Let us remind ourselves what happened in 1 Samuel Chapter 8. The Israelites before the time of King David did not consult with God and they wanted a king. They expressed themselves personally that they wanted to be just like the other nations; they abandoned God and ignored their calling as God’s Chosen People.
God warned the Israelites during Samuel’s time that if they chose to have a king, disaster will happen to them. The Israelites sinned by choosing to have a king and ignoring God.
Before reading and learning what happened next, let us together pray our commitment to God’s Word………
Read along with me now 1 Samuel 9………..
We note Saul, the young man:
v1: father was Kish, a man of standing from the Tribe of Benjamin
v2: an impressive tall young man
v3-4: went out with a servant to look for lost donkeys
Now look again at v5… we can note that Saul wanted to go back home and his reasoning was his father would be concerned about them; sounds reasonable doesn’t it? But in comparison to Saul’s servant, what can we say about Saul wanting to go back home??
v5-7: did not have consideration for God or other people!
What can we say about Saul’s servant? God does not tell us his name, but he was the slave who thought about God and gave what he had for his master and for God’s work!!
Think about it for a moment; this servant could have just kept his mouth shut and went along with Saul “Yes master, that’s a great idea, let’s just go home and be comfortable!!!”
v6-8: Saul’s servant was godly and selfless!
And what do we read in v10-20? God wants people to know that He is very much involved in people’s lives. God orchestrated the meeting of Saul and Samuel.
Now, again, how godly was Saul??
In v21, we can note how weak Saul’s faith was with God! Saul knew that Samuel was a godly man and a “seer”, that’s why he went to see him; but we note in v21: Saul did not even consider the reality of the power of God! All Israel, including Saul, were taught about the Exodus and the 10 Commandments. You see, even though he was a Jew, Saul at that time only had a worldview not a biblical or a spiritual one!
We note in v22-24, Saul was honored (front seats and the best part of the meal) in front of thirty guests; why did Samuel honor Saul??
v22-24: Samuel was obeying God’s plan.
And of course, v25-26: Samuel had to talk to Saul privately, likely to tell him the background of why he was honored.
We can wonder, did Samuel tell Saul all the nasty things he would do in the future?
The end of the Chapter, v27: God had a message for Saul! What was God’s message? Will we read God warning Saul? Stay tuned, come back next Sunday and find out!
But for now, there are a number of Biblical principles from 1 Samuel 9 to apply to our lives. What are they?
We noted young Saul ignored God and was self-absorbed. In contrast, the servant was godly and considerate. 1. Priority #1 in our lives should always be God then others! The first 2 commandments of God states that people should have no other gods and that God is a jealous God. Our Scripture of the Week, Matthew 22:37-39, tells us what Jesus said about prioritizing our lives “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’”.
And we noted that God specifically tells us how He orchestrated the meeting of Saul and Samuel. 2. God allows things to happen but He always has a purpose. And as we noted with Samuel and Saul, there are a number of subpoints to this principle.
Many today will say, God does not speak to us like He did to Samuel, how can we know God’s purpose? What should be our answer??
a. God speaks! God tells us in the Bible how to live and what will happen in the future! God tells us the purpose for our lives; our lives are meant for eternity with God!
Therefore, we must not be like Saul who ignored God.
b. Always be listening to God! Our worldview must be a Biblical worldview!
2 verses are a must for every Christian:
Matthew 4:4 - Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray always!
And of course simply knowing but not acting on God’s Word is meaningless.
c. Obey whatever God says!
God had 1 Samuel 9 recorded for us to help us live the right way! Take a moment to pray about what God is teaching you……….
