Last
week we learned that God’s people disregarded Samuel’s warning about Saul. God
was preparing Samuel to meet with Saul. Even though God’s people had hurt
Samuel, Samuel will continue to serve the will of God. Samuel will be loyal to
God and God’s people. Doing this was the foundation of Samuel’s life. He was
not self-seeking. Samuel was God-seeking. Samuel’s character is what made him
valuable to God and His people. God wants leaders who disregard their own
agenda and be a benefit to all the people of a nation through their Godly
character and life. Samuel will instruct Saul on the divine character needed to
rule over God’s people. A leader must have God’s sacred purpose in mind and in
their actions. Unfortunately, God’s people will soon see that Saul is
self-willed and superficial. His character will bring God’s people into bondage
and near ruin.
Samuel explained to the people the
regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it
before the Lord. 1 Samuel 10:25 Samuel wanted God’s people to know that their king must be different from the kings of other nations. He was not to be a monarch but a king
subject to God as the ultimate Ruler of the people. (see Deuteronomy 17:14-20) This scripture says in verse 18, “When your king takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for
himself on a scroll a copy of this law….It is to be with him, and he is to read
it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and
follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider
himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the
left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in
Israel.” In obedience to the Law, Samuel explained and wrote down the
regulations of the kingship for the people.
Saul’s Anointing
Samuel
and Saul were alone when Saul was anointed. His anointing was done in secret
because it was not yet time to reveal Saul as king. To be anointed by God’s anointed Judge,
Prophet and Priest – Samuel – is to be anointed and approved by God himself. Samuel
knew Saul was coming to him because God told Samuel this the day before. God
also told Samuel to anoint Saul as king over Israel. As I said in my previous
teaching, this was God’s permissive will. Although Saul was not God’s choice,
Saul’s position has a solemn responsibility. God will anoint him giving Saul
the power to lead His people the way God wants. Saul is not to gratify the
desire of his own heart, but that of God’s heart. Unfortunately, Saul will soon
turn from God and let fear take over causing him to disobey Samuel’s
instruction and ultimately God’s.
Samuel took a “flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s
head.” 1 Samuel 10:2 Saul’s anointing was to dedicate him to God and impart
the enabling power and grace for his God-appointed task. Saul’s anointing
changed him into a new person with a changed heart by the power of the Holy
Spirit (see 1 Samuel 10:6), as
followers of God’s Anointed Prophet, Priest and King Jesus are endued with the
power of the Holy Spirit and grace to help us carry out our God-appointed
purpose. We too are “new creations” with a changed heart. The “natural” is a
picture of the “spiritual.” The oil was symbolic of the anointing of the Holy
Spirit.
To assure Saul
that his anointing was from God, Samuel gave him instruction. When you leave me today, you will meet two
men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set
out to look for have been found.” 1 Samuel 10:2 Two men must meet Saul. If
only 1, then God didn’t speak it to Samuel. Prophecy must be accurate. All that Samuel prophesied to Saul was proven
accurate. The Bible says that not a word that Samuel spoke fell to the ground. This
is how one finds out if a person is a true prophet of God.
Samuel also told Saul to continue from
there to the tree of Tabor where three men will meet him and then to go to
Gibeah where “a procession of prophets
coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps
playing, and they will be prophesying. There, the Spirit of God will come upon
Saul in power and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a
different person.” Even though Saul was king, he must wait upon God’s
prophet for instruction. True prophets spoke God’s Word to the king. Throughout
the Older Testament, true prophets of God and kings worked together to fulfill
God’s purposes for His people.
All that
Samuel said occurred exactly as he said it would. Samuel has been God’s prophet
from youth. Saul’s gift of prophecy was from God, but it would be for a short
time. Saul’s changed heart was to be maintained by holy fellowship through
loving, willing obedience to God. Unfortunately, soon Saul would disobey
Samuel’s direction to go to Gilgal and wait seven days for Samuel to join him.
On the 7th day Samuel would sacrifice a burnt offering for atonement
and a fellowship (peace offering) according
to the Law. Then Samuel would give
Saul further instruction from God.
Unfortunately, God’s people
became fearful because the Philistines were assembling to fight Israel. God’s
people began to scatter in fear. Because Samuel had not yet returned, Saul
decided to take matters into his own hands and offer the burnt offering for
atonement and the fellowship offering for peace. Saul was focused on the people
instead of God and the words of God through Samuel. These offerings according
to law are to be offered only by a priest not a king. Saul disobeyed God’s law.
The Law does not bend. If you disobeyed one part of the law, you were guilty of
disobeying all of it.
Praise God,
those who love and follow Jesus are not under Law, but under grace and truth.
What we couldn’t do in obeying the Law perfectly, Jesus did for us. Now we obey
Jesus out of our love for Him, not through rigid demand.
Saul loved the
praise of people. Instead of using the office God so graciously gave him to
honor and glorify God, Saul used it to heap praise upon himself and often acted
out of fear instead of faith in God.
(to be continued)
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