man of power.

Remember we read this in Vs 9:1

This anointing was private.  It was intended merely to assure Saul that God had chosen him as Israel’s first earthly king.

Saul’s commission was clear, the Lord had chosen him to lead the people and more specifically, to deliver them from their enemies.

This anointing of oil indicated that God was approving Saul as king.

But Samuel made it very clear to Saul, these people would never belong to any king they belong to the Lord, they were the Lord’s inheritance!

*****1Sa 10:17  And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh;
1Sa 10:18  And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:

Samuel had given Saul three signs that would occur on his journey home to prove to him that God was with him.

1) Saul would meet two men at Rachel’s tomb and they would say that "the young donkeys are found but you father is looking for you".

2) Saul would meet three men, one carrying 3 kid goats, one carrying 3 three loaves of bread, and one carrying a skin of wine.

3) The Spirit of God would cause Saul to prophesy with the prophets.

All of the signs occurred just a Samuel spoke and in the places Samuel had said.

This encouraged Saul but it was at Mizpeh  where Israel had repented to the Lord and it would be at Mizpeh where Saul would be anointed.

Saul’s nomination to the throne of Israel is made public before the elders of Israel and representatives of all the tribes.

But, before this takes place the Lord reminds Israel that it was He that brought them out from Egypt and has delivered them up to this time.

It would be this day that Israel would got from being a theocracy to a monarchy!

A "Theocracy" is a government under the immediate direction of the Almighty God.

A "Monarchy" is a government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a single individual, a man or in some cases throughout history some women have held this position.

*****1Sa 10:19  And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.

Again it was not Samuel who was rejected, but Israel had rejected Jehovah God.

Saul reminded Israel that under the covenant made to Abraham they were to follow the Lord but they had disobeyed the Lord by asking for a King.

And, Samuel informed Israel that "it was a sin" to not obey the Lord.

But Israel was now to present themselves to the Lord so He could hear their request!

*****1Sa 10:20  And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

Only the Lord and Samuel knew that the king had already been selected and anointed but Samuel wanted Israel to realize that Jehovah was in charge of the selection process.

They drew lots and the tribe of Benjamin was selected.

*****1Sa 10:21  When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.

Nothing is known about the family of Matri except that Kish  the father of Saul was from that family.

Kish was also the son of Abiel. Abiel had another son by the name of Ner who had a son name Abner.

It was Abner who would be the General of Saul’s’ army.

But at this time Saul could not be found!

*****1Sa 10:22  Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.

The Lord informed Samuel  that Saul was hiding.

That word "stuff" would mean that Saul was hiding among  the wagons and the baggage  that contained the necessary items to care for this group of people.

Saul was not concentrating on the glory of God but only on himself! 

In other words Saul was a reluctant king at this time!

*****1Sa 10:23  And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

Saul had been chosen by lot but when Israel saw him they realized that he was the tallest man in Israel.

And Israel was in awe of their new king.

You know the world will be in absolute awe of King Jesus when He returns to this earth!.

The Book of Revelation says:

Rev 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

*****1Sa 10:24  And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.

It was a true statement that there were no others like Saul throughout all Israel.

AND, this same statement "God save the king" has been used in the coronation of monarchy every since this day!

*****1Sa 10:25  Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

And Samuel told the people how the kingdom would be now.

These are probably the same things that we read about in chapter 8.

How a King would take their sons and daughters for his own use.

How a King would take their sons and daughters for the military.

How a King would take their possessions, including their land, to finance his war machines.

How a King would take the best that they had and leave them with what was left.

How a King would make himself rich  off the backs of the poor.

How a king would take away their personal freedoms.

How a king would tax them into poverty.

And Samuel wrote these things down in the book so that they could not say they were not informed!

*****1Sa 10:26  And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.

When this assembly was ended everyone went back home including King Saul. 

But there was a group of men who followed Saul because the Lord had moved them to do so.

Some people gave all gifts as tokens of their homage to the King but there were also those that disagreed with this choice of king!

*****1Sa 10:27  But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

There was a group of wicked and worthless men that said how can this man save us.

They despise their new king and gave him no presents.

They had no respect for this man that their nation had chosen.

And Saul should have dealt severely with them at this time but he held his peace.

Anyone who is truly called to do a work for God will surely encounter opposition from Satan!

Even when God regards His people’s lack of faith as a rejection of His authority, He still maintains His commitment to them.

The Lord will  always recognize the need for security and He will always intervene to prevent the destruction of Israel!

Israel did not need a king, they needed security and they still do!

When God’s people foolishly embraced the world and reject His authority, He will exercise His right to rule in a way that is best for them!

But when God’s people foolishly see false security and reject His authority He may discipline them by letting them experience the consequences of their behavior and their own choices!

That old saying "be careful what you asked for"  has real meaning in our relationship with the Lord!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!