Real People - Real Problems Part 9 - Becoming What God Has Called You To Be Series

Real People- Real Problems

A study of 1 Samuel

Part 9

“Becoming what God called you to be”

1 Samuel 11:1-15

Today as we continue our series in the book of 1 Samuel

We are going to address another real problem

Becoming what God has called us to be

In the prior week’s we studied as Samuel privately anointed Saul as the king of Israel

A week or so later we studied how Saul

Reluctantly made this appoint public and how most but not all of the people had accepted Saul

This acceptance as we studied was more on appearance than merit

And as a result many rejected him as their king

Last week we studied about how the Israelites from the tribe of Ruben and Gad had tried to make a deal

In order to get along

They were willing

If no one came to save them

To give up

Their right eyes but more than that

Their freedom

Their identity as God’s chosen people and their loyalty to God

We saw how we sometimes also make deals that can cost us our honesty

Our integrity

Our morality

Those deals that can destroy our witness

Our reputations and

Severely cripple our spiritual growth by causing a distancing from God

A wall of separation caused by sin in our lives

And the resulting guilt and shame that can cause us to withdraw from our Lord

Let me recap last week’s message and tie it to this weeks by reading all of 1 Samuel chapter 11

In chapter 11 we see many topics

And quite honestly

I could have spent several weeks in chapter 11 alone

But the direction I felt led to go this morning is wrapped up in the last verses of chapter 11

Please open your bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 11

Throw your bulletins in there

We will go back her a few times this morning

I Samuel 11:1-15

About a month later,[a] King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.

2 “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”

3 “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”

Enter this is where we were last week

Nahash had tried to make a deal with the people

And they had almost gone along with it without even fighting

But notice with me

The ending of verse 3

They said

If no one comes to save us

We will agree

Thank God someone came along to save them

And thank God that someone came along to save us

While we were still making deals

Verses 4-5

4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. 5 Saul had been plowing a field with his oxen, and when he returned to town, he asked, “What’s the matter? Why is everyone crying?” So they told him about the message from Jabesh.

The people of Jabesh sent out cries to the surrounding areas

Remember their tribes on the east side of the Jordan had already made the deal

They had already submitted to Nahash and the Ammonites so help was not coming from there

The other tribes of Israel had a low opinion of the tribes of Ruben and Gad

First because they had refused to cross into the Promised Land when the others had

They thought they were chicken

And secondly because they had submitted to Nahash

Which may have helped confirm the first point?

The others thought they were cowards and had no desire to risk their lives and property to help people who would not help them selves

So honestly

The people in their minds and in their hearts were not expecting anyone to save them

And had already in a sense surrendered

But they were not counting on the new King

Verses 6-7

6 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. 7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the LORD made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one.

The nation of Israel

The different tribes

Had over the years become disjointed

Every one for themselves kind of thinking

And that common problem