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Tag: samuel

for it was not the season for figs – 4

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

John 6:15

Lake Tiberias – Rome’s name for Kinneret [Sea of Galilee]

Conspiracy to force Jesus to be King

Returning to Galilee, held by Rome..

Jesus faced crowds with different motivations than the Lord God on occasions other than His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

The Prophet Jeremiah had warned:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:

who can know it?
– Jeremiah 17:9 KJV

Jesus knew the motivations of the crowds.

John 6: ESV

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick…

9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number…

14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

The Messiah who cursed the fig tree knew the hearts of men who would be led by a King rather than follow the Lord God.

Returning to a time after the Judges, let us recall briefly the appointment of Israel’s first King. The Elders of Israel have conspired against the Lord.

1 Samuel 8:

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “… Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

Jesus knew the hearts of the crowds, of the leaders of Israel, parties of religious officials of the Temple. Their hearts deceived them and their wickedness chose any course other than obeying the Lord.

Rule Over Us

Returning now to Judges and Gideon, mighty man of God after the Lord’s great victory:

JUDGES 8:

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon,

“Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”

… 33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, 35 and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.

King Saul of Israel before David;

kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord warned by the Prophets;

King Herod, puppet kings to Rome motivated by men —

Kings, Presidents, Premiers, Prime Ministers, Princes —

Prophets (who are as false as gods carved from stone) — all men of the people!

Jesus would be like none of them.

Jesus could only be the One King obedient to the LORD God.

But that was not what the crowds desired.

It never was and never will be.

To Be Continued…

June 30, 2017
Israel’s First King – 3
And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. – 1 Samuel 12:21

Good advice for an aspiring politician (prospective leader of the people), is it not?

A young Saul is anointed King of Israel and the heavy mantle of leadership soon burdens Saul’s shoulders.

1 Samuel 13

[Readers may view the entire chapter in another tab by clicking on the link above.]

Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel.
- King for one year
- Raises an army of of 3000 in year two.
- 2000 men with Saul in Michmash in hill country of Bethel [v.2]
- 1000 men with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin
³Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” ⁴And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
- a garrison is troops stationed in a town to defend it, typically a small number of the entire army.
5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.

Imagine that after a short time in office and you announcing a great victory (really, a small battle won by your son in a border town) that you discover that your neighboring enemy, Philistia, is bringing an army of 30,000 men and 6 thousand chariots against your army of 2000 men who are mostly shepherds.

What next? Saul is in danger of immediate defeat.

⁶When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, ⁷and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

God’s great nation of Israel is fleeing the heathen Philistines and Saul leads those who do not desert to temporary safety.

⁸He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.

Can a dead King defend the towns of Israel from the caves of the hills of Benjamin?

King Saul is practically impatient. Saul has had instructions from GOD through Samuel. What are they? WAIT! Wait seven days.

Could the LORD who parted the waters of the sea and crumbled the walls of Jericho not defeat a mere army of men and horses?

Yet Saul does not believe Samuel and the LORD are true to this time to redeem the threatened nation.

… And he offered the burnt offering.

10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?”

Can a King, President, Premier or Prime Minister lead without God?

Yes. Throughout recorded history it happens daily and in many places.

Yet no nation can claim God without obedience to God’s will.

Saul has forsaken the word of the Lord. Saul has rejected the promises he made before the Lord’s Prophet, Samuel, and the people of Israel who follow him as King. Saul seeks to intercede as Priest before the LORD, usurping Samuel’s lawful role and his sworn allegiance to the will of GOD.

13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue.

The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart,

and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people.

It is clear from history and scripture that Samuel speaks of the anointing of David, a servant in Saul’s household, yet more importantly, ‘a man after God’s own heart.’

15 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.

And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
- 30,000 Philistines on foot and
- 6000 Philistine charioteers stand ready to attack
- Samuel and his men left for Gilgal
- King Saul now has only 600 men.
- The small army of Saul departs for the battle at Gibeah
- None of Saul’s men have spears or swords, only Saul and Jonathan! [v.22]
What a predicament! Saul is surrounded. He is stripped of his kingdom. The King has few followers. AND GOD is NOT on his side.

Yet in spite of all that, GOD wins the battle by the hand of Jonathan. You can read about it in 1 Samuel 14.

The book of First Samuel is essentially the story of King Saul. David now enters in the later chapters. The timeline of Saul is approximately:
- 1043 B.C. Saul becomes King
- 1041 B.C. Saul’s War with the Philistines & Jonathan’s Miraculous Victory
- 1028 B.C. Saul’s Disobedience and Samuel’s Rebuke [ch.15]
- 1024 B.C. David anointed King [ch.16] & David kills Goliath [ch.17]
- 1011 B.C. Saul Slays the Priests of Nob [ch.22], David flees Saul, Samuel dies
- 1010 B.c. Saul consults a witch at Endor [ch.28]
- 1010 B.C. David flees to the Philistines, is sent away & defeats the Amalikites
- 1010 B.C. Saul & his sons killed in battle 1 Samuel 31
A question of Legacy for Leaders

What will be your legacy:

O King or Premier,

Honorable President, Prime Minister?

What will be your legacy:

Frail leader of men,

Lowly servant of all?

Compare King Saul to David, a man after God’s own heart:

Psalm 18: KJV

[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said,]]

I will love thee,

O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

my God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

my buckler, and the horn of my salvation,

and my high tower.

I will call upon the LORD,

who is worthy to be praised:

so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

A thousand years after Saul, a captive Jerusalem looked for a King like Saul to redeem them from Rome. Rather, a King of the Jews entered the gates humbly and redeemed our souls on a cross.

Three thousand years since King Saul and war still looms large in the hills near to Jerusalem. The war of ungodly men still seeks to destroy both the power and the mercy of God.

Christ Jesus has led the captives of sin right up to these last days.

Our Lord and God has conquered death and calls us to an eternal New Jerusalem.

Question to a Sinner Redeemed

Fellow sinner redeemed,

Will you bow down to Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior?

Blessed be God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;

Who is and was and will be forever.

Amen.
October 3, 2015
Israel’s First King – 2

1 Samuel 8:

When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel… 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

Heed the words of the Lord God: “… for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.”

Is it possible that we are a rebellious people who refuse to be governed, ruled even by the Lord God?

Many centuries later after the fall of the Kingdom of Israel, the Lord instructs through the Prophet Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 2: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’

“As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Saul will be anointed by the Prophet Samuel as Israel’s first king; however the Lord God makes clear that Israel has rejected the LORD as their King, even before this first appointment of a man over a rebellious people.

1 Samuel 9:

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.

(How the people love to elect a handsome and wealthy man to lead them.)

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.”

Samuel proceeds to anoint Saul as a ‘nagiyd’ [a leader, ruler, captain or prince] of the people. Note the attitude of the LORD. GOD remains King of Israel; yet the anointed King of Israel is called a prince.

If the people will not be accountable to God Almighty, why would they bow down to an earthly king?

Saul, King of Israel, is now responsible to God’s chosen people, Israel. Saul is first and foremost accountable to the Lord God, who speaks through His Prophet Samuel.

1 Samuel 12

11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. 12 And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king.

13 And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well.

15 But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.

You are probably familiar with the appearance of King Saul as a crazy man needing to be soothed by the harp of David. Most everyone knows Saul’s jealousy, after David kills Goliath and the people praise David. You probably realize that Saul later pursues David hoping to kill him. You likely know that Saul’s own son Jonathan, biological heir to the throne, befriends and protects David (God’s anointed heir).

A New Testament context and contemporary caution:

Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works… 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God… 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown… 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth…

Revelation 3:19 KJV As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Saul will NOT listen to the LORD and the Hebrew people who had desired a King are a rebellious people like you and me.

Let the church hear what the Lord shows us of our own rebellion in Saul, the first King of Israel.

First Samuel Thirteen may be one of the best illustrations of poor leadership and a powerless people who failed to listen to God.

The Hebrew people had been led to victories in the promised land by GOD. Joshua and the Judges had followed the Lord’s leading in defeating Canaan and the other nations who dwelt in the promised land.

Saul abandoned the Lord and sought to defeat their enemies without hearing GOD.

Don’t we tend to do the same in times of desperation that demand a decision? Neither do you or I wait to hear from the Lord in certain situations when our enemies seem to be upon us.

Yet is the Lord not for us, rather than against us? And is the Lord not merciful and just? Have we not known the Almighty King of Kings?

In our prayerless times when we have not heard from the Lord, we are no better than Saul.

To be continued…

September 30, 2015