1st Samuel 8-9

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1^st Samuel 7:14-17

“14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. 17 And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.”

“Well, if you remember, a few weeks ago we left off at the stone named Ebenezer, Eli is dead and gone, and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas are dead, the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant, not knowing what they were getting themselves into, and it has come back and is in Kirjath-jearim at this point in time. And as the nation had gathered to repent and seek the LORD, the Philistines thought they were gathering for war and surrounded them. Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it, and as the blood was flowing on the altar, he paid no attention to the Philistine army drawing close, and it says ‘God shook the land there,’ intervened and thundered greatly, and many of them perished, and it heartened the children of Israel who had been so soundly defeated. Of course, the secret was their repentance, their turning back to the LORD, and they pursued then the Philistines and had victory over them.

Ebenezer, Stone of Help

And it says in verse 12, “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.” the Stone of Help, it was to be a memorial, and “Hitherto,” the idea is ‘up until this point, in our journey LORD, as we look back at every instance up till now, all we can see is your faithfulness, LORD, you have been faithful, and because of that we believe you will be what you have always been.’ And that was to be a memorial for them, and that’s significant as we go into the next phase here, of Saul. They were to trust the LORD, they were to have the LORD as their help, and this was to be a memorial. It says ‘Cursed is the man that maketh flesh his arm,’ and Israel was to have a different position amongst the nations of the world. But we’re going to find the scene is changing, it says verse 13, “So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.” (verses 13-14) the Amorites, on the other side of the Jordan who had become allies with the Philistines, after seeing the great victory now, the Amorites make peace with the children of Israel, no longer being allies with the Philistines. “And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.” (verse 15) it doesn’t mean he was judgmental towards them, he brought justice, all the days of his life he was a pillar, and they looked to him. Again, you remember that the text back in chapter 2, where it says that the LORD, that he was lent to the children of Israel, he was lent to the LORD, he was Shaul, Saul, interesting, that word, a play on words, that the ancient rabbis said that Samuel was really Saul, not Saul, but Samuel was Israel’s first king. And all the days of Samuel, that he judged Israel, all of the days of his life. “And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.” (verse 16) ah, first circuit-riding preacher. This circuit described here is about 50 miles, so it says that ‘he went from year to year in a circuit to Bethel, and to Gilgal and to Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all of those places.’ interesting circuit, it says he went from Bethel, the house of God, which should be a normal part of our lives, the house of God. And I wonder as he went to Bethel if the pillar that Jacob had set up there at Bethel was still there. He had set up Ebenezer, but in Bethel there was the pillar that Jacob had set up there, he made a covenant with the LORD. Was it still there, as he went to Bethel? And then to Gilgal, there was a Gilgal in the north, but it seems to me that this would be the Gilgal memorialized in Israel for spiritual reasons (the first camp that Joshua set up after he and Israel had crossed the Jordan, in the plains of Jericho). Gilgal was a place of remembrance, it was the place where the twelve stones were set up, it was the place where they had crossed the Jordan, miraculously, it was the place where they had consecrated themselves, celebrated the Passover, where they had been circumcised, so it was a place of consecration. The house of God, to Gilgal, and then to Mizpeh, the place where the sacrifice of the lamb had taken place, where the great victory was won, Samuel not fighting the battle, the children of Israel not having swords, come to worship, come to repent, and the great victory that was exercised and experienced there. And it’s a wonderful circuit, as you look at those places and you think about them, and he judged Israel in all of those places. And then it says, “And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.” (verse 17) You remember, Elkanah and Hannah had their home in Ramah, and of course Samuel as a small boy, 3 or 4 years old, was given to Eli at Shiloh, and grew up there at the Tabernacle. But his family’s home was at Ramah. And it seems that when the Ark of the Covenant was taken, and the Philistines had victory, we never hear of Shiloh again, we never hear of the Ark going back to Shiloh, and what we believe is that Shiloh was sacked, and the Tabernacle was destroyed when the Philistines had that victory [unless the attending Levites took down the Tabernacle and all it’s accoutrements to safety somewhere, we don’t know for sure, one of those Raiders of the Lost Ark mysteries]. And it seems then that Samuel, who is now an adult, Samuel now respected by the entire nation, that he went back to the village where he had grown up, and his own home was there at Ramah, and that he judged Israel, interesting, from the heights, from Ramah, and it says he built there an altar unto the LORD where his home was, a home altar, so important. You know, we can have public ministry in Mizpeh and in a Bethel and in a Gilgal, but if there’s not a home altar we’re headed for trouble, we’re headed for trouble. And it’s an altar, an altar is a place of sacrifice. You know, certainly we’re to have devotions at home [Calvary Chapel’s phrase for prayer & Bible study, I prefer to just call it “prayer and Bible study,” just my Sabbath-keeping Church of God spiritual upbringing], and that’s a great thing to do, with our family, from time to time in whatever manner you might do that. But the challenge is for you as an individual, some of you are single, some of you live alone, for some of you the kids are gone, for you as a man, for you as a woman, a teenager, a home-altar, do you have a place where you find the Lord?—a place where you get alone with the Lord?—a place where you sit in his presence? I find that is extremely necessary in my life [he’s talking about your prayer & Bible study life], because, I’m a sinful man. There’s no behavior that’s disqualifying me from ministry, but Paul says, ‘this is a faithful saying, that Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief,’ he says, he writes to Timothy at the end of his life. John, the apostle, 90 years old, ‘If we say we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves,’ including himself, a personal pronoun, ‘we deceive ourselves, and if we say that we sin not, the truth is not in us.’ [And John, by the way, in 1^st John 3:4 defined sin as the transgression of the law, God’s law.] And I find, in my own time with the Lord, I may want to come there and pray about you’all, pray about the church, pray about ministry, and pray about this and that, but I’m not there very long before I’m saying, ‘You’re right, Lord, I am a jerk, my wife is right too, I’m a selfish man, Lord, I’m so thankful you died on the cross for me, so thankful that you shed your blood for my sins, Lord, I’m so thankful I’m washed and I’m cleansed, you have bestowed on me a righteousness which I could never produce in and of myself.’ It’s so important to have a home altar, as it were, a genuine union with a holy God, through the means of an innocent substitute, a home altar. Samuel, quite a man, we know that through Jeremiah, as he was pleading for mercy on Jerusalem, and the LORD spoke to him and said ‘Jeremiah, though Moses or Samuel stood before me, yet I would not turn away.’ That’s exclusive company, Samuel, quite a man.

1^st Samuel 8:1-22

“And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah, they were judges in Beersheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto thee people that asked of him a king. 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. 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. 13 And he will take your daughters to be his confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20 that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.”

Introduction: Transition From Samuel To Saul

[Audio version: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED650]

“Now, chapter 8 is the second section of the Book, from chapters 8 to 15 we’re introduced to Saul, “And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.” (verse 1) now most scholars feel he’s 65 to 70 years old here. “when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.” by the way, that’s a mistake, his sons were not at all like him, not at all. He made his sons judges over Israel, God’s servants are human, interesting he names his firstborn son Joel, which is “Jehovah is God,” “and the name of his second, Abiah” “Jehovah is my Father,” “they were judges in Beersheba.” (verse 2) Isn’t it interesting, Jehovah is my God, Jehovah is my Father? No doubt as a 3-year-old dropped off at the Tabernacle, that became very real to him as a young boy [Samuel that is], ‘LORD, you’re my God, and you’re my Father.’ Elkanah and Hannah were 15 miles or so away from there, and it had meant the world to him. And I have to believe he did his best to communicate those truths to those two boys. I mean, as they grew up that’s what they heard, ‘The LORD is your God, the LORD is your Father,’ that was their names. But it’s an interesting picture here, they were judges in Beersheba is says to us here, and it says “And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” (verse 3) Isn’t that sad? That’s hard on godly parents. Take note of this, it says that his “sons walked not in his ways,” if you looked down in verse 5, Israel, the children of Israel said to Samuel “Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways” both the nation and God tells us here about “the ways” of Samuel. Samuel was pure, Samuel was a man of incredible character, Samuel was a man of prayer, Samuel is a man who changed the course of a nation, and changed the course of history and changed the course of our lives because of his godliness. He didn’t foretell like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, he wasn’t eloquent like Isaiah, he was a man who walked close to God because of his prayer-life, and because of his commitment he changed the course of a nation. And so there is no fault here, it’s telling us that Samuel did not live in hypocrisy. You know, you can sometimes, and we do this maybe too often, look at a kid whose a wild creature and say ‘Ah, must have been his old man, must have been his mom,’ no, no, look, Samuel here, it says “his sons walked not in his ways,” because his ways were right before the LORD. Where we find him making a mistake is here, after these young men are grown, that he puts them in a place to being judges, which he should never have done, he should never have done. And I like to cut Samuel some slack and say he didn’t have a role model, he wasn’t with his father. You know, Eli had made the same mistake, and he hadn’t learned from watching Eli, Eli made his sons priests, he should never have done that, Eli should have had his sons step down from the priesthood, they were immoral, they made profane the holy things of God. And here Samuel should have done the same thing, should have stepped into his sons lives, had them step away. And if we find a failure, it’s here that he was partial towards the end of his life. But it wasn’t because of his example, it wasn’t because there was hypocrisy in his own life, it says ‘they did not walk in his ways, which were upright before the LORD, but they turned aside after money, they took bribes, they perverted judgment.’ “Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,” because now look, Samuel is old, they’re recognizing that Samuel is going to pass off the scene, they have no future with his sons, so they come and they say to Samuel “and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the other nations.” (verses 4-5) They say ‘You are old,’ I guess it was ok in those days just to say that to somebody, they didn’t even say ‘how old are you?’ they said ‘You’re old, man.’ They came and said, ‘Behold, you’re old, and your sons walk not in thy ways,’ “now” the idea is “make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” ‘We need a leader, we need military protection, we need safety, we were content with you, we trusted you, but your sons aren’t like you at all, man, you’re old man, you could be gone any day, and you’re gonna leave us with these scoundrels, it can happen, make us a king.’ Now the sad thing is, not long before this, he had set up a stone called Ebenezer, which is ‘The LORD is our Help,’ and the nation rallied around that. And it’s not long after that they’ve already forgotten. Our memories are short, aren’t they, so often. And now instead of saying, ‘Let’s go back to Ebenezer, let’s pray, where the LORD hitherto has been our help, he’s going to be what he has always been,’ now they say ‘No, you’re old, man, you’re going to pass off the scene, we need a king like the other nations.’ Now it’s interesting, certainly in the prophecy of Baalim against the children of Israel, he mentioned a king. Jacob in Genesis 49 said ‘The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,’ pointing towards a king or a royal line. Moses, when he had written the Book of Deuteronomy, acknowledging God, they’re acknowledging this would come, said “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt possess it and you will dwell therein. And when you shall say” he anticipated, “I will set a king over me like as the nations that are round about me” so the LORD knew it was coming, and what he said is ‘when you do that, I don’t want you to pick a foreigner to be your king, he has to be from within Israel, I don’t want you to go back to Egypt for horses, I don’t want you [him] to multiply wives to yourself, I don’t want you [him] to multiply silver and gold. I want that king to get a copy of the Law, and I want him to sit down and to write it out by hand, himself, so he knows everything that’s in the Law, write his own copy, so that his heart wouldn’t be lifted up, and do the things that are written there all the days of his life.’ (taken from Deuteronomy 17:14-20) God knew it was coming, and this is exactly the words they use here, they say ‘now make us a king to judge us, like all of the nations.’ God anticipating. “But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.” (verse 6) isn’t it interesting, he didn’t say ‘Don’t you knuckleheads ever learn anything?’ So when you’re mood’s to say that to someone, pray, you know, pray. Many times I’m glad I pray before I open my mouth, because then you find out the rest of the story and you think ‘Man I’m glad I didn’t say what I was thinking about saying,’ ah, you know. It’s very rarely I regret not saying something, more often I regret something I have said, and it’s hard to take it back after you say that. Samuel prayed, “And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” (verse 7) ‘Samuel, you’re taking this personal, in rejecting you as my mouthpiece, as my Prophet, what they’ve really done is they’re rejecting me. They know who you are,’ it tells us in the chapters before this, ‘All of Israel acknowledged that Samuel was a prophet, and the LORD didn’t let a single one of his words fall to the ground.’ And now by rejecting his counsel, the LORD said ‘It’s not you Samuel, you’re taking it personally, don’t do that, because they’re not rejecting you, they’re rejecting me.’ Listen, you have to understand this, if you want to speak the Word of the LORD to the people that are around you, if you want to share the truths that you know that are in this Book, and you want to set an example, you’re going to experience some rejection. And the thing that you have to do is to be able to step back and say ‘Lord, they’re directing it at me because I’m tangible, I’m physical here, but it’s your Word, Lord, they’re rejecting you, it’s not just if I came and talked to them about Shakespeare or something, they’d listen, but as soon as I say your name everybody gets in a huff.’ And if you’re quiet [after that encounter], you’ll hear the Lord say ‘You know, don’t take it personally.’ The Lord wants to be the Lord of their lives and of our lives, he doesn’t change, yesterday, today and forever. And so many have chosen false freedom over or instead of the Lord, they still do it today. God’s ideal for the nation was a theocracy, they wanted a monarchy. Now a monarchy will be perfect when the monarch is the King of kings and Lord of lords, that is when a theocracy will become tangible. It will come, Jesus will rule the Earth, and then it will be the ideal government, because it will both be a theocracy and a monarchy, because the King will be the King of kings and the Lord of lords. But that was God’s ideal, he said to the nation that he would reign, that he would reveal himself, that the high priest would use the Urim and Thummim, that they had his Word, that if they would obey his Word he would raise them up, that he would set them aside from all the other nations, and they were to be as it were “a priest-nation” to the other nations of the world, and the Gentiles were to learn of the True and Living God by observing Israel, and their commitment to their God, and they were to be converted to the Truth. Well here they’re turning away saying ‘We want something tangible, we want a king, we need somebody to protect us, we need somebody to look out after us.’ And the LORD says to Samuel ‘Samuel, just cool it, don’t take it personal, they haven’t rejected you, they’ve rejected me, that I should not reign over them.’ “According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.” (verse 8) ‘this is an old story, Sam.’ Samuel’s thinking, ‘Tell me about it, LORD.’ You think about the intimacy between them, Samuel starts to pray and he hears the LORD say ‘No, don’t take it personally, they’re not rejecting you, they’re rejecting me, it’s an old story, they’ve been doing it to me since I brought them out of Egypt, you’ve only been around 65, 70 years, I’ve been going through this with them for hundreds of years now. You know, the same thing they’ve always done, now that’s what they’re doing to you.’ ‘Ah ya, LORD, tell me about it.’

Honour Their Request For A King, But Solemnly Warn Them What It Means To Be Under Human Government

“Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.” (verse 9) ‘I want you to do what they say, but I want you to warn them ahead of time what it will mean to have their desire fulfilled.’ Man oh man, as we look at the news today, man is unable to govern himself, power corrupts, we know that, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Look at all the negotiation, look at terrorism, look at everything that’s going on in the world today, man is unable to govern himself. [Comment: This sermon was given on September 30, 2009. It is now June 2022, almost five months since Vladimir Putin’s Russian army invaded the Ukraine on the 24^th of February, 2022. This heartless invasion of Russia against the Ukrainians has caused 4.5 million or more women and children to flee into Poland and surrounding European nations, while their men stay back and fight for their freedom. Europe is being given one of the biggest impetuses to federalize and become a superpower of its own since the end of World War II, just as Bible prophecy shows it will, which will bring on World War III, which will necessitate Jesus having to return to save mankind from killing off himself and all life on the planet. The Bible in the Books of Daniel and Revelation has been predicting that final resurrection of that Roman Empire in Europe for 2,500 years now, and now we’re fast approaching that time. To see those prophecies, log onto: https://unityinchrist.com/prophecies/2ndcoming_4.htm] The LORD says to Samuel ‘OK, give ‘em what they want, but let them know what they’re in for.’ “And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked him for a king.” (verse 10) and kingship is a failure, excepting the fact that it points to the King of kings that will come. OK, this is what it means, please listen, this is what it means to be under human government. I don’t know why anybody is surprised. Look at the first thing it says, “He will take…” ok? God knows what he’s taking about, doesn’t he. That’s because it takes a lot of manpower and structure to try to accomplish what God does way easier. Listen to what he says, when you have a “human king” ruling over you, “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. 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.” (verses 11-12) [Vladimir Putin has done just exactly that, and he now has to replace 1,300 tanks lost in battle, as European nations, such as Germany, which up to this point had very little armament, is re-arming itself to the max in light of this invasion of the Ukraine. Russian is also stealing Ukrainian grain, and has blockaded Ukrainian seaports, so their grain cannot be exported to the world, causing a grain shortage, which can lead to famine in African nations dependent on it. So much of this passage in Scripture is coming to pass right now, highlighting Samuel’s words about what it’s like being under a human “king,” leader.] He’s going to take, and he’s going to take, “And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth part of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth part of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.” (verses 13-17) “And ye shall cry out to me in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” (verse 18) Listen, God is low maintenance. If you let him rule over you, he don’t need your food, he don’t need your money, he don’t need your sons and daughters, he doesn’t take from you. If you let God reign, he’s really low-maintenance, he wants your heart, you can have your stuff, you can have your grain, you can have your donkeys. But you want a man to rule over you, you want this? Alright, this is going to be how it is, he’s going to take this, he's going to take that, because government costs. It takes big structure, it takes a lot of manpower, you gotta have an army, gotta have all this stuff set up, you gotta have all this stuff. For me personally, you want an army? I would trim things down, just the scariest military on the planet so every nut leaves us alone, a police force so every nut that lives here leaves us alone, and the Food and Drug administration so we can eat and take antibiotics, and there would be signs that say ‘Just Leave Us Alone.’ But here he says, ok, this is what you’re going to find out, this is what you want? And after he takes all this stuff, look, interesting, because Samuel, at the very end of his life, he’s going to say ‘Behold, here I am, witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed, Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or whose hand have I received a bribe to blind my eyes? They said, Thou hast not defrauded us, oppressed us, neither hast thou taken anything out of our hand.’ That’s a much cheaper government. The LORD says tell them, if he gives them a king, let them know what the story’s going to be. After he takes all of these things, verse 18, “Then ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” Now, you would think they would say ‘Oh, nevermind,’ look, “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.” (verses 19-20) being unfaithful to their original calling, to their national calling, if you can imagine that, choosing bondage over serving the LORD. ‘Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, and they said Naaa, we’ll have a king over us,’ “that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.” Now after God had done all of those things for them, ‘We want a man to do it,’ you know, the anti-christ is going to be tangible, he’s going to come with all of the answers to everything, it’s just the inclination of the natural man to want some tangible thing. It’s much more difficult to trust thee LORD when all of your enemies surround you, and you’re standing on the mountain at Mizpeh, and you came there to worship, you don’t have your sword, you don’t have any of your weapons, and here comes all of your enemies, just the prophet’s up there, the only knife is the one he’s got, he’s cutting a lambs throat, and all of a sudden God thunders from heaven and destroys your enemies, for some reason for the natural man that’s much tougher for us to embrace that and to believe that God will do that for us, that through the death of a lamb he’s got our best interest and cares about us. People would much rather have an army, much rather have a king, much rather have all of this stuff lined up, and the LORD says ‘Alright, let them know what it’s going to be like, and when it happens they’re going to cry, and I’m not gonna answer,’ and they said ‘Nevertheless, give us a king, let’s have a king over us.’ “And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.” (verse 21) and the LORD said ‘I know, Sam,’ thinking a leader could bring them change instead of repentance, which had brought change. “And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.” (verse 22)

1^st Samuel 9:1-27

“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. 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. 3 And the asses of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. 4 And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. 5 And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us. 6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. 7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we? 8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. 9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) 10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said: come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was. 11 And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? 12 And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place: 13 As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him. 14 And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place. 15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 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. 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. 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is. 19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. 20 And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house? 21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family of the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? 22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee. 24 And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. 25 And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house. 26 And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. 27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.”

1^st Samuel 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?” (verse 1)

Man Looks On The Outward Appearance, God Looks On The Heart

“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.” (verse 1) it’s much better that there is a God, and he has a Son, but this is what they want here. “of power” the idea is “of wealth” or “of substance.” We’re going to find out his son is the most handsome young man in the land, that he is head and shoulders taller above everyone. This is very different from God’s choice, when we get to chapter 16, verse 17, Samuel goes there to anoint God’s king, and David’s older brother comes in first, and Samuel just dumps the oil on him, and the LORD says ‘no, no.’ Man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart, ‘there’s a little red-headed kid out in the field here somewhere, killing lions and bears and playing his guitar, written songs, get him in here.’ But for the children of Israel, this man Kish, he was a mighty man of substance and wealth, good stock here, good successful family. “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.” (verse 2) the King James says “a choice man,” the idea is, it speaks of his size and his strength, he was fit, he was a choice young man, and “goodly” the idea is “he was handsome,” “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.” So today, most people six foot tall, this guy would be 7 foot tall. People back then might have been a little shorter then, but he might have been six foot seven, six foot eight. It says there’s not another man in all of Israel as handsome as Saul. And he’s fit, he’s ripped. And when you want to look for the most handsome guy in the crowd, there’s no problem because his head’s sticking up above everybody else, head and shoulders. Man, you want a king, that’s a king, he looks like a king, that is a king. You know you always see these people on TV, they’re the most handsome man alive and all this stuff, that’s Saul, it was Saul, to the natural mind, that is.

When Our Lives Seem Like A Bunch Of Random Details, Watch Out For Those Divine Coincidences

Now, interesting to see how God works here. And it says “And the asses [donkeys] of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.” (verse 3) that’s a significant thing, now it wasn’t to Saul, and it wasn’t to Kish. It says he was a mighty man of substance, he didn’t say ‘oh, the heck with it, they’re only donkeys, go out and buy new donkeys.’ No, these donkeys are lost, God’s hand, Jehovah [Yahweh], the donkey’s are lost. Please take note of this record, because sometimes in your life and my life, the donkey’s are lost. And right away we’re griping, we’re complaining, we’re grumbling, because we don’t have eyes to see the hand sometimes of a very present God whose working close to us, who loves us, whose reaching out. We pray for something [a wife/co-pilot], then our donkeys get lost, and the end of the world has come, we now live in a donkey-less world, it’s unbearable. It’s nice for a day once in awhile, but. It says the donkeys of Kish, they were lost, “And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.” So no doubt they were branded, they were allowed to graze on the range, but they’re gone, donkeys do that I guess. “And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.” (verse 4) I mean, Saul, look at him, he’s diligent, he’s obedient. You know, if somebody told you ‘Hey, the dog got out of the yard, go look for him,’ would it say ‘They passed through the State of New Jersey, and they passed through Massachusetts, and they passed through the land,’ you know, this guy’s determined to find donkeys. It doesn’t say Saul went and sat at Starbucks and said ‘My dad’s crazy, if he thinks I’m going to go through the whole country looking for a donkey, that’s not gonna happen.’ [I know a kid that would say that, don’t want to mention any names, because I love him. 😊] He’s diligent, he’s obedient. But look, it’s God here. “And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us.” (verse 5) ‘You know what, Zuph is enough, my father’s going to stop caring about the donkeys and start caring about us.’ Now look, family, in this day, was the center of everything, extended family, Saul’s probably around 30 years old at this point in time, but he still has great respect for his father, he says ‘We should head back.’ Now the servant says to him, “And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.” (verse 6) Now no doubt the Spirit pokes him, the servant that is, he knows about Samuel. ‘Everything this guy says comes true, let’s go there and ask him so that he can point us in the direction we should go looking for the donkeys.’ “Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?” (verse 7) it’s tradition, he’s saying we can’t even pay a courtesy to the guy. “And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.” (verse 8) that’s not anything, but it’s the thought here. Now, the author, the LORD here, through the author, tells us “(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) (verse 9) Somebody with the gifts of Samuel is called a Seer, the idea is, they were able to see into the spiritual realm, they were able to, they had insight, they had foresight, they had spiritual sight. But now Samuel is beginning the new line of Prophets, which is more attached to the nation, the national situation, and the word Prophet from the Hebrew verb that means “to bubble up,” and the idea is that the Word of God would come forth, to bubble up…Just for your information here, in time past in Israel when you wanted to go see a man like this, you would say ‘Let’s go see the Seer,’ but now the Seer is called a Prophet. “Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.” (verse 10) Please follow all of this, it just seems like a lot of random details, like your day and my day. Watch what’s happening. “And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is there a seer here?” (verse 11) Now these young maidens give them a long answer, in verses 12 and 13, because these are young maidens, and they hear ‘Excuse me, do you know where the Seer lives?’ and they turn around, and the tallest, handsomest man on the planet is there, ‘aba, aba,’ they are thinking ‘WHO IS THIS!? smack me and wake me up.’ “And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place: as soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him.” (verses 12-13) notice, if this was a short funny-looking guy they’d have just said, ‘Ya.’ So they respond quite well here. And look, this is a thread of God’s providence through all of this that we’re watching here, as God’s design, runaway donkey’s, the servant saying ‘Hey, before we go,’ the maidens come ‘Ooh ya, we know where’s he’s at,’ and it’s an interesting process. “And they went into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.” (verse 14) face to face, the idea is. “Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 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.” (verses 15-16) I love this, “in his ear…” Notice, they had beaten back the Philistines before, now they’re doing this without the LORD, now there needs to be victory over the Philistines again, “for I have looked upon my people,” the LORD looking upon his flock, “because their cry is come unto me.” So, God is working on both ends. First of all he chases the donkeys away, it’s how he starts the whole process, and these guys start moving, they go through one area after another, they didn’t just give up. And finally when their food is gone, that’s when they give up. And Saul was big, imagine what it was like feeding him when he was a teenager. So the father probably gave him a lot of food and said ‘He’ll look until the food’s gone, when the food’s gone he’s gonna come back again.’ So, they send him on his way, and then when he’s getting ready to turn around, saying ‘My dad’s probably worried, we’ve got nothing to eat,’ his servant says ‘No, no, there’s a man of God here, let’s go see, just so happens I’ve got this quarter of a shekel here, that’s plenty, didn’t know I had it,’ ‘ok, we’ll do that,’ and everything falls into place. And then it tells us, the day before God had spoken in the ear of Samuel. Don’t you wish you had, isn’t it interesting to have that kind of relationship with the LORD where something’s going to happen the next day, and the LORD just bends down to your ear and says ‘By the way,’ somebody sees you in the market, ‘Stay away from him Honey.’ ‘This man, you’re going to run into him, and you’re going to recognize him, this is what he’s going to look like, and I want you to take him and I want you to anoint him.’ Saul, at this point in time, he’s ready to go home, but his servant, when the LORD pushes on him, ‘No, we should go in this direction.’ Look at verse 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.” “Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is.”

‘Do You Know Where The Seer Lives?’ And Samuel Answered To Saul and Said, ‘I Am The Seer’--Look, And We Think This Doesn’t Happen Anymore?

Come on, work with me here. Saul walks up to Samuel and says ‘Do you know where the Seer lives?’ and Samuel answered to Saul and said, ‘I am the Seer,’ coo-coo-cachoo, look, we think this doesn’t happen anymore. I remember when I first went, years ago, to Austria when the pastor’s conferences were there and the Iron Curtain was still up, and Chuck [Smith] would invite pastors from Yugoslavia (which was then ruled by Tito), Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. But they’d never know who would come, because they didn’t know who could get across the border. So they never even knew sometimes where the invitations went. And the first year when we go there, some invitation found its way down into Macedonia to an Orthodox priest, who was 70 years old, and God had been messing with his heart, the deepest part of his being. And he put on his civies, he took off his priest outfit, and he got his suitcase, and he got a bus, he rode 48 hours up to the city of Spital, and got off. But he didn’t know where the conference was. And he’s standing there on the side of the road with this beat-up little suitcase, and the guy who was running the conference, his wife’s driving down the street and sees this poor old guy and says, ‘Let me pull over and see if I can help him,’ she said “Can I help you, where you going?” and he said “I came here because I heard there’s a Bible conference and I don’t know where it is, and this is the invitation I got,” and she said “Well that’s my husband, that’s our conference, get in the car, we’ll take you up there.” And in 45 minutes he had prayed and received Christ as his Saviour. And when I got there, I talked to him, he spoke in broken English, and he was 70 years old, the years had not been kind, he had crows feet everywhere, not just around his eyes. He had one crooked eye that was kind of looking in the wrong direction. Sweetest old guy, and he was saying “Why did it take 70 years for the Lord to reveal himself,” tears running down his face. And the next year when I went back he was there again, and he started a Bible study for Greek Orthodox priests, and he had all of these Greek Orthodox priests, teaching them chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and I got to serve him Communion, imagine that, 50-year-old druggy from the United States serving a Greek Orthodox priest Communion, and he took the bread and wine and looked at me and tears were running down his face. Monday and Tuesday I was up in the Finger Lakes with the pastors conference up there, and one of my friends from York, from England was there, and she told me this story, this happened in July, three months ago. A family in Michigan, the son, 22 years old, for some reason happens to see on the news two missionaries in Turkey are martyred, and for some reason he can’t escape it, he just keeps thinking about it and thinking about it. He goes to bed, and in the middle of the night the Lord wakes him up at 2 O’clock in the morning and says “I want you to go and take their place,” 22 year old kid, you know. And he doesn’t know what to do, so he calls his dad at 2 O’clock in the morning, wakes his dad up at his house, and says “The Lord just told me I’m supposed to go to Turkey and fill in for these two missionaries that got martyred, I’m supposed to go and take their place,” click, hangs up. So, normal dad, doesn’t go back to sleep, you know, you’re machinations are going through all this stuff. So the next day the dad calls a friend of his in Texas who is the husband of my friend from York, part of his family, and he has a church there, and they train teams sometimes from Calvary to go into Mexico, but they had decided not to do any teams this year because of different things going on, he calls him and says “My son Ted just did this, kind of freaked me out, can I send him down there for the summer for five, six weeks, and just let him work down there and let him go through all this stuff,” and he says “Sure, send him down.” So he’s down there, working at this church in Texas, and as he’s there this girl shows up, named Mikia, she’s German, obviously her parents are believers. And she knew that they did training there for mission work in Mexico, but hadn’t heard they weren’t doing anything this year, so she just shows up on their doorstep. So they said “Well, come on.” So in the process of the next month, Ted and Mikia fall in love with each other, and Ted proposes to Mikia and she says ‘Ja,’ whatever. So he says, “I want to ask your father for his blessing,” but the father only speaks German, and he said “I don’t want to do it with you as my translator, it would be kind of weird, ah, back in Michigan we have a friend that’s German, and he’s fluent in German, and I’m going to call my dad and see if I can get his number, and what about if I get him to call your dad and I’ll talk to your dad through him?” So he calls his dad back in Michigan, now this is the dad whose son is going to be a missionary in Turkey, now he’s about to marry a German girl and can’t talk to her father, this dad’s got all these things cooking. So he says “Alright, I’ll get back to you.” So he calls him back the next day and says “As a matter of fact he’s not in Michigan, he’s in Germany, but I got the number where he’s at,” and if you’ve ever dialed Europe it’s like zero, zero, one, four, five, zero, nine, seven, two, zero, zero, three, four, five, zero, zero, looks like…so he gives Ted his son the number in Germany and Ted goes to Mikia and says ‘Here, will you help me make this phone call,” and she looks at him and says “That’s my phone number in Germany.” He said “What!?” So they call, and here his friend from Michigan is good friends with her parents, and he’s at their house in Germany. So, through the friend he starts talking to the father, and says “I’d like to marry your daughter,” and you know, they Sprechen back and forth there, and the father says through the interpreter “Well, how old are you, how long have you known each other,” the kind of questions a father would ask, I would ask more than that. And he says “Well, do you have a trade, how are you going to supply for my daughter? do you have a job, what’s your career?” and he said “Well, I want to be a missionary, I want to marry her, and I want to take her to Turkey where these two missionaries were just martyred, and the Lord told me I’m supposed to take their place,” and the father was silent for awhile [Nicht, Nine, Kine Weg!!! he’s thinking in German 😊], on the phone. Then he heard him sniffle, and the father said, “Those two missionaries were our closest friends, we supported them every month, we did their printing for them in Arabic and got it to them every month, to give out in the mission field that they worked in. I would be honoured if you would marry my daughter and go and fill in their place.” Wait, it’s not for you to applaud for missionaries in Germany, this is for when you lose donkeys [loud laughter]. Do you believe, do you look around, when something’s going wrong, do you sit back and say ‘Lord, what are you doing,’ or do you say ‘Lord, this is outa control’? If you’re anything like me, you know, you’re spiritual, you do all this, you get up, you read Spurgeon, and then you come out and your tire’s flat and you say ‘Lord, you’ve forsaken me, you don’t love me, you’ve forgotten about me.’ Look, I think God wants us to have that kind of heart where we search around and say ‘Lord I know you love me, you gave your Son to die for me, I don’t know what’s happening right now, this just broke down, the donkeys are lost, this is happening, but Lord, I don’t believe in coincidence, I don’t know what you’re doing, this seems to be a [royal] hassle, this is crazy, Lord give me eyes to see, I’m your child, you’re sovereign.’ I think of how much I love my own children, my own grandchildren, and if I was on the throne, and I was omnipotent, all powerful, and I was all-knowing, I would only do good for them, ‘Lord, you tell me that you love me more than I love my own children, so I’m going to believe today in this mess, that you’re only doing good for me.’ I’m not saying it’s easy, I’m saying it’s real. I’m saying that’s who he is. And he’s the same yesterday, today and forever. Saul walks into the town and bumps right into Samuel, and says ‘Do you know where the Seer is?’ He says ‘As a matter of fact, I know exactly where the Seer lives, because I’m the Seer.’ That God is the same today, and he’s still doing those kinds of things. “And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.” (verse 19) And he says “And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house?” (verse 20) Isn’t it interesting that God now is using the donkeys, because Saul said nothing to Samuel about the donkeys, and Samuel said ‘We’re going to go off and sacrifice, and by the way, the donkeys you’re worried about you lost three days ago, don’t worry about them, they’re already found.’ Saul’s thinking ‘How did he know? I didn’t say nothing.’ And then Samuel says ‘And is not all of the desire of Israel set on thee? Is it not on thee and thy father’s house?’ You know, when Saul got home he probably grabbed one of those donkeys by the ears and gave it a big kiss. “And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?” (verse 21) Now he’s hearing for the first time that he’s going to be king. You know, it’s interesting to look at Saul, because in the beginning he was humble, when this came to him he had a great attitude. Sadly, we’re told, at the end of his life, it says in chapter 26, “then said Saul, I have sinned, return my son David, for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul is precious in thine eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool, I have erred exceedingly.” Samuel would say to Saul, in a few chapters from here, “And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel?” In a great act of disobedience, Samuel will say to Saul ‘when this all started you were little in your own sight, you were head and shoulders above everybody else, but you were little in your own sight, and it made you usable then.’ People get a higher estimation of themselves then they should have, they start to take themselves seriously, then think they have entitlements they don’t have, they forget everything’s paid for by the blood of Jesus, and they don’t have a right to anything, it’s all been bought. And we get to serve, that’s the amazing thing, we get to serve. Saul says ‘I’m of them the smallest tribe, I’m of the least of the families in the tribe,’ probably thinking of Gideon.

Samuel Anoints Saul To Be King Of Israel

“And Samuel took Saul and is servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons. And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee.” (verses 22-23) Saul hears him say ‘Remember the food I told you to set aside,’ “And the cook brought up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.” (verse 24) That’s a meal fit for a king, all the shoulder gets stuck in front of him. “And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house.” (verse 25) Now I would love to have that tape. Samuel and Saul sitting up on the roof, and Saul saying ‘How did you know about the donkeys?’ and Samuel saying ‘Well the LORD spoke in my ear.’ ‘What do you mean, spoke in your ear?’ ‘Ah, he talks to me like that. He told me you were coming, he told me what you looked like, told me your head would be sticking out, told me you lost your donkeys, told me you were going to be the king.’ They communed with one another. “And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.” (verse 26) abroad, outside of the dwelling. “And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.” (verse 27) “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?” (1^st Samuel 10:1) he had to get up on a little stepladder. ‘Let me show you the word of the LORD.’ ‘Why are the donkeys lost? why did we run out of bread? Why don’t we have anything to give to the man of God? Why don’t all these maidens leave me alone?’ ‘I didn’t want to know that much information.’ Why this, and why that? And he finally says now ‘Let me get alone with you, because I want to show you the Word of the LORD’ and he dumps that horn of oil on his head, a picture of the Holy Spirit, and he blesses him. Don’t complain about your lost donkeys, pray about them. I believe in God’s providence, I believe in his tender care in our lives. I believe because he’s omnipresent he can be with each of us, though we’re in different places, and shed equal care on each one of his blood-bought sons and daughters. I believe that he can be personal with you and me and a billion other Christians if he wants to be, at the same time. And isn’t it wonderful, does God just want to tell us a donkey story? You look at all of these details, and we believe that the Word of God is inerrant, that God spoke to the writer to the page, and that it’s the Word of God, that it would rise up to speak to us. What’s he telling us? Does he want to tell us a funny story about donkeys? No, he’s telling us to look around, he’s telling us ‘I work in your life, that you miss me every day of the most mundane experiences because there’s a supernatural working taking place on your behalf.’ What will it be like when we get to heaven [at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, before coming back down with Jesus to the Mount of Olives (cf. Revelation 19:6-10; Zechariah 14:1-15)] and realize how many times an angel preserved us or intervened or God was there and steered a circumstance and let something happen so that this would happen, and we’d end up here, and this would happen? [to read about my weird spiritual journey, see https://unityinchrist.com/author.htm] And how many times have you walked in and said ‘Hey, do you know where this…’ and they said ‘Ya, right here.’ and then you said to somebody ‘It was such a coincidence,’ the angels are going ‘Oye vey.’ [transcript of a connective expository sermon on 1^st Samuel 8:1-22 and 1^st Samuel 9:1-27, given by Pastor Joe Focht, Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19116]