STRANGE CHOICES Sermon 1 - "Standing Tall, Falling Hard" Chapter 10 Nov 9, 2014 "In those days, Israel had no king and everyone did as they saw fit." That is the final verse of the book of Judges. Do you remember talking about Gideon, Deborah and Samson? This verse sums up all of the violence, sin, idolatry and inconsistencies that are detailed for us in the book of Judges. Following the Story, we are moving into the book known as 1 Samuel. I'd like to tell you that things are better, but they aren't. We begin a new series called "Strange Choices". We are going to look at some of the first kings of Israel: Saul, David and Solomon. Now depending on how alert you are, you may have noticed that I started out with a verse that said "In those days Israel had no king." Today, this is what we are going to focus on. How did the nation of Israel go from no king to having a king? It seems to be a very strange choice when we find out that they rejected God, so they could have a king. The deeper application for you and I today is what kind of choices you and I make when times are tough and the chips are down. Knowing we were entering into a series called "Strange Choices"; strange stuff seemed to jump off the page to me this week. I saw something called awkward family photos. It took me to a site where people can send in their family photos. Some of these were very strange. As we enter the holiday season, these strange pictures may give you some ideas for your family Christmas card. Also, as I was going through the Guide, which tells you all the TV channels, I noticed some strange shows on TLC. One was called 90 Day Fiancé'. This show highlighted 2 people, one from the US and one from outside the US, who would meet for the first time and they would have 90 days to decide if they would marry or the person had to return home. Then I saw My Five Wives. I actually watched an episode. I live with a bunch of women, but only one is my wife. If I have conflict with Rebecca, I just go to another room. For this guy, if he goes to another room, there is another wife. It just seemed strange.
Let me tell you what is going on at this time in chapter 10. The other part of the first verse I read was "everyone did what they saw fit." The Religious Condition In 1 Samuel 3, it tells us that "the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions." The worship center was at a town called Shiloh. Eli the priest was in charge. He had two sons named Hophni and Phinehas. We are told that "Eli's sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord." They were stealing and strong arming the people when they would bring their offering to Shiloh. They also, slept with the women who served at the tent of meeting. Eli told his sons "Why do you do such things? 1 hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours." They did not listen to their father. Could we just take a time out and notice what is happening with the kids in the story? Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? These are the 3 names mentioned over and over in the OT. But Jacob, the grandson of Abraham was a liar and cheater for the first 40 years of his life. Go back to chapter 1 in the story. Adam and Eve, the father and mother of us all, had one son that killed the other. This was really impressed on me 2 weeks ago when I read the first few lines of chapter 8. It said, "The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him. Joshua, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. Another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel." That day, I remember writing in my journal. I want to share what I wrote: (WIGSTM - What is God Saying to Me) I am amazed at myself in Chapter 8 in the story. Now, actually I am reading about the Israelites. They are faithful all during the life of Joshua. But then, it says that a whole generation grows up "who neither knew the Lord, nor what He had done for Israel." Wow! How does that happen?
Throughout this entire chapter, people are on with God, then off. They do both for a really long time. They can turn away for 10 or 20 years, then God raises up a judge, like Deborah, Gideon or Samson. They are faithful until the judge dies. I am no different than the Israelites. I have seasons of faithfulness, and then I turn away. May I strive for faithfulness and experience peace with God. (WINTSTG - What I Need to Say to God) I prayed for 3 things that day. Here is #2. 2) Since a generation did not know God or what He had done. I pray for Billy and Mackenzie, Devyn and Jordan, Savannah and a future husband to know you and to know what you have done. I also, pray for their kids. I pray you will know them and they will know you and that you will use their lives for your purposes. May Mackenzie, Devyn and Savannah's homes be a place where you are known and welcomed? As parents, we want our kids to know God and have a relationship with God. We come to a point of commitment and they get baptized and tell everyone they love Jesus. For me as a parent that was the easy part. The most difficult part was and is discipling my kids. Intentionally helping them grow in their walk with God. The religious condition in Israel is poor. Nationally Israel was under the oppression of the Philistines and the Ammonites. There didn't seem to be any end in sight for their wars and struggles with other nations. Remember, the reason they're having these struggles was because they did not do what God had asked them to do from the beginning.
In 1 Samuel 4, a battle is going on with the Philistines. The Philistines defeat Israel killing about 4000 soldiers. The Elders of Israel ask, "Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord's covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from a hand of our enemies." I don't know about you, but the way they are talking about God makes him sound like a good luck charm or a lucky rabbit's foot. In all actuality, the Philistines seem to have a healthier fear of God than the Israelites do. When Israel brings the Ark of the Covenant into their camp, listen to what the Philistines say, "We're doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness." The Philistines seem to know and remember more about God than God's chosen nation. Had they forgotten about God parting the Red Sea? Had they heard about God leading them in the desert by cloud by day and fire by night so they would know where to God? What if they had at the forefront of their mind when God held back the Jordan River so some of their great, great grandparents could enter the Promised Land? With poor religious conditions and the bad national conditions, the elders of Israel come to Samuel and say, "You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." This scene is reminiscent of a protest. They come outside and there are shouts of frustration and shouts for things to change. With everything going on, it seems like the answer seems to be a king. By having a king, all the problems would go away. Samuel is destroyed by this. God tells Samuel, "It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." Samuel continues talking with God during this tough time and strange choice that the people have made. During this conversation, God warns the people that a king is not their solution. God says a king is going to make the people his servants, housekeepers, farmers and soldiers. Another big thing he is going to do is tax you. I Samuel 8:19 says, "But the people refused to listen to Samuel.
`No!' they said. `We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations to go out before us and fight our battles."' For the rest of our time together, I want us to take a look at our decisions and choices. What kind of choices do we make when times are tough? Let's try to learn from some of the choices we see in this story. The Anatomy of a Bad Decision The decision to reject God and want a king seems to be motivated by fear. The first thing we learn is a bad decision is a decision that is motivated by fear. Israel sees other nations, with kings, building up massive armies and they think "that is what we need." "We would be better off if we had a big army that was led by a king." They decide they need powerpower they can see, power that can intimidate every other nation. Here is what they forgot. They forgot that the purpose of the way their nation fights battles is to point people to God. They forgot that their greatest military conquests were when they were dramatically outnumbered by others. When the odds were the greatest: that when God was at His best. Listen to some of these verses. Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Zechariah 4:6 says, "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." We learn more about bad decisions when God tells Samuel to appoint a specific person as the king. Since God wasn't for a king and Samuel wasn't for a king, you might think that God is going to give them a bad king to show them. That is not the heart of God. Remember Adam and Eve. Even though they do not do what God says and even though they are banished from the garden, he still provides for them and protects them. God actually tells Samuel, "About this time tomorrow, I will send you a man form the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines, for their cry has reached me." God knew this was a tough time. He knew their heart.
We are told the man God chooses "was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish, son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else." Saul was the best Israel had. He would have been picked first on the playground. He would have been homecoming king and quarterback. He was most likely to succeed. But even our best cannot measure up to what the nation of Israel needs. Samuel brings all of Israel together and God would show them who would be king. All the tribes and clans and families are narrowed down and finally Saul son of Kish is named as King. Samuel says, "Saul come on down." Saul is nowhere to be found. Samuel has to ask God as to where Saul is. God tells them that Saul is hiding in the supplies. The tallest, best and brightest is motivated by fear just like the nation as whole. Remember, Saul is God's choice. Fear just happened to be the motivator of everyone at this time. Two instances prior to this it tells us that the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on Saul and God changed Saul's heart. After this coronation, Saul goes to fight the Ammonites and before he leaves for battle, it says, "the Spirit of God came powerfully on him." God was with him. Saul just happened to be scared like everyone else. The second bad decision that we see is when Saul goes to fight the Philistines. It says that the Philistines had so many chariots, horses and soldiers that the Israelite army went and hid in-caves. Saul and some of the men stayed right where they were supposed to. Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel seven days and then Samuel would arrive to offer a sacrifice and then they could go to war. Saul gets tired of waiting and says, "Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!" And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. (1 Samuel 13:9 NLT) Another aspect to the anatomy of a bad decision is when we don't trust God's timing. One of my favorite books is When God Doesn't Make Sense by James Dobson. He has a chapter entitled; "God Always Shows up Three Days Late." The chapter focuses on John chapter 11 where
Lazarus, one of Jesus best friends, was sick. He doesn't show up until after Lazarus has died. I want to remind you of James 1:2 "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." In this verse, when it says your faith is tested, other versions use words like patience and perseverance, which are part of the test. Most of us when we get to this point of patience and perseverance, we opt out of the difficult circumstance and we miss out on the last part of that verse, which says it is an opportunity to grow. At this point in the story, Saul's kingship and relationship with God takes a nosedive because of this bad decision and many others to come. During another battle, Samuel, God's prophet, tells Saul to "Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation-men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys." Israel wins the war. The next day Samuel comes to Saul and it says, "Saul greeted him cheerfully. `May the LORD bless you,' he said. `I have carried out the LORD's command!"' Saul is like this little kid who has chocolate on his mouth and his saying I didn't eat the cookies. God has already informed Samuel that Saul and his men spared the Kings life and kept the best of all the animals. Samuel says, "if you've done with the Lord commanded why do I hear cows mooing and sheep going baaaa?" Saul tells Samuel that they were going to offer sacrifices to the Lord. That sounds really good and you could make a case that what's the problem with offering a sacrifice to God. The problem is God told him something different to do. Saul gave almost obedience. A bad decision in when we almost fully obey. God tells Samuel, "I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command." Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the LORD all night.
The Anatomy of a Good Decision Up to this point, I have told you the end of the story. Do you remember where we started with the last verse of the book of Judges, "Israel had no king and everyone did as they saw fit." Back at the beginning, not only was there no king, there was no Samuel either. The first thing we read this week was about a woman named Hannah. We have talked about the poor religious and national conditions for Israel, but God highlights a woman's life. I think it is because Hannah's life shows us what a good and Godhonoring decision looks like. Hannah could not have children and in that day, people thought you were cursed by God. Some of you know how difficult it is to want a child and now be able to conceive a child. The other difficulty for Hannah was that she was married to Elkanah, who had another wife. This wife had many children and it tells us that "Hannah's rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat." Hannah goes to Shiloh and opens herself up to God. deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord weeping bitterly." She was so animated and expressive that Eli the priest thought she was drunk. When Eli confronts her, but Hannah replies, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord." This is one of the first things we learn about making a good decision is when our first instinct is to turn to God. Hannah's home life was a wreck. The interior part of her life was raw. How easy it would have been to make God a last ditch effort? How easy it would have been to turn to other things? What do you turn to when times are time? Do you turn to a bottle or some other substance that keeps you from thinking about your problems? Is there someone else you have turned to because you marriage is difficult? Hannah's first instinct was to turn to God and open her life to him. It seems like she knew some of these verses: "Cast all your cares on God, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7); "Jesus
said, `come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."' During Hannah's prayer, she made a vow to God: "Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." After she prays this, it says that Eli blessed her and told her to go in peace. It says "she ate something and her face was no longer downcast." Another aspect of a good decision seems to be when we fully trust God with our decisions. How many of give something to God and take it back so we can worry about it? When Hannah returned home, it says "God remembered her" and Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him." Hannah told her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always." Some of you moms can't imagine making that decision. Some of you have difficulty going back to work and putting your child in day care. How many of you cried the day you put your child in day care? The final thing we learn from Hannah is a good decision is when we fully obey God. Hannah asked of God and fully kept her promise. I have to believe I would have made the ask, but when they little boy got to be a couple of years old, I would have begun bargaining or making excuses. I hope you see the difference in the lives of the nation of Israel, Saul and Hannah. They all make strange choices, but from one nation and one man's life we learn about decisions that reject God. I am glad that Saul and Hannah were both Israelites. I am glad they both were living in the same country. I am glad they both had troubles and fears. It is not that we should avoid troubles and fear; it is about what kind of decisions do we make when trouble and fear arise.