1 Samuel 10 (The Spirit of The Lord Comes Upon Saul)

Saul’s Anointing and the Signs That Confirm God’s Call

So once again, let's open to the book of 1st Samuel this week. We're going to be studying chapter 10. This is the story of Saul being anointed.

King.

The Prophet Samuel will anoint him he will pour oil on him and later in the chapter Saul will be anointed or Empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. He will prophesy his heart will be changed and it says that Saul Becomes a different man and Once again, we will like in the last chapter.

We will see Saul's humility and Also his reluctance because when they call for him, this is a store. I remember the story back from Sunday school Where Saul's chosen as king, but they look to find him to coronate him Or to proclaim him before the people and he's nowhere to be found he's hiding among the baggage or the luggage depending on how your Translation renders that so Saul is hiding among the luggage.

Why remember Saul has been chosen by God to be king. Okay, great. But how is that gonna come about? He's probably wondering about this, you know, are people really is this really gonna happen? Will people really Accept this is this for real?

Everything Samuel says comes to pass. He may have known that but still How is this gonna go down? So from Saul's perspective He can't just say to people or go home to his father in the rest of his village and say hey everyone I know Israel has never had a king before but I was out looking for these donkeys for my father and hey God just decided to make me king.

I mean would anyone believe that so you have to look at this from his perspective. So Saul he has been chosen by God. That's what he's been told by Samuel. But now what? And we will see in this chapter, even though Samuel who is or who was Israel's leader.

Even though Samuel passes the leadership on to Saul in front of everyone at the end of the chapter. There's some people who are resisting and that's gonna come up again Next time so you can just imagine what Saul must be going through.

What's going on in his mind in his emotions through all of this so let's begin reading 1st Samuel chapter 10 starting in verse 1.

And Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said is it not because the Lord has.

Anointed you commander over his inheritance. When you have departed from me today You will find two men by Rachel's tomb In the territory of Benjamin at the Zelda and they will say to you the donkeys which you went to look for have been found and Now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you saying What shall I do about my son?

Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There are three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you one carrying three young goats another carrying three loaves of bread and another carrying a skin of wine and They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread which you shall receive from their hands.

After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is and it will happen When you have come there to the city that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument a tambourine a flute and a harp before them.

And they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and you will prophesy with them and Be turned into another man and let it be when these signs come to you That you do as the occasion demands.

For God is with you. You shall go down before me to Gilgal and surely I will come down to you To offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait till I come to you and Show you what you should do.

So we see that Saul has his marching orders. Here's what's gonna happen. And this is exactly how it's gonna happen. So the first thing we see Samuel pours oil on Saul's head. This is symbolic the oil being symbolic for the Holy Spirit.

Which Saul will soon be empowered by? Now this is what they would do for servants of God. They would anoint them with oil right the high priest. This was a common practice. Instituted of God and now the king would have to be anointed and What it means anointing it means a pouring pouring on of oil.

So oil is poured over their head and it's really just a ceremony. Setting them apart unto the service of the Lord. Think of today how a pastor would go through an ordination ceremony where he has set apart for the gospel ministry.

This is the way they would set people apart in Bible time. So Samuel does this he kisses Saul and speaks these words over him reminding him that this was God who called him to this work. Ceremonies and rituals like this were important within evangelicalism today.

However, people tend to think and I've seen this attitude many times that anything that is symbolic is somehow Unimportant, but that's not the case in the church today. We have for example baptism in the Lord's Supper.

Both are symbolic acts that represent a spiritual reality and they are not just important. God commands this to be done. Remember Jesus says do this in remembrance of me. Baptism itself is so closely associated with salvation that some sects have said that water baptism is a requirement for salvation.

I don't believe that but The point being that just because something is symbolic doesn't mean it's unimportant. So the oil again is symbolic of the Holy Ghost. This is being done. So Saul would recognize the weightiness of all of this.

The words spoken to him remind him of this great Importance, so Samuel tells him after they finish this private ceremony. Okay, here is how it's gonna happen. You're gonna leave and when you come to this area, it's by Rachel's tomb.

So this is somewhere near Samuel's home and Rama between Bethel and Bethlehem. These two men will greet you and here is what they're gonna say. So obviously when this comes to pass it only reaffirms the Word of God spoken through Samuel.

This is one sign. So the oil may be symbolic but predicting the future. This is supernatural on top of that verse 3 Samuel says then you shall go on forward from there and come to the Terebinth tree at Tabor and some people see the term Terebinth tree.

They think this you know, what what is that other translations render it an oak tree? So I mean don't get hung up on the term Terebinth. It's not that the tree itself is all that special. It's just a landmark that everyone knows What he's talking about.

It'd be like if I told a local to meet me at the sycamore tree and Sunderland most people around here would know What I'm referring to so Samuel says to Saul. There when you get there, there are gonna be three men going up to God at Bethel and they will meet you.

Going up to God refers to a worship site. That's on a hill. Samuel says they will greet you and give you these items so take the bread and after that go to the Philistine garrison, which is the military post once you're there a Group of prophets will be coming down and here's where it gets really important.

These prophets are gonna come down they're gonna be prophesying and you will prophesy too now as I'm reading this. Before we get to the the prophesying which is really the thing that kind of stands out about this story.

I can't help but see the sovereignty of God. Cast alongside the free will of man in this whole situation. That yes, God was bringing it about. Excuse me. I need to drink of water. That yes, God was bringing this about.

It was God's plan. But Saul still had to do something, right? God choosing Saul was an act of grace. It's undeserved. But still the Saul still had to obey the commandments given to him by the Lord through Samuel.

And I say that because all too often today people kind of have the attitude that we just need to let go and let God. You know, God will do everything. So just sit back and let the Lord handle it, you know, don't act.

Just talk about it. Pray about it. Let God handle it, but let's not do anything ourselves. Or people expect to get as a divine zap of sanctification without having to do things themselves. That's not the way it works.

For Saul to walk in God's will and to experience God's best. He had to do what God said through Samuel. Saul had to obey God's Word because at least in theory if he didn't do all of these things God would have chosen someone else to bless and Obviously later in his life when Samuel does become disobedient to God God does choose someone else.

And what happens there all of this kind of gets repeated, right? It's Samuel anointing David in a private ceremony later on and then Saul ends up dead sorry, if you didn't know that I'm sure I'm sure most of you do but The the story of Saul obviously doesn't end it begins.

Well, it doesn't end. Well, but Saul ends up Being remembered as a bad king. He ends up dead. Why because he didn't obey God. So this is a lesson for all of us. I Think Saul was probably we might we might call him saved right in the Old Testament.

That's not really a category that we see right now. I know it's debatable. But here's the thing Saul was a man. Starting out he obeyed the Lord and that's what we need to do. God tells us what needs to be done and we need to do it in order to walk in his will.

So Saul He comes among these prophets or upon these prophets. They have the Spirit of God and now he is going to be given the Spirit of God and it Specifically says and here's why I think Saul was saved because it says that he was given a new heart.

Samuel tells him. When you encounter these prophets verse 6 Says then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another.

Man.

The word prophesy does not always mean to predict the future. In this case when God's Spirit came upon him Saul began Preaching or proclaiming God's Word, which he had never done before. This is part of why he became another man.

This is just something he'd never would have done before maybe you know someone who is a pastor or a missionary and 20 years ago they were not like that at all and now they're out there preaching the Word of God and If someone who knew them before saw them now, yeah, that's what they would say.

He is a he's changed. He's a different man and that's what happened with Saul. So Samuel says to him in verse 7 and let it be when these signs come to you. What are the signs the report of the found donkeys the three men of Bethel this encounter?

When these signs come to you the point being all of this will confirm that God is with you. Because let's face it hearing someone tell you Hey, you're gonna be king. God has chosen you. Well, that's great.

But I need a little more than that. That's probably what Saul is thinking. Here in just for us hearing someone tell you this is one thing having a happen is something else, you know seeing things in the Bible is One thing reading it and then believing it and then actually Seeing it applied and come to pass and how it plays out in life.

That that's sometimes what we need to strengthen our faith. And then Saul receiving power from the Spirit of God. This is what he needs. Because Saul in and of himself just like David as gifted as David was maybe naturally he needed the supernatural power of God.

So Saul receives this power from the Holy Ghost this anointing. That will make it possible for him to be Israel's leader. Verse 10 it says when they excuse me. Starting to lose my voice today. I don't know why.

Verse 10 when they came there to the hill there was a group of prophets to meet him. Then the Spirit of God came upon him and he that is Saul prophesied among them. And it happened when all who knew him formerly saw that he had indeed prophesied among the prophets.

That the people said one to another. What is this that has come upon the son of Kish is Saul also among the prophets? Then a man from there answered and said but who is their father therefore it became a proverb is Saul also among the prophets and when he had finished prophesying he went to the high place.

So.

The people they asked about this group of prophets that now include Saul. Shockingly, right and this became a proverb because it was so surprising. So word of this spread all around Israel that their new king is he a prophet as well.

So people were talking. But by them asking who is the father of this group? They are asking who taught them how to do this. How did they learn to prophesy? You know just to put it in modern terms if you see a preacher and man this guy can preach.

People might say who where did he learn to preach like that, right? One idea back then is that a man became a prophet because his father was a prophet and If he didn't get this gift from his father or through education and training.

Which Saul obviously didn't and I think they knew that. Then how did this happen? Right? That's what they're asking. And the answer is that Saul was empowered by God the Holy Spirit. That is the only Explanation.

He was empowered without the aid of any man or earthly method. Now. This is not common. You shouldn't expect this today. It's not something that every you know, every well, this can happen to anyone. Well, I guess it could.

But it doesn't this is a unique event. That's why it became a proverb and Also this way all the glory goes to the Lord and Saul should realize that he needs to depend on God 100 now, I don't want to spend a lot of time on the whole subject because you know, we're talking about signs.

We're talking about prophesying so I don't want to spend a lot of time on the subject of signs and wonders and prophecy today. Just a comment on this because it's for some people. It's what kind of jumps out at you.

But generally it's important that we know this. Generally, there are two types of Christians today, right? There are the Pentecostals and charismatics and then there are sort of the the Baptists and the Reformed and and there's two types of Evangelicals out there in any local church.

There are going to be people who believe that prophesying and miracles and signs and wonders that this stuff is just happening all the time everywhere and Then there's the other group who sometimes you'll hear the term cessation ism.

Which carries the idea that signs and wonders and prophecy and miracles have all? Ceased they ceased with the death of the Apostles now, I'm definitely more in the latter camp. There is one Misunderstanding that no one I know says that miracles have ceased.

It's the idea that the office of prophet or apostle has ceased. So the so what I would what I believe and I believe the scripture does bear this out. And I think reality bears this out that there are miracles happening in the world today.

They come mainly through God's providence and answered prayer, but there is no man like Samuel today.

So.

Special revelation I Believe has ceased. And sometimes prophecy can refer to special direct revelation from God. Which I believe has ceased because now we are to rely on the scripture alone, right? Sola scriptura.

Scripture alone is our authority. But there are some people who think there is this ongoing revelation and that there are prophets like Samuel today. And I just think that's that's not where I stand. So just hey throwing that out there for you.

Because I think this is important.

That a.

Pastor has to go by the Word of God. There is a danger. See with Samuel and Saul. None of this is just hey. I got a feeling that you know, God might be telling me something. I think that God is. That's not what's happening here.

God is speaking directly to them. They have a word from God and we have a word from God. It's called the Bible.

So I.

Believe it's very important the pastors and Christians go by the Bible not by Feelings and emotions and thoughts that God may or may not have put in your head. Just one comment on this. That the 66 books of the Bible is what it's the faith once for all delivered to the Saints.

The Apostle John ends the book of Revelation with a warning not to add to the words of the prophecy of this book so Samuel is a legitimate prophet of God and I don't believe there are any prophets today.

Saul is Empowered by God and This is unique like this isn't happening in every local church all around and there's all it's just this is unique situation. Okay, moving on. Let's finish the chapter verses because some people they read the Bible and if they see something happening in the Bible They think it should be happening to them and that's very common.

And that's just not the way we should read Scripture. All Scripture is for us, but it's not Directly to us in that if it happened to the Apostle Paul, it's gonna happen to me if if Jesus had this power.

Then I must have it. I mean, that's Yeah, another sermon for another day. Wait, let's get back on track here moving on finish the chapter verses 14 and 16. Saul runs into his uncle who asked him about his journey.

So he tells him about the the donkeys being found but Saul. When he's talking to his family member, he he tells him what happened, but he leaves out the part about the kingdom. He he leaves out the part about how he's just been anointed king of the nation.

And again, I you know, there could be some other things going on, but I think it shows his humility. He's not bragging about it. He's not looking to tell everyone. And now starting in verse 17 We read about Saul being publicly proclaimed as Israel's first king.

It says then Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mishpah and Said to the children of Israel thus says the Lord God of Israel I brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from Those who oppressed you but you today have rejected your God.

Who himself saved you from all your adversaries and your tribulations and you have said to him no Set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.

So notice they're being reminded again of how this action of demanding a king we can't forget. Bottom line asking for a king. This is a rejection of God. They do not want God ruling over them. So they ask for a human king.

Samuel is reminding them again. God tells Samuel to remind them and of course we know when God finally sends his King the Christ. How does Israel respond? See they they want a king. But when God sends his King Jesus Christ, what do they do they crucify him?

So again and again throughout their history is just one rejection of God after another and it really displays also the the long-suffering of God the grace of God a Lot of things we could talk about and there's all sorts of symbolism.

Happening here or being set up because this is this becomes significant later on. So all of Israel is assembled at least their representatives have assembled verse 20 and when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near the tribe of Benjamin was chosen and when he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families the family of Matri was chosen in Saul then son the son of Kish Saul was chosen and when they sought him they could not find him.

Therefore they inquired of the Lord further probably through the Urim and the Thuman which the high priest had in his breastplate. However, they did that they inquired of God. Hey, where it where is Saul?

We can't find him and it says the Lord answered. There he is hidden among the equipment. So verse 23 they ran and brought him from there. And when Saul stood among the people he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward and Samuel said to the people Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen that there is no one like him among all the people?

I mean Saul stood out. He was good-looking. He's tall. He's strong.

So all the people.

Shouted and said long live the king and this is the man that Israel wanted. The desire of Israel was on a Man like this and now their desire is on the man who looked like a king. So once again, we see the sovereignty of God alongside the free will of man.

Men wanted to follow other men. Israel wanted to follow a man not the God of heaven. God was clearly displeased through all of this. But God in his Providence he did choose Saul and He will use him to bring about his Sovereign will.

And notice again another warning. Verse 25. So then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty like guys. You don't know what you're getting into. And he wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord.

And Samuel sent all the people away every man to his house and Saul also went home to Gibeah and Valiant men went with him whose hearts God had touched.

But.

Some rebels said how can this man save us? So they despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul held his peace. So in conclusion There's a lot going on here. Israel makes clearly a bad decision. But Saul he starts out good.

He receives a blessing. He receives empowerment by the Lord. He is humble instead of calling for his critics or his enemies to be punished rather he holds his peace. And God is really going to work this out for Israel's good.

And That's the God we serve. Romans 8 28 that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. And to those who are the called according to his purpose. Saul was certainly called by God.

The way it all happened was wrong. The nation rejecting God the way they did. But in the next chapter the Lord will use Saul as a type of Christ using him in battle to bring salvation to Israel. And all of this is a picture of our salvation.

Which is through Christ Jesus. Though man made a terrible decision in rejecting Jesus God. What did he do? He used the cross he used that Rejection the greatest evil ever Perpetrated by man. God used it to bring about the greatest good for man.

So that's what we see here and it's all a foreshadow of what will happen with the person of Jesus Christ. So next week Lord willing we'll look at 1st Samuel chapter 11 where Saul saves Jabesh Gilead.