The Book of I Samuel Part 2

Well, good morning everyone. I think you can hear me. Okay. Welcome to faith Bible Church. Looking around I see mostly familiar faces today but I'm sure there's some that are watching us that haven't listened to us before and I just would share that we are Waiting on the Lord.

We are his servants and we may not be polished all the time, but We have hearts this big for our great God and I trust that you'll sense that this morning. We wanted to announce that next week. Time is changing Victor reminded me this morning and it's fall back.

So you act you have an extra hour to sleep in or to get up early and read your Bible, huh, John?

So.

I just remember that I think we should should have. Everybody will be here on time.

And.

It's a this is just a great time to gather together to worship our Lord. You are the choir. I need to remind you that because we're doing a new song today.

And.

Some that aren't as familiar with the musician. So we're gonna work through this together and some of them are a little bit out of my range. So I go low so.

Anyway.

So let's continue to keep The Cain family in our prayers. They're gonna be down south on Friday for burial memorial service for Janet's dad and. And just FYI, we're gonna be burying my mom on Friday as well and then having a graveside service just with family on Saturday and.

So.

And John I just want to Publicly, thank you for all that you're doing for a faith Bible Church and for the Cain family. John has has a real love for all of you. If he wasn't so spread so thin you'd probably be there knocking on your door wanting to have some fellowship.

But they're spread about this thin as a pancake. But just doing an amazing job in the in the midst of it, but. Very much. We're grateful for you John and and all that you're doing with us. As I wanted to as we prepare our hearts last time last week I made mention of Good morning, Lasana that we had a read from Revelation and for me it's.

I like to have work pictures and to see things and to visualize things just as we have one here with the verse in the background of God's majesty and his greatness and we get we can get complacent. We in our we in our doubts and our fears and our trials.

I think we we diminish the majesty of God. We don't hold him up and lift him up for for how great he is and how powerful he is. We just get caught up in our in our little world. And this is a good time as we gather on Sunday.

Psalm 29 is and remember that picture given to the Lord. Oh you mighty ones given to the Lord glory and strength given to the Lord the glory do his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters.

The glory the God of glory thunders. The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes them also skip like a calf. Lebanon and Syrian like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness. The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forest bear and in his temple. Everyone says glory. The Lord sat enthroned at the at the flood and the Lord sits as king forever. The Lord will give strength to his people.

The Lord will bless his people with peace. Now that's hope that we all have so let's go to the Lord in prayer. Our dear Heavenly Father. We thank you father for bringing us together this morning that we can gather to celebrate Our faith our trust in you Lord that we can be reminded of what a majestic glorious awesome incredible God that you are that we can Learn more from your word that Lord as pastor John brings the message to us that we would allow that to to Impact our lives that we'd set aside the things that distract the things of this world that can get us caught up and fearful Lord, but we don't need to be fearful in your presence Lord because you have overcome all of them.

You have victory over all of them. So we thank you for that Lord and may we just worship you in spirit and truth that we would know the depth of your love and peace and grace and All that there is Lord that you offer us father this morning.

So may our service be an expression of our love for you father, and we commit it to your care in Christ's name. Amen. So our first song again is is somewhat new some of you may have heard it outside of the church.

It's new to me. But we're gonna do this together. And it expresses a promise that we have in Christ Which does give us hope? Matthew 16 18. And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Wow, let's stand up and sing together. Oh church arise.

Hear the call of Christ our.

Now.

Reaching out to those in God's our call.

I.

Come see the cross And see it's full rise. My soul arrives. I shake off your guilty Sacrifice in my before the throne my shirt he stands be. My name is written is Every race Sprinklers And please be seated we turn to 1st Samuel 9.

Verses 15 through 21. Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came saying Tomorrow about this time. I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin and Now shall anoint him to be captain over my people Israel.

That he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon my people because their cry has come unto me. And when Samuel Saul saw The Lord said unto him behold the man whom I speak to to thee of this same shall reign over my people.

Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate and said tell me I pray thee. Where the seers house is. And Samuel answered Saul and said I am the seer. Go up before me unto the high place. For ye shall eat with me today and tomorrow.

I will let thee go and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago set not thy mind on them for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel?

Is it not on thee? And and on all thy father's house. And Saul answered and said Am I not a Benjamite of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? In my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin.

Wherefore then speakest thou so to me? May the Lord add his blessing to the reading and hearing of his holy word.

Thank you, Dave. Well, praise God. It's good to see everybody and those joining us by video as well. We're up to 35 views most weeks. So I don't know who's watching but a few people that aren't here are watching.

So Dave we miss you. And your dad and others let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father God, you are such a wonderful God so worthy of our praise. And that's what we do right now. We join our hearts together as a church family God.

Praising you thanking you for all of your goodness your faithfulness God for our salvation. We hallow your name God from the depths of our heart. We we worship you. We praise you. We thank you for your goodness God.

We thank you that you're a God that that cares so much about each and every single one of us God. Every hair on our head is numbered. Your grace is sufficient father God. The life we live we net live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us God.

We do want to join our hearts together as a church family God as a local church body and pray for our country Father. God, you know. You know father what is going on in the United States of America, you know father that that that We should not be surprised.

That as this nation has turned away from you more and more. Stronger and stronger as This nation continues to blaspheme Your holy name. In that respect father. We are getting what we deserve. But God we turn to you we pray as a church as Christians around This nation that you might be pleased God to turn back your hand from what you're allowing in our country.

That you might father God put in every level of office those who you would put that. Whatever might happen father in the election that we would accept it as from you, which is very clear. It is from you.

You put Kings in power and you take them out of power. We pray father for the salvation of our country's leaders. We pray father specifically for the salvation of Presidents and and vice presidents and members of Congress and members of Senate.

We think especially father of our own state. The many trials God there is a very very important trial that occurred this past Wednesday. And the judge said that he would rule this week God and he didn't and we're waiting father.

Perhaps on Monday a very contentious ruling God about what's going on in our state. We pray for your will in that ruling God that you might father be pleased. We think of just so many things that are going on.

We lift them up to you God and and pray for your mercy God pray for your will pray especially father for Christians for us here today that God that you might be using the situations and circumstances of this country to Kindle the the love that we should have for you.

We're to love you with all of our heart all of our soul all of our mind all of our strength God. You know that we fall so short of these things God we have to be honest. We confess to you that that the cares of this world father the things of this world distract us from from the kind of devotion to taking up our cross daily and following you God of Spending time with you each day.

Starting the day with you father God going away to our quiet place and and and praying faithfully and fervently for this nation God. James chapter 5 the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

We're men like Elijah and yet he prayed and it did not rain and he prayed again and it did. So God that's how we do. We we kneel with Elijah. Who is a man with passions just like us? That you might be pleased father God to move on behalf of our nation protect us father God.

You know what's going on. With rules and orders even about how we can celebrate Thanksgiving. So father your will be done and may we have the grace and the faith to accept it. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

You know if I could also add let's remember our brother our brother Richard Rohr his brother passed away and. So that may be why he's not with us today and our hearts are with. Memorial is the seventh.

Okay, let's stand together. We're gonna sing a familiar hymn.

Fairest Lord Jesus who is Christ and that is what we should desire this morning and all the time. I'll never forget the first time I sang that song.

In this church and I was so moved. What a wonderful way to prepare for the preaching of the Word of God. Show us Christ. I Mean that's what we all need isn't it more and more of Christ. Well open your Bibles to first Samuel.

I'm so thankful to hear at least one of you took up my challenge to Read through first Samuel. You had three weeks to do it and guess what? You have two weeks to read through second Samuel. You can even get ahead of the curve because I'm not gonna be here next Sunday a dear brother named Tim Ingram he's a Assistant pastor at a local church in the area is gonna come and preach.

I think he's gonna preach something from the book of Mark and we are leaving early Friday morning. My kids are groaning because they're gonna have the service for my wife's dad is gonna be in Southern, California on Friday and We need to be there in time for that and then we'll be down there and be heading back and Like Harold said Barb knows I had no idea.

The teaching school for the first time would be as involved as it has been learning and grading papers and I mean, I'm really enjoying myself and learning and. But it's been it's been a challenge. But praise God.

Well back by popular demand first Samuel. Now I know many of you grew up in church. You taught probably have taught Sunday school gone to Sunday school. And I couldn't help but chuckle when I read a couple of weeks ago, by the way I have to apologize in advance now that I've had two weeks to prepare for this message.

All of a sudden I had a three-part message. So it started with one part. It went to two parts and then this week it went to three parts and I said I can't do that to you guys because I told you we're gonna do a book a week, right?

Didn't know what I did what I told you so I cut. I mean, I wish you knew as a pastor when you're teach when you prepare to preach or teach and You wind up with what it does to you to cut. To cut from a sermon after you've gleaned so much it's like you're cutting off your hand.

Okay, so it's good. It's killed me to do that, but I'm gonna finish first Samuel today. But I was laughing because I read about this Sunday school teacher that was teaching the story of creation and Was explaining how God created everything including human beings and in her class.

There was a little boy named David and he was especially interested when the teacher Explained to the class how Eve was created out of one of Adams ribs, right? Later in the week David's mother noticed him laying down in the living room as if he was ill and She said David what's the matter?

He responded. I have a pain in my side. I Think I'm gonna have a wife. Well, let's pray God. We're so thankful for your word. You know Lord that That it's not me. That is a teacher. Ultimately. It's the Holy Spirit.

That's his ministry to comfort to teach. So we commit this final Section of second Sarah first Samuel to you God asking that you might indeed through this Message show us Christ Father to learn from you to get to know you better.

To behold you to see you high and lifted up God. You're a wonderful God may we See you and show us Christ. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

So.

Remember a couple of weeks ago. I Gave us kind of an overview of the history of Israel and I put it again in the notes today when you think of his the the history of Israel right Old Testament Old Covenant people a Really helpful way is to think of those three stages of their history first There is this period of theocracy where God is ruling right God speaking directly to Moses correctly to Joshua Directly to the judges.

Remember Gideon interacted with God personally one-on-one and then you move into the area or the the section of their history called the monarchy and Now we're dealing with Kings. All right, King Saul King David King Solomon.

Then we have the divided kingdom we're talking about 40 Kings and Finally there is this period of dependency Where they are overthrown first by the Babylonians the Medo-Persians and they're ruled by foreigners.

So theocracy monarchy and then dependency and first Samuel deals with the timeline in Israel's history where they move from this theocracy Where God is ruling directly through men like Moses and Joshua some of the judges To the beginning of Israel's monarchy.

So when you come to first Samuel, you're in this transition from the theocracy in Israel. Israel ruled primarily by God Through men like Moses and Joshua To this period in their history when they're ruled by kings.

And in first Samuel you have these three offices through which God works in the life of Israel and very important for us to keep in mind all three of these offices are Pointing to and are fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ if you're a newer Christian.

You may not know that in the Old Testament There are literally hundreds of Messianic.

Prophecies.

Hundreds They all all were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. That he would be born of a version where he would be born how he would be born how he would die What he would do when he was here. I mean you can just go on and on and on over 300 Prophecies that the Jewish people look to as they're longing for the Messiah King to come hundreds of these prophecies all fulfilled the day he was when he was to be born how he would be enter into Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey.

Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of prophecies all fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ and these three offices are are all pointing to Jesus Christ and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. So if there is one Biblical truth to take home today to pack in your suitcase and take out to the car or the bus.

One truth the law can't save. Sacrifices can't save you going to church cannot save you or get you to heaven. Salvation is only by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay in first Samuel you have these three offices all pointing to The ministry of Jesus Christ you have the priestly office.

You have first Samuel Introducing us to the prophetic office and then you also have it Introducing us to the office of the king to the monarch. Okay, and in first Samuel you have this transition from the the office of judges to the leadership of Israel by Kings.

And again, the message of the book a very helpful way and also a convicting way to remember and summarize the message of the 31 chapters of this book is this way God should be king and men should lead and Again, I want to give you a moment to let that message of this book Resonate in your minds for a moment God should be king the one true All loving all knowing all powerful His desire and plan and will for man is To rule and reign over our lives and right parallel to that rail of truth.

Right next to it all the way out the line is That men should lead one of the biblical truths that the office of King in the Old Testament points to and teaches is That all men in the body of Christ are called to be leaders in their home and in their churches.

And this truth is played out in the lives of four men Eli the priest Samuel who was a judge a prophet and a priest and Then you have the first king of Israel Saul and you have the second king of Israel David.

Anybody that has been in church any length of time knows and has experienced the attendance at ladies Bible studies 99 of the time is More than the attendance at men's Bible studies. Men should lead the lives of Eli Samuel Saul and David all Demonstrate the critical role of men leading all four show us the dangers and the result of men Not leading as God has called men to lead.

So the message of 1st Samuel God is King. And what? Men Should what? Thank you. I even heard a couple of men say it.

That's leadership.

So in this book What I'm gonna do is use the outline of three of those men Samuel Saul and David. To lay out this book for us and a couple of weeks ago. We looked at first Samuel. I mean the man Samuel he was a judge.

He was also a priest. He was also a prophet. He held all three offices. Remember, this is a transitional book when you go to the New Testament. The book of Acts is a transitional book the Gospels tell about Jesus Christ, right?

Then you have the book of Acts that transitions to the rest of the New Testament. Which tells us about the church how Christians are to live? So you have the four Gospels you have this bridge between the life of Christ and the church.

The book of Acts first Samuel is like a bridge between this theocracy that we're God's ruling through men and Then into the monarchy, right? And this man Samuel is part of that bridge because he is both a judge.

He is both a prophet and he's also a priest, right? Remember Hannah is is is longing for a son. She goes to the tabernacle. There's no temple yet. She goes to the tabernacle. She's praying to God God.

Give me a son. Remember banana the pain. By the way, don't try to read first Samuel this week get started on second Samuel, okay, that's a little freebie. We're done move on get second Samuel two weeks man, it's man you think I'm fired up now.

Wait till we get to second Samuel. And you say how can somebody get excited about first and second Chronicles? I can't. I Can get excited about in and out. I can get excited about Chipotle burrito bowl my wife she made it and.

I.

Smelled it and I was like I told her yesterday. I said I've been looking all forward all day to this. What does that have to do with first Samuel? Yeah, you're right. Nothing. And I'm gonna hear about it on the way home.

Trust me. Remember Hannah. She's looking forward to a son. She can't pen. I is getting all the kids. She's praying to God in the tabernacle. She pours out her heart. God answers his prayer. We looked at some things about Samuel's upbringing.

We looked at some highlights of his ministry. Did I tell you to go to chapter 7? Well, that's where you need to be. So you have the birth of Samuel we have his growing up. We have the death of Eli. Remember Eli's sons.

Eli's a bad dad. He's not leading. Right. His sons all get killed as soon as he finds out about them. God kills him as soon as he finds out they're dead. What happens to Eli? Oh, he dies. Samuel is a judge.

He's a priest. He's a prophet. And you have all this bad news and you come to chapter 7 and there's a reversal verse 3. Samuel spoke to all of the house of Israel saying.

Okay.

All these things Eli's dead. You're his God has killed his sons that sacrifice. I mean you people are just idolatrous you're doing all these things, but if you return to the Lord and See this is the kind of stuff that we overlook so easily it says with all your hearts.

Dearly beloved friends. It's not with part of our hearts. It's not with one toe in the water that we serve God and then we're holding back. It's all of our hearts. This is a big problem in the church.

This is a big problem in Israel's. It was never with everything that they had. Do you understand that please mark that down. Love God with all your heart all your soul all your mind all your strength.

If you return to the Lord with all your hearts and then put away the foreign gods and the asterisks from among you and prepare your hearts for the Lord and If you serve him only He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines and we saw there's a complete reversal of direction.

Samuel is telling them to to purge themselves of the Canaanite gods and return to God with repentance and this leads to a national day of confession. Something that probably the church should do. What did the children do what did they do in verse 4 they put away the bales the asterisks and served The Lord only.

So in a nutshell, that's what we covered a couple of weeks ago. If you missed it, it's online. We can now go to chapter 8 and we can now go to a man named Saul. Now maybe you've heard of this before David the third king of Israel.

God called him a man after my own heart. How about that? Wouldn't you love to have that on your tombstone? Man humbling so David was a man after God's own heart. Saul First king of Israel is basically the opposite.

He was a king not after God's own heart. And if you look in your Bible 8 through 15 in 1st Samuel, that's that's basically where Saul. You find his the main part of his story. Eli failed to lead.

And.

Here's what's so sobering when you begin to understand the bigger picture because Saul Samuel who started out so well. So well so faithful in his relationship with God. It's clear that he drifted in his relationship with God.

He's deficient in his role as a leader in his home so Men I want to encourage you. Okay. I'm one of you. Okay. Look at me. I'm a man. Biologically physically, I'm a man. I can't identify as a woman. Sorry.

Never can. The decline and failure to lead happens to Eli. It happens to Saul. It happens to David who is a man after God's own heart and it even happens to his son Solomon. The sad and tragic news is at the end of Samuel's life.

His sons don't follow the Lord and this failure listen how our sin impacts people. This failure of Samuel to lead in his home Sets up and causes the people of Israel to demand a king. Samuel is getting old.

He appoints his sons as judges and look at chapter 8 verse 3 but Verse 1 he made his sons judges over Israel.

But.

His sons did not walk in his ways They turned aside. After dishonest gain they took bribes They perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and Said to him look you're old.

And.

Your sons do not walk in your ways.

Now.

Make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But this thing displeased Samuel when they said give us a king to judge us. So Samuel prayed to the Lord and The Lord said to Samuel Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you.

For they have not rejected you. They have rejected me. That I should not reign over them. What did I say all along. God should be king, right? According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them out of Egypt even to this very day With which they have forsaken me and served other gods.

So they are doing to you also.

Beloved.

God wants to be our king and Men need to lead the declension in Israel's relationship with God God ties directly to the men's failure to lead and This helps us to understand the incredibly Sobering truth that we don't have to look any further than the men in our churches today To begin to understanding what's going on in the church.

So beginning in chapter 8 you have this first king of Israel Saul and we just read the reason given that why their requests why God is saying fine, let them have their way and There's another reason. I don't have time to read all the verses but but perhaps the underlying reason that they wanted a king is Is there some verses that suggests the reason they want a king is they're afraid of the enemies around them and the other?

Pagan nations around them have kings that lead them into that battle. They didn't have a king. Samuel is old. The sons are bad. So give us a king like them.

Okay.

So we have this declining spiritual condition. We have Samuel warning God's people. I don't again you can read it for yourself. Maybe you did. A king is gonna tax you, you know. You don't want to do it.

Samuel says don't don't take a king because he's gonna tax you. He's gonna take more of your money. He's not. He's gonna put you into battle. He's gonna give you other responsibilities. But even though he warns them About the consequences of having a king a human king not God They say still give us a king and go over to chapter 12.

In chapter 11 Saul's leadership is affirmed. He leads them to defeat the Ammonites and the people gather at Gilgal. And in chapter 12 verse 14 Samuel gives a final Sort of eulogy for his own life. He says.

If you fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and do not rebel Against the commandment of the Lord then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord. However verse 15 Chapter 12.

If you do 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 as it was against your fathers. So, what do we have. It's just fantastic over and over God's grace God's mercy right.

If you Turn now and obey things are gonna go well, but if you don't The hand of the Lord is going to be against you. And I can go down so many rabbit trails.

But.

Can you guess what happens? I mean, this is a sober warning. Do you want the hand of the Lord against you? Come on, everybody raise your hand that want the hand of the Lord against you. I Mean go to go to you.

You want to get a wake-up call sometime. Go to James 4.

God.

Resists the proud. The word resist in the Greek in James 4 is aggressively against the proud. But he gives grace to the humble. So anyway, that's a whole rabbit trail, right? They do the opposite. They don't fear the Lord.

They stop serving him. They don't obey his voice. They even rebel against him and all of this rejection of God's ways and They're going back on the promises leads to Saul's rejection. He's selected his king and then he's rejected his king.

Okay, and it's a good question and I don't have time to go to all the verses but in chapter 13 It tells us that God that Saul is rejected as king because of his impatience. Okay, Saul was directed to wait for Samuel to come and give a sacrifice.

So Saul is sitting there. He doesn't have a smartphone. He can't check his text messages. He doesn't have internet. He doesn't have a book. So he's sitting there twiddling his thumbs and Samuel doesn't come when he expects him to come.

So, you know what set Saul decides to do? Well, I can't wait for Samuel who's supposed to do sacrifices under the law. Anybody know Samuel the priests, right? That's their job. Well Samuel. Saul does it anyway, and just as he's finishing offering the sacrifice that he shouldn't offer Samuel shows up.

And there's a lesson to learn here. And that is this.

Beloved.

God very often places his people in situations where we have to wait on him and Often it's difficult to wait, you know often it's easier to take the path of least resistance and act. But this will often lead to disaster.

So after making this presumptuous decision to do what only priests were allowed to do and then getting caught. Doing it. You know what? Samuel confronts Saul. And what does Saul do? He defends he deflects he finger points.

It's your fault. It's anybody's fault but his own. He will not take responsibility for his action, so. The first reason Saul is rejected as King was impatience that was rooted in pride. That was also rooted in not trusting the Lord and The second reason for Saul's rejection as King was his impulsiveness, which you find in chapter 14.

And again, I had to cut a lot of this out so we could finish. But Saul is is worried about this battle and he makes this rash decision and maybe you can relate to this I've done this too many times to count.

He makes this vow no one in the army is to take food until nightfall. Well his dear son Jonathan. Who's pursuing the enemy? Unknowingly, he gets hungry breaks this vow and Because of the way that the vows worked and because of the way that the Kings orders work Saul says I'm gonna kill you.

I Have to because I set this decree. Well, the people say you're not going to kill Jonathan. In fact, the reason you're not going to kill Jonathan is because he is primarily reason we had victory.

So Saul.

Arrogantly. Definitely impulsively makes this quick decision. He doesn't evaluate the implications. The results are almost disastrous. And we come to chapter 15. Saul is rejected as King first because of his impatience second because of his impulsiveness and third because of his rebellion his rebellion and.

This is manifested in his disobedience his hypocrisy and that's what we find in chapter 15 real quick. So Samuel in his role as prophet and priest. Sends Saul to southern Israel to go after the Amalekites and and and liquidate them and get their property.

Destroy it. Saul's disobedience to this command is incomplete. Because he goes down to the Amalekites. But he spares the life of Agag the king of the Amalekites and you know what else he does. Because God says go down to destroy all the Amalekites.

Destroy all their property all their cattle all their gold all their silver. So what is Saul do he goes down? He kills most of them, but he saves Agag and then he looks at all the beautiful sheep and cattle.

You know what he does. He keeps the best ones. We're gonna take these home. That's not what God told him to do and then he lies to Samuel about his actions. Remember Adam and Eve.

I.

Didn't do it. The serpent did it. What about you Adam? I didn't do it. The woman you gave me did it. Look at chapter 15 verse 22. As a result of this so Samuel said I don't think you get this. Has the Lord as great delight and burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord.

Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of.