I Samuel 9,10

“Saul’s Beginnings” • 9.25.07 • Autonomy, Authority & The Man Of God, Session #3

Intro.

- For Saul, it all transpired over a three day period of unremarkable events.

- It began with a head count that revealed that some donkeys had gotten loose!

- Saul’s mission was to find them. What he found instead was quite extraordinary.

- On the other side of the coin, Samuel has just returned from a fateful meeting and was instructed to look for a man who would come to him who would be the chosen King.

- Saul is a natural man, only interested in the recovery of his donkeys.

- His desperate search leads him to seek out the seer, the prophet Samuel, for help.

- Samuel is clued into what the Lord is doing and invites Saul to stay with these words:

• I Samuel 9:19-21 : “And Samuel answered Saul and said, ‘I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?’ And Saul answered and said, ‘Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?’”

- Samuel does not just come out with it right away, but the seed is planted.

- After Saul’s servant was sent away, Samuel then “pours it on!”

• I Samuel 10:1 : “Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: ‘Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?”

- Over the course of chapter 10, Saul has what one might call a “deep religious experience.”

• I Samuel 10:9-12 : “So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, ‘What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?’ Then a man from there answered and said, ‘But who is their father?’ Therefore it became a proverb: ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’”

- He makes it back to his family, who is very curious about his trip.

• I Samuel 10:14-16 : “Then Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, ‘Where did you go?’ So he said, ‘To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.’ And Saul’s uncle said, ‘Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.’ So Saul said to his uncle, ‘He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.’ But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.”

- They would not have to wait long to discover that God had singled Saul out and chosen Him to be the King of Israel.

- Samuel called all of Israel together with the intention of presenting Saul before the people.

• I Samuel 10:21-24 : “When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the Lord further, ‘Has the man come here yet?’ And the Lord answered, ‘There he is, hidden among the equipment.’ So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?’ So all the people shouted and said, ‘Long live the king!’”

- The honeymoon begins, but not all are enthused.

• I Samuel 10:26,27 : “And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. But some rebels said, ‘How can this man save us?’ So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.”

- There are many encouraging lessons for us here among these two opening chapters in the life of Saul, especially to those who are about to engage themselves in ministry or service.

I. Calling Came In The Mundane (9:3)

II. Confirmation Occurred Along The Way (10:2-5)

III. Conflict Happens Even When It’s God! (10:26,27)

Text

I. Calling Came In The Mundane (9:3)

• I Samuel 9:3 : “Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, ‘Please, take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.’” : Let us not forget here that Saul began his day just like any other day.

- Saul’s Father, Just-Give-Me-A Kish, asked Saul to do a very menial, mundane, boring task.

- Saul was responsible to look after the donkeys!

- This is not an activity that Saul would ever be asked to perform again, but he did not know that this would be the last mundane day of his life.

- Saul was not preparing to be a king. This was not in his agenda for life.

- But yet, this is where God meets him: Right in the middle of his normal responsibilities.

- Saul is unaware of the plans that God had for him, but God had the plans nonetheless.

- God’s plan will never be twarted.

- During the time of the first return from Babylonian Captivity, under Zerubbabel’s rule, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah.

- He was told of the restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple.

- The problem was that Jerusalem had been sacked and the people removed. It was a desolate wasteland!

- But God’s word stood and Zerubbabel continued to work at laying the foundation for this vision of the Lord to come to pass.

- It’s with this in mind that the Lord propecied these words:

• Zechariah 4:9,10 : “The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.’”

- I hope that the point is obvious here. Zerubbabel’s work was in it’s infancy and there was certainly no glory to be seen.

- However, the work was foundational and necessary to what the Lord was going to unveil.

- The same is true for us. We are to continue to set the foundation, so that when the Lord does call, we are already working and ready to respond!

II. Confirmation Occurred Along The Way (10:2-5,7)

• I Samuel 10:2a,7 : “When you have departed from me today, you will find… And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.” : There are times when God asks us to do certain things that require only obedience.

- We don’t need to pray about doing the right thing when it comes up in front of us.

- But when we are talking about a major life decision, such as a job change or an overseas mission, one is never wrong to ask the Lord to confirm His Word to us.

- Thankfully, the Lord never leaves us alone in that regard.

- Here, Samuel lays out 3 specific signs that will serve to show Saul that God is with Him.

- He was going to meet a group that was going to tell him about his donkeys.

- He was going to be given a specific amount of bread.

- Finally, he was going to be among the group of the prophets.

- I think that this is interesting, considering that the Law had a provision that stated that every word was to be established by the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses!

- Each one strengthened the conviction that what was happening to him was not happenstance or coincidence, but providence.

- But notice that it happened along the way. He began moving in the right direction and AS HE MOVED, the Lord began to confirm this word over His life.

- Too often, we as men are waiting for God to move us, and sometimes, God will accommodate that type of faith, Gideon being a perfect biblical example.

- However, God here confirms as Saul walks.

- What more encouragement do we need sometimes to begin moving?

- God has all but spelled out the plan in your heart, He’s opened the door of opportunity, and yet we often feel paralyzed by fear.

- Usually, the fear is expressed in some hypothetical scenario. “What if I start ministering and headhunters from Africa come, kidnap my family and attempt to shrink my head!?

- Why is it that we never hypothesize in the other direction?

- What if you succeed, have the best time of your life and see God meet you in entirely new and exciting ways?

- You have sensed a spiritual direction, you have sought the counsel of your wife and family, and closest friends. All things are a “go!” Now move and watch the Lord confirm whether He is in this or not!

III. Conflict Happens Even When It’s God! (10:26,27)

• I Samuel 10:26,27 : “And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. But some rebels said, ‘How can this man save us?’ So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.” : God had not only prepared Saul, but he also begun to provide for Saul.

- Valiant men went with him. Not just any men, but men who were valiant, strong, powerful.

- But not just men that had that characteristic of strength. These were men whose hearts God had touched!

- These men were God’s ministers to Saul, men of the King.

- They were his support and likely his protection.

- God raised them up and touched their hearts, just like He had done with Saul.

- One might conclude that when we are walking in our calling that God will provide those who will walk alongside of us just for these reasons of support and protection.

- But then, you might also notice that the second half of the verse also includes rebels who despised him and showed him no respect.

- These rebels were likely from “greater” tribes of Israel and were thus, envious of God’s choice of Saul. They despised him.

- At this point, Saul could have wondered, “Gee God! I thought that I was supposed to be the King and that I was going to be popular and loved by all!”

- That rarely happens, even when it’s the Lord that brought you into the situation.

- There will be other brothers who feel a tinge of envy when they see you live in your calling.

- Others will act territorially because they were there first!

- Still others will just bad mouth your style or some aspect of your ministry.

- Conflict will always occur when spiritual work is entered.

- Moses had Korah and his sons, as well as his brother Aaron and sister Miriam! Nehemiah had Sanballat and Tobiah. Jesus had the religious right of His day. Paul was opposed by religious leaders and idolators!

- Today the church is opposed by the same groups!

- Attacks, conflicts, persecutions, misunderstandings, are all part of any ministry that we endeavor to follow God into. But it’s worth it to follow Jesus wherever He calls!

Conclusion

- Believe it or not, even this last one is encouragement for those who are going into or have been working in ministry!

- God is calling each of you! When He calls, He confirms! Where He calls, there will be some who are called to be a blessing to you.

- And, there are those that are there to drive you back to Jesus when you get a little too confident!

- Don’t let that ever dissuade you! Just as God was with Saul, so He will be with you in every endeavor. Will you follow Him?