No earthly power can save us. Saul was installed as an earthly king. He actually didn’t start out too bad. But it was a sign that the people had really rejected the King of heaven.
1 Samuel 9: Saul Chosen to Be King
1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.
2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, "Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys."
4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us."
6 But he said to him, "Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honour; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go."
7 Then Saul said to his servant, "But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?"
8 The servant answered Saul again, "Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way."
9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, "Come, let us go to the seer," for today's "prophet" was formerly called a seer.)
10 And Saul said to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go." So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, "Is the seer here?"
12 They answered, "He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately."
14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel:
16 "Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me."
17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, "Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people."
18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, "Tell me where is the house of the seer?"
19 Samuel answered Saul, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind.
20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?"
21 Saul answered, "Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?"
22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons.
23 And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, 'Put it aside.'"
24 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, "See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests." So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep.
26 Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, "Up, that I may send you on your way." So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.
27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God."
1 Samuel 10: Saul Anointed King
1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.
2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, 'The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?"'
3 Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.
4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand.
5 After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying.
6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.
7 Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
8 Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do."
9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.
10 When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.
11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, "What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"
12 And a man of the place answered, "And who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"
13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
14 Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, "Where did you go?" And he said, "To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel."
15 And Saul's uncle said, "Please tell me what Samuel said to you."
16 And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.
Saul Proclaimed King
17 Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah.
18 And he said to the people of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'
19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, 'Set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands."
20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found.
22 So they inquired again of the LORD, "Is there a man still to come?" and the LORD said, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage."
23 Then 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.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.
26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valour whose hearts God had touched.
27 But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
Things to think about…
1. In 1Sam 9:14-16 we see it is the Lord who is saying to Samuel that He is calling Saul to be the king to save Israel from the Philistines. Wasn’t it the people who wanted a king? The answer is ‘Yes’ to both statements. This is where God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility/man’s desire meet. God in His sovereignty hands the people over to their desires for a king. They will reap the results of their desires as we shall see.
2. We see both the wisdom, patience and resignation to the will of the Lord by Samuel the prophet towards the Lord’s will in how he treats Saul, 1 Sam 9:15-27. The people had rejected the Lord by asking for a king. Samuel felt this keenly. But here he honours Saul as the Lord’s chosen man to ruole over the people. He teaches him, feeds him and speaks words of con=mfort and grace. While we may not like many situations the Lord puts us in, the Lord’s character is on display through our actions. Grace ruled over our hearts by the Lord. This should be the case with his disciples.
3. In 1Sam 10:1-5 there are some very specific details regarding what would happen to Saul that would confirm that the Lord is calling him to be king. Have you ever had a sense that the events that are happening in your life are confirming the Lord’s calling and purpose He has for you? Have you received words of knowledge? Have they come true? How did you test or discern the message? The supernatural must be evident in the life of every believer. Evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work should be seen in our lives through answers to prayer, events and our character.
4. Do you think the question asked by Saul’s uncle was driven by a noble purpose, 1Sam 10:15? Why/Why not? Saul is reluctant to tell him what Samuel said. Why do you think this is the case? Inheritance issues may have played a part here, but Saul at this point has been anointed by the Lord and has some humility about the honour that has just been bestowed upon him. The fact that Saul was found among the bags, 1Sam 10:22 rather than out in the open suggests he was not openly wanting the position of king. Saul started out well. But it’s how we finish the race that counts.
5. Samuel also confirms the Lord’s will by taking lots, 1Sam 10:20. God had confirmed by lot what he had told Samuel about Saul being king. The word of the Lord once it is given will never go contrary to circumstance. The Lord who appoints the word will appoint the circumstance. This should be seen in the believers life one way or another, that what is put upon the heart is confirmed through His word and circumstance.
6. Saul seems to be humble and not wanting to put himself forward to be the king, 1Sam 10:22. He is anointed king and God had blessed others to support him in this role, vs 26. Why do you think some are described as ‘worthless fellows’ in 1Sam 10:27? Saul was head and shoulders above the rest, surely he looked like a king. But these guys didn’t think so. God soon proved that His anointing was on Saul – at least for a season, as a deliverer for Israel. Have you ever been discouraged by people from seeking after a noble purpose? God’s strength and guidance will overthrow any human discouragement.
Vision Point for cell groups – Cell groups on break over the school holidays
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sunday’s sermon “What’s up with Babylon” – reading Jeremiah 51:1-12
1. Babylon was the destroying nation. It was the instrument in the Lord’s hands to judge nations and cities, including Jerusalem. Babylon would be judged. Do you recall how this would happen?
2. Daniel’s writing on the wall was the sign, time was up for the Babylonians. What do you remember of Babylon’s history from the earliest day until the end of the kingdom.
3. Jerusalem would also be judged by the Babylonians. What do you remember of Jerusalem’s history?
4. Jeremiah and the Apostle John have many similar prophecies about the final states of Babylon and Jerusalem. Can you recall what you know of these events and how they will come about?
5. Pray for each other, for those cleaning up after the flood and the Ukraine situation.
Prayer Points
1. Pray about your support to the floods in Qld and also to the the Polish Baptist Church efforts to support Ukrainian refugees. This is the church we will be supporting. You will need google chrome to translate https://baptysci-chelm.pl/kontakt .
2. Pray for the flood clean-up and all those affected a second and third time round.
3. Sally Gauntlett has been admitted to care. Please pray for Richard and the family through this challenging time.
4. Ross Goltz is in constant pain. Has constant hip and joint pain. Seeking specialist help. Please pray for relief.
5. Families that have just started attending CBC.
6. Ukraine to repel Russia and peace to come.
7. Christ to be seen through us in our community.
8. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
9. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. The flood waters continue retreating and we have another fine day.
2. Ukraine seems to be resisting Russia well. Pray for the Lord’s resolve and peace.
3. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
4. Covid restrictions being lifted this Friday – no masks.
Announcements
1. Donation funds will be set up to assist a Polish Baptist Church with Ukrainian refugees. Please label your donation – Ukraine appeal. The same will be the case for those who have gone through the floods in Qld. Label Flood appeal.
2. Cell groups back. A new cell group has started at the church for residents around Karalee. Wed 7pm at church.
3. Kidz@Church every Sunday
4. Members Meeting was postponed after many unable to attend church. New date TBA.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for March...
Q. 1. Did Christ remain in the grave after his crucifixion? A. No; he rose from the grave on the third day after his death.
Bible Reference – Luke. 24:45-47; 1Cor.15:3&4.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
