Hide and Seek November 4, 2015 Find Your New King Saul Becomes King 1 Samuel 10 Page 1 The Nation has asked for a King, and the Lord is giving them what they wanted. Samuel meets with Saul and in giving him a word from the Lord, also gives him signs that will show him he is indeed to be the King. 1 Samuel 10:1 10 Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him and said, Has not the LORD anointed you a ruler over His inheritance? When you go from me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has ceased to be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, What shall I do about my son? Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor, and there three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine; and they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand. Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre before them, and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. It shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, for God is with you. And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do. Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day. When they came to the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them. As we learned last week, Saul is being changed by the He was introduced to the man of God by an servant He received the Word of God and as a result of the hearing of it, his life was He became God s anointed and so that he would know that this is all of the Lord, Samuel tells him what will take place The pouring of the oil on the head was a symbol of the Holy Spirit coming upon the King Now we begin to see the impact of that Under the Old Testament, only the manifold influences of the Spirit were experienced, not His indwelling as the Paraclete. This appears not only from the history of those so influenced, and from the character of that influence, but even from the language in which it is described. Thus we read that the Spirit of Elohim seized upon Saul, suddenly and mightily laid hold on him, the same expression being used in Judg. 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Sam. 16:13; 18:10. Alfred Edersheim, Bible History: Old Testament, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975), 45. Let s back up first, there are things (Deut 17:6) which will happen to Saul and in a specific order too Now that his life has changed, in order to be effective, we will see the same happens to us as well 1 Samuel 10:2 When you go from me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has ceased to be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, What shall I do about my son?
The first thing that Saul will learn about is the true caring of his father His father missed him Page 2 For us to be effective in the service of the Lord, we too have to understand just how much our Father as well and how much He truly misses us He has made arrangements for us to be with Him forever Jesus, who always reflected the heart of the Father, expressed this for us John 14:1 3 Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Three Important Facts: The of the Father 1 Samuel 10:3 4 Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor, and there three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine; and they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand. These three men are heading to worship the Lord and they have sacrifices with them Notice the elements they are carrying. They are going to not only sacrifice but also to participate in a They are carrying the sacrifice, bread and wine While Jesus was eating the Passover with His disciples, He was sharing with them and He brought out some of the additional symbology in the elements Luke 22:15 20 And He said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes. And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. For Saul to truly be a servant and a King, he must be with the Lord The fact that these were elements from the fellowship offering pointed to that It also points to the fact that he should realize that the people will be making sacrifices on his behalf but it is not for him, but for the Lord who is working For us, in order to be effective and truly communicate God s word We must be in communion with the Son To Saul this, then, would indicate royalty in subordination to God. Alfred Edersheim, Bible History: Old Testament, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975), 42.
Three Important Facts: The loving care of the Father with the Lord Page 3 1 Samuel 10:5 6 Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre before them, and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. True effectiveness for Saul as King only comes as he is enabled, empowered by the Holy Spirit for service. The enabling does not come first, but comes after the other two items take place For us to be effective and to be able to truly communicate the word of God, we must be by His Holy Spirit and it is He who works then through us. Saul encountered this when the Spirit came him But unlike Saul, we have even more to look forward to. The encounter Saul has with the Lord is real and is life changing, so much so that those who would know him, how he works and how he operates, would recognize the change in him as result of the empowering of the Holy Spirit. He has now moved into the realm of not possible in his own strength and power 1 Samuel 10:11 13 It came about, when all who knew him previously saw that he prophesied now with the prophets, that the people said to one another, What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? A man there said, Now, who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb: Is Saul also among the prophets? When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place. The third sign is the one that truly shows others as well as Saul that he is now different This transformation is not to be regarded indeed as regeneration in the Christian sense, but as a change resembling regeneration, which affected the entire disposition of mind, and by which Saul was lifted out of his former modes of thought and feeling, which were confined within a narrow earthly sphere, into the far higher sphere of his new royal calling, was filled with kingly thoughts in relation to the service of God, and received another heart (v. 9). Heart is used in the ordinary scriptural sense, as the centre of the whole mental and psychical life of will, desire, thought, perception, and feeling (see Delitzsch, Bibl. Psychol. pp. 248ff., ed. 2). Through this sign his anointing as king was to be inwardly sealed. Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 431. That just scratches the surface. Remember, the Holy Spirit is only, not Saul God chose to exhibit the third sign to those who knew Saul in his hometown. Those who knew him best would know something is now different. For us, as we give our lives to Jesus and He changes us. As we realize the love of the Father which drives us to Jesus and as we commune with Him in prayer and in His word, we become more like Him. Unlike Saul, the Holy Spirit comes into to us to dwell the moment we give up.
Three Important Facts: The loving care of the Father Communion / fellowship with the Lord of the Holy Spirit Page 4 The Holy Spirit relates three ways: Three Important Relationships Prior to salvation, He is παρά - para John 14:16-17 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. After Salvation The Holy Spirit is ἐν en John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. This verse has some discussion around it I believe here that Jesus Christ breathed into these men eternal life by giving them the Spirit of God. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, Based on the Thru the Bible radio program., electronic ed., 4:2 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1981). The word for breathed is only in one other place in the Scriptures Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. This is a creative work of the Lord., and the line goes straight back to Genesis 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Born once Genesis 2 Sin Genesis 3 Born twice John 20:22 John 3: 4-8 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother s womb and be born, can he? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Three Terms παρά - para ἐν en ἐπί epi Page 5 Power for Service Acts 1:4 5, 8 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, Which, He said, you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Two Terms: ἐξουσια exousia delegated power, power to act or authority Luke 9:1 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. δύναμις - dunamis power, might, strength, force The moment you were saved you went from With (para) to in (en) Not all go to upon (epi) Various Terms for the epi: with the Holy Spirit Acts 1:5 they were all with the Holy Spirit Acts 2:4 clothed with power from on high Luke 24:49 Holy Spirit fell upon all those Acts 10:44 Spirit of God him - 1 Samuel 10:10 You know if you have experienced this Luke 24:49 And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Acts 9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 19:2 He said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said to him, No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a work from His regenerating work Acts 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Page 6 Acts 8:12-17 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Not every regenerate man has the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, though as we shall see later, every regenerate man may have this Baptism. If a man has experienced the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit he is a saved man, but he is not fitted for service until in addition to this he has received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. R. A. Torrey, The Baptism With the Holy Spirit., 13 (New York; Chicago [etc.: Fleming H. Revell company, 1895). The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is connected with testimony and service There is no pattern There are multiple fillings: Acts 2:4 Acts 4:8 Acts 4:31 Stephen Acts 6 Acts 7 The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is an experience that God grants to us merely to make us happy will bring into our lives a joy such as we never knew before is not even primarily for the purpose of cleansing from sin is to make us is for and is for the purpose of empowering for for God You Can Have This Today Luke 11:8 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? The operative word ask Ephesians 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 5:1 2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Page 7 1 Samuel 10:14 16 Now Saul s uncle said to him and his servant, Where did you go? And he said, To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they could not be found, we went to Samuel. Saul s uncle said, Please tell me what Samuel said to you. So Saul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found. But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned. Saul has heard a word form the Lord He has experienced something that shows without a doubt that a change has taken place Friends and neighbors were of the outpouring of the Spirit But at home, he is still just Saul He doesn t presume any great spiritual insights, he just tells his uncle the facts about the donkeys and then stops For us as believers, we can see the Lord use us in mighty ways We can see His Holy Spirit speak through us and move through us mightily But at the end of the day, you and I are still just us Life goes on The enabling and the empowering are done for now, the Lord has achieved what He wanted to do But there will be more to come Remember, there is or was a Philistine garrison at the high place Saul went to Samuel said do for yourself what the situation requires. Was Samuel expecting Saul to take down the Philistines? Did Saul blow it? Or did Saul s uncle break up what the Lord was doing Saul s uncle was most likely Ner, the father of Abner who would become Saul s general Saul returned home and went back to work on the farm as though nothing remarkable had happened. He said nothing to his family about being anointed king, and apparently the news about his prophetic experiences hadn t reached as far as Gibeah. The experiences of the previous days should have taught him that God was with him (v. 7), and that He would take care of him and meet his needs, if only he would trust and obey. He also should have realized that he could trust Samuel to give him God s message, and that to disobey Samuel meant to disobey the Lord. One more task awaited Saul, and that was to meet Samuel at Gilgal at a time that would be shown him (v. 8). This would be a test to see if Saul was truly devoted to the Lord and willing to obey orders. Unfortunately, he failed. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Successful, Be Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications, 2001), 53. 1 Samuel 10:17 22 Thereafter Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah; and he said to the sons of Israel, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you. But you have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have said, No, but set a king over us! Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans. Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired further of the LORD, Has the man come here yet? So the LORD said, Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage. Samuel starts out to show that God is in control of who is to be King The selection by lots would be familiar to the people The one selected by lot is good old asked for, Saul
Page 8 The selection process that narrowed down to Saul was presented as the consequence of what Israel had done in asking for a king, seen in the light of what God had done in his great acts of salvation for them. I am not at all surprised that Saul, as the lot drew closer, made himself scarce! So they inquired again of the LORD, Is there a man still to come? (v. 22a). John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 185. The selection by lot had gotten down to the one being selected is the one asked for So the people asked for asked for Yes it is a pun The Lord has to show the people where asked for is at He is The Hebrew word is for vessel He is hiding out in the stuff everyone brought Is Saul being humble or stupid? I think he is being humble Proverbs 25:6 7 Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men; for it is better that it be said to you, Come up here, than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, whom your eyes have seen. Saul s heart is in the right place One problem so far in this story Throughout these verses Saul behaved in an exemplary fashion. However notice that the writer made no reference to his regard for God or God s Word. To all appearances Saul was very capable of serving as Israel s king. This is what the people wanted. They wanted a man similar to themselves to lead them. That is exactly what God gave them. Tom Constable, Tom Constable s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), 1 Sa 10:17. 1 Samuel 10:23 27 So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. Samuel said to all the people, Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people. So all the people shouted and said, Long live the king! Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and placed it before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house. Saul also went to his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him. But certain worthless men said, How can this one deliver us? And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But he kept silent. Many believe that the book being discussed written here by Samuel is in fact 1 Samuel. Then Samuel presented him, and said, Here is the personage you asked for, ready to fulfil the duties you have devolved upon him; and now accept him as your king, anointed of God, asked for by yourselves, and in all respects such a king as you would have. And the moment that the people saw him, they gave their unanimous consent by shouting God save the king! John Cumming, Sabbath Morning Readings on the Old Testament: The First and Second Books of Samuel (London: Arthur Hall, Virtue, and Co., 1859), 134 135. Question: Who referred to Saul as King? Did the Lord or Samuel refer to him as such?
Page 9 In all the excitement it would be easy to overlook the fact that calling him king was the people s idea. Neither the Lord nor Samuel had yet called Saul king. But all the people acclaimed the tall, good-looking young man as their king. John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 186. The people have what wanted Sides are already being taken Some now stand with Saul Some do not So Samuel sends everyone home yes Samuel, not Saul Saul s first act as the king of Israel was an act of to the prophet Samuel! From this moment it is clear who was really in charge in Israel. Even Saul submitted to the prophet. That is the justice of this kingdom: the king must submit to the prophet. In other words, king or no king, God will rule his people (and now their king) by his word. John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 188. The people wanted a King They wanted to be like other nations God did an end run, gave them what they wanted, but established rules for that to take place and left the King to God s servants The Nation still have a King like everyone else No matter what our strategies, methods, practices and procedures to further the message of God God is still in control and He will still do it using the most unlikely people along the way 1 Corinthians 1:22 25 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Past teachings, study notes and slides of Through the Bible with Pastor Ken Brown are available at: www.calvaryword.com/bible