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“Of Kings And Serpents” • 4.12.15 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- In our last session together, we witnessed
the private annointing of King Saul. He had been searching for his Father's
donkeys and God led him directly to the Prophet Samuel.
- Samuel annointed Him and Saul became a new
man as the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him! He came into the city of God and
waited. That's where we begin today.
- The section before us deals with the public
announcement of Israel's first King, Saul.
Intro.
•
I Samuel 10:17-19 : "Then Samuel called the people
together to the Lord at Mizpah, and said to the children of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought up
Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from
the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ But you have today rejected your
God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and
you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present
yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.'" : Samuel brought the people to Mizpah, meaning
"Watchtower" or "Lofty Place."
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Israel would often meet here and this meeting had the somber, yet anticipated
purpose of publically acknowledging the new King of Israel.
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God was still their God, but from this time forward, Israel would live under a
Monarchy.
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Before that transition occurs, God reminds them again of His track record. When
Samuel speaks, God is speaking.
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He had been responsible for bringing them out of Egypt, employing ten
devastating plagues which were levied at the false gods of Egypt.
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They had been slaves and were now free because of the mighty work of His hands.
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He delivered them from Egypt, significant of a polytheistic system that crushed
their ability to worship their God and quenched their ability to explore
freedom in their Lord.
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But there were also Egyptians, people who pursued and were a terror to them! He
had single handedly delivered them from their hands as well.
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You'll recall that the Pharaoh reconsidered his "decision" to free
Israel and in sheer madness, pursued them to the Red Sea. (Exodus 14:5-10)
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Just when they thought that they were free, they found themselves trapped
between the sea and their overwhelmingly powerful enemy!
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Moses, with great faith in the hand of the Lord, spoke out and told the people
not to fear because this would be the last time they saw their enemy alive! (Exodus 14:13,14)
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When God parted the Red sea and the enemy pursued, the next sight that was
reported were dead Egyptians coming up onto the seashore! (Exodus 14:30)
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Some might point out that this was ancient history, but there were more recent
examples in Israel's history! He rescued them from the Canaanite nations with
other miraculous interventions.
-
Whether it was the Jordan River parting during flood season, or well timed
earthquakes and flooding, God had come to their aid! Everyone that oppressed
Israel answered directly to the Lord!
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This was a matter of record and can be reviewed by reading again, Joshua and Judges.
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God had fulfilled His part of the bargain. This was indisputable. He alone had
come to their aid in their adversity and tribulations or as the NEB says, their
"misery and distress."
-
He had been faithful to His side of the bargain and had never failed them, but
it's you, Samuel says, that have asked for a King. God gives them what they
have pined away for.
•
I Samuel 10:20-24 : "And when Samuel had caused all the
tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 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!'" : Remember that Samuel has already annointed Saul. This was the
public ceremony demonstrating God's choice.
- In the Old Testament, the people employed
"lots" or the Urim and Thummim to discern God's will. When we studied
Joshua 7, we noted a similar
ceremony used to discover Achan the thief.
-
Greater specificity was given with each round. The tribe of Benjamin, then the
family of Matri, then the man Saul, being chosen in succession.
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Unfortunately, Saul didn't come forward but was found to be hidden among the
equipment, referring to the supplies or the baggage! Why was he hiding?
-
Nothing in scripture speaks to the matter. One might look at this in
conjunction with his unwillingness to share the news of the Kingdom with his
Uncle and see it confirming doubt in Saul.
-
The rubber has met the road and it's time to be what God is calling him to be.
Every Christian can relate to wondering how they will be what God is calling
them to be!
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Others might point to Samuel's speech, condemning Israel's choice to seek a
King in the first place! Perhaps Saul thought that he didn't want to be the
poster child for Israel's rebellion!
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Whatever the reason, when God pointed out where he was, the people went and got
their first look at Saul with his impressive physical features.
-
Israel cried out joyfully like any other nation, "Long live the
King!" There was an immediate excitement, just at the sight of the man,
regardless of what he had been or what he had done.
•
I Samuel 10:25a-27 : "Then
Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book
and laid it up before the Lord." : Having introduced their
King to them, Samuel makes sure that Israel understands the way of royalty.
-
These are the "ordinances of the Kingdom" (NASB), "the rights and duties of the King" (ESV) that they would need to be aware
of. Remember, they had never been under a physical King before.
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This book was for the people as well as for Saul! Much of the content follows
what we have already looked at in I
Samuel 8:10-18 as well as what
is spelled out in Deuteronomy 17:14-20.
-
He had spoken to them before and has now spoken to them again. It was important
enough to remind them, even to the extent of authoring a book and putting it
before the Lord!
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God goes to great lengths in preparing His people to obey Him. It wasn't enough
for there to be words that were spoken. There had to be an enduring record!
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That should impress something upon you. You hear the Word of the Lord preached.
You have your own copy in your hands! You have been given a great privilege to
know the heart of God!
-
The issue at hand was their response to authority, which the Bible speaks to
frequently! Therefore, we know how we are to behave as His people, but notice
also the grave responsibility.
-
And that book was "laid up before
the Lord." Every time this phrase is used, there is a sense of giving
God something to keep as a witness against the people!
-
Whether it was written on a stone or in a book, these are God's words through
God's prophet and are thus binding upon God's people! The excuse of ignorance
is nullified!
-
God's Word is not negotiable to a child of God. It is law. It is our code. It
is how we are to live before the Lord, what we accept as terms of life with
Him!
•
I Samuel 25b-27 : "And Samuel sent all the people
away, every man to his house. 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." : After all were dismissed by Samuel, Saul went home with the
first members of His secret service! They were men whose hearts God touched! God
had called Saul into great responsibility.
-
Saul already has Samuel, the Prophet who represents God's communication, His
Word.
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He has revealed that He would also give Him another heart as He allowed His
Holy Spirit to come upon Him. He had become a different man before the Lord!
-
Now, God had moved upon these valiant, brave, ready men to come alongside of
the King!
-
You have God's Word written. You have His promise to fill you with His Spirit.
Do you have valiant people around you?
-
When Moses was given the instructions for building the Tabernacle, God called
Bezalel by name, a man who had
skill and intelligence in the work that was needed. (Exodus 35:30-33)
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But what's more is that Bezalel needed an apprentice who he could teach, which
brought Oholiab to the table! (Exodus
35:34)
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By Exodus 36, it's Bezalel, Oholiab
and every craftsman in whom the Lord put skill! (v.1) That is essential! Every person needs another person! We need
fellowship and each other's strength!
-
God's gift is seen in light of the fact that there was not a consensus among
the people as to the choice of Saul. There are always rebels, sons of Belial,
worthless men to be found!
-
They looked at Saul and wondered aloud at his ability to save them! They kept
their offering from him, which would have deserved swift retribution, but Saul
wisely held his peace.
-
He was within his right to deal as harshly with them as he wished. Their
attitudes were completely out of line and deserving of retribution. Saul's
grace in this moment is worth emulating.
-
The KJV offers a side note, indicating that Saul acted as if he was deaf. He
didn't even give them a hearing.
-
Often you are well within your rights to lash out against another person for
what they have done to you. How much better is it to hold your peace! God would
work it out very soon for Saul!
• I Samuel
11:1-3 : "Then Nahash the Ammonite
came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to
Nahash, 'Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.' And Nahash the Ammonite answered
them, 'On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out
all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.' Then the elders of Jabesh said to
him, 'Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory
of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.'" : Right as the Kingdom comes into existence, an enemy presents
himself!
- Nahash the Ammonite, literally, the Serpent
Ammonite came up and threatened Jabesh Gilead, a territory of the Gadites in
the north, on the East side of the Jordan river.
- The Ammonites had come up before, claiming
that the people of Israel had stolen their land, a claim which Jepthah refutes
in Judges 11:14-22.
- They had been defeated before and now they
return to threaten the isolated people of Israel that decided to settle on the
other side of the Jordan river.
- For the people of Jabesh Gilead, it seems
that they were averse to fighting and sought a peaceful resolve. Presumably
outnumbered, their best hope is vassal servitude.
- The serpent will have nothing of it! Josephus,
a secular historian, comments that eye removal was his mode of operation! He
wasn't interested in peace. He wanted to embarass Israel.
- Amos
1:13 tells us that the rulers of Ammon had also ripped children out of
their mother's wombs! Nahash wanted to insult the nation and cripple their
defenses.
- Putting out the eyes would render the
fighting men helpless for battle. The elders of the city negotiated a seven day
respite and messengers were sent out from there seeking rescue.
•
I Samuel 11:4-10 : "So the messengers came to Gibeah of
Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted
up their voices and wept. Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and
Saul said, 'What troubles the people, that they weep?' And they told him the
words of the men of Jabesh. Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news,
and his anger was greatly aroused. So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them
throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, 'Whoever
does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his
oxen.' And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. When he numbered them in Bezek, the
children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty
thousand. And they
said to the messengers who came, 'Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh
Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.' Then the
messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, 'Tomorrow
we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you.'" : Saul was driving
cattle, waiting for duty.
-
He discovers a people who were devastated at the news of Nahash for two
reasons.
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First, Nahash would not remain in Jabesh Gilead. He would have a strategic
place of attack the rest of Israel. The second reason is much more personal.
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Remember that the tribe of Benjamin was almost annhilated because of their
brutal treatment of the Levite and his concubine, who received the brunt of their
terror.
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When all of Israel came out against Benjamin, they were reduced to a mere 600
men whose wives and territory had been cut off.
-
It was decided after all of this took place, that Israel could not stomach the
loss of a tribe in Israel, so a plan was hatched to find wives for them.
-
They began with a question: Who had not come out to battle? The answer was the
men of Jabesh Gilead! After slaughtering their city, 400 wives were found for
Benjamin! (Judges 21)
-
The women of Jabesh Gilead were their Mothers! That's who Nahash is messing
with!
-
There is something to be said about the specificity of the enemy's attack. Nahash
comes against a town that they would have greatly cared about, essentially
calling Saul out personally!
-
That's what all this Kingdom business is about! The serpent is trying to
destroy God's people!
-
When Saul heard about the situation at Jabesh Gilead, the Spirit of the Lord
came upon, "rushed upon" (ESV)
or "suddenly seized him" (NEB)
and his anger was greatly aroused.
-
Notice that juxtaposition. The Spirit came upon him and anger was aroused! There
are times when anger is justified and is the correct emotional response.
-
There are issues that warrant a believer's anger because that is God's response!
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Saul was a physical proxy, a channel through which God would rule and
ultimately act as a vehicle that God would use to gain victory over the enemy!
-
His signal to action reminds us of the cutting up of the concubine from Judges 19:29, a brutal, yet necessary
action in a time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
Saul
makes his first official decree and 330,000 men showed up, with their hearts
united as one man! Jabesh Gilead rejoiced because God had moved upon Saul to
rescue them!
-
You can almost see the smirk on their faces as they tell the Serpent that they
will surrender tomorrow and that he can do what he'd like with them!
•
I Samuel 11:11-13 : "So it was, on the next day, that
Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the
camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And
it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were
left together. Then
the people said to Samuel, 'Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’
Bring the men, that we may put them to death.' But Saul said, 'Not a man shall be put to
death this day, for today the Lord
has accomplished salvation in Israel.'" : Saul's
battle plan was to arrange the troops into 3 pre-dawn attack squadrons.
-
Imagine three companies of 110,000 men coming at you from various directions!
Certainly, when they saw that amount, they sought to defend themselves, but it
was no use.
-
His plan was successful through the middle of the day, when the enemy was
scattered without any two remaining together. The first military campaign under
Saul was a complete success!
-
At that time, the army thought to find those that disrespected Saul, calling
for their death. Again Saul rightly responded that God had rescued Israel that
day!
•
I Samuel 11:14,15 : "Then Samuel said to the people, 'Come,
let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.' So all the people went to Gilgal,
and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before
the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly." : After this seminal victory, Samuel called upon the people back
to Gilgal where they renewed or recommitted themselves to the Kingdom.
-
He doesn't choose Mizpah. He chooses Gilgal, which was the first place that
Israel camped when they crossed the Jordan river! "Let's get back to where
we started with the Lord!"
-
That's always a great idea! When you find yourself restless and bound up,
lacking in love and wisdom, go back to the beginning!
- The ceremony was
filled with joy and the men of Israel rejoiced greatly at what God had done in
bringing Saul to power.
Conclusion
- As
we close, we see the anatomy of a call from God. Like Saul, when God calls, He
arms first with His Word. Second, He fills His person with power, energy,
capacity to fulfill His will.
-
Third, He supplies you with people whose heart He has touched, people of like
mind who can carry some part of the load with you.
- May
I suggest finally, that He gives you a clear view of the enemy and why your
office is necessary. There are Kingdom citizens who have placed themselves in
harm's way by isolation.
- The
enemy is relentless, breathing out threats of destruction that God's fringe
people feel they can only give into. Satan is messing with your friends, your
loved ones, your children.
- How
will you respond? Will that even pique your interest? Saul was filled with the
Spirit and aroused in anger to action! May you and I take our cue and act
accordingly!
-
When we do, we will not be emulating Saul, but our King Jesus, who for our
sakes, left His home and came to our rescue.
- We
were helplessly doomed, hopelessly outnumbered, haplessly condemned. The enemy
was at our doorstep, hoping to insult the God of the Universe by taking
possession of us!
- At
the right time, Jesus Christ came and lived a perfect, complete life on our
behalf and rendered the enemy impotent, routing His forces finally and forever!
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