We direct your attention to the word of God.
You may remain standing now for the reading of the word.
First, Samuel chapter 10. Now, Samuel call the people
together to the Lord at Miss spa and he said to the people of
Israel, thus says the Lord the god of Israel.
I brought up Israel out of Egypt.
I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand
of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.
But today, you have rejected your God who saves you, from all
your calamities and your distresses.
And you have said to him such a king over us.
Now, therefore present yourselves before the Lord by
your tribes and by your thousands.
Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near and The
Tribe of Benjamin was taken by lat.
He brought the Tribe of Benjamin nearby, it's Clans.
And the clan of the mate Rights was taken by lot and soul.
The son of Kish was taken by lot.
But when they sought Soul he could not be found.
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.
Then they ran and took him from there.
And when he stood apart, among the people, he was taller than
any of the people from his shoulders upward.
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, the word of the Lord.
You may be seated. That very first verse sets, the
stage. The same, you'll call the people
together to the Lord at Miss Paul.
Macaulay the people together especially by their thousands.
He was calling upon the Elders of Israel.
Remember there were Twelve Tribes and these Twelve Tribes
had Elders. The firstborn and the others of
the patriarch of the tribe, and then there would be others, and
they would number them, and they numbered into the thousands and
thousands each one. In fact, it would not be but two
generations later. They would be so many of them in
the land that the Lord would say, they're like the sand of
the Sea and the stars of the sky just like I promised Abraham.
Back earlier about 400-plus years earlier.
And therefore, actually about 900 years earlier.
Another think about it. It's wow.
Call them all together. Let's have an assembly,
especially of the elders. Let's bring them all together.
In the place, he chose to bring the people together with solemn
assembly was mizpah, Miss. Paul was a tremendous location.
You remember, a few weeks ago. We had a great Revival at Miss
Paula. It was there with the people
gathered and they said we want to serve the Lord.
He said, well, if you want to serve the Lord tear down, all of
these idols and put your faith in your trust in the Lord and
the people had a great time of repentance and Revival and
they'd come back to the Lord. And they Renewed, their Covenant
in their faith, in the Lord and the lord gave them a great
Victory. When Samuel prayed and they
defeated the Philistines. Miss Val was a high point in the
life of Israel in this time and they erected a stone Ebenezer
hither to has the Lord, but helped us and they made it a
special place of memory. It's Not Unusual that Samuel
would call them back to this place.
This place. There was a physical reminder of
how the Lord had help. Them and how he had done them so
much good and now he calls together this.
Holy Congress convocation, but something that strikes me in
this stage setting first, verse is now Samuel called the people
together to the Lord. Atma Spa.
That's significant. Samuel has brought the people
together before God one more time.
This faithful prophet. Samuel is trying to bring God's
people back to themselves back to their senses back to
remembering who God is and what God has done.
God's leaders have done this. Moses on the plains of Moab
gather the people together to hear the words of the Covenant.
Some years later. Joshua had brought the people
together at shechem that mountie ball and Garrison to their
renew, the Covenant and to come back to their God and now Samuel
was bringing the people back to Ebenezer back to the place where
they had marked and noted that God had been their Helper and
God had given them. Great Victory.
So he's calling them to the Lord.
That's the first order of business.
To call them to the Lord, to come to the Lord to obey the
Lord, to walk in his statutes to love him with all their heart,
to keep his Commandments to live in the light of his presence.
Samuels, calling God's people back.
God's people need to go back. Even the patriarch felt like it
one point. He had to go back to Bethel back
to Bethel the house of God to renew and defined the presence
of God that had been lost. That was Israel's Heritage.
Israel was a people that God had chosen for himself to reveal
himself to them. That they would be his own
precious peculiar people. That's what God has done for us,
isn't it? Hasn't the Lord called us to
himself. Separated us from the world,
separated us from that future. That would have been ours.
If we have not heard and answered his call today.
We celebrate All Saints Day. I think we've sort of worked a
little too meaning of that over. In the medieval church.
It was a time where we looked at those who had been venerated.
But in our church, we think of All Saints as those people of
God. Those precious people of God,
all of God's people. All of his saints, that form a
great cloud of witnesses. Run the race before us.
That group of people that we preach, almost every Sunday that
are to persevere in their faith and in their obedience and in
their following and loving the Lord, the perseverance of the
Saints, All Saints. And that's what?
Samuel is doing. He wasn't preaching to the
Philistines. He wasn't preaching to the
Canaanites. He wasn't preaching, even to the
Egyptians, who's preaching to God's people.
That is who needs to hear the voice of God.
That's who needs to come together.
Back to the Lord. Samuel begin to preach.
It says here in the very next verse.
He said he said to the people of Israel.
Thus says, the Lord, that's the prophetic formula when the
prophets want to put something out there in front of God's
people. That's clear.
And plain. They say thus says the Lord then
he begins a recount of what the Lord says.
I brought up Israel out of Egypt.
I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand
of all the kingdoms. That were oppressing you.
God had brought them up. He had delivered them.
He had saved them but it but beyond that they had asked for a
king principally because they wanted a man to lead them into
battle. And Samuel says to God's people,
the Lord defeated the Pharaoh the armies of Egypt and it
didn't stop there. Just read the account.
God enabled them in the wilderness to to defeat the
amalekites. When they came to the passage.
Through the kingdoms of lot. They had fought battles with
Amman and with Moab when they came into the transjordan, god
enabled them to have Victory and passage over the edomites.
The descendants of Saw of he saw and now when they came into the
land under Joshua God enabled him to have victory over the
Amorite and all of the Canaanites Time After Time,
After Time when they had these major battles go He had won the
victory for them and the only battles they lost with the
battles. God made him lose because he
wanted to teach him a lesson. He wanted to bring them back to
repentance. Never thought that the only
difficulties you have in your life or what God lovingly brings
upon you so you'll get on your knees and turn to him.
For whom the Lord, loveth. He chasing it.
And scourges every son that his his That was Israel's history
and Sam was just saying, don't you see?
This is a Story here A History, A History of victory that God
had given his people. And yet notice the very next
verse. But however, instead of learning
from all of that, in keeping the Lord, as your king and following
him and waiting on God, to raise up a king after his own
choosing. A king.
Who would be the kind of King, that Israel was supposed to have
in would also be of the, of the tribe, you have asked for a
king, like, all the other nations, you have forsaken, your
holy status, and you want to be common, you want to be every
day. You want to be worldly?
Today, you've rejected your God. Remember, God had told Samuel.
They didn't reject you, and they came to Samuel.
Very politely. They said, well, you're getting
old and you're becoming inefficient and we have a lot of
things that need to be done and your sons are not fit to follow
in your footsteps and judge us and be our Our leader.
So we need a king. And Samuel was flat-out, angry.
Yeah, that's what the scripture says.
He was angry. The Lord said, no, they have not
rejected, you Samuel, you have properly represented in followed
me. They've rejected me.
It goes way to the very top. It is a rebellion against my
sovereignty. That's really what sin is, isn't
it? It is treason against the most
high God. It's not.
Challo. It's not slight.
Sin is serious. See, it's always about the
condition of the heart. So Samuels preaching now to the
people and you've rejected your God, who saves you, from all
your calamities in your distresses, and you have said to
him set a king over us. The Lord told him back in
Deuteronomy that they would come into the land and one day they
would. Desire a king.
And they would get a king Lord would give them a king and the
king would be the of such and such and he should do certain
things. And we looked at those a couple
of weeks ago, that list of things that the ideal king and
the good king would do some of the things harmful that the king
will do. That's not what God would have
him. Do.
There was a law above the king, that was to govern a
constitution. That was to govern the
government. You've asked for a king.
You're going to get a king. So, Samuel says to the people
now. Present yourselves before the
Lord, by your tribes. and by your thousands, the last time
they did this in Israel. They were looking for a man.
They're looking for a man this time looking for a man to be
king last time. God called him to this
particular. Array.
When he was looking for a man who had sinned.
Remember the story back in judges Joshua seven where they
were looking for the man that had sinned that caused him to
lose the battle at AI whereas they'd won the great victory at
Jericho. Now, there's a search for The
Sinner. The reason there's a defeat in
God's Camp is because there's a sinner in God's camp.
They were looking for Aiken. And Joshua lined them up by
tribes and he began to cast lots working its way down from the
tribe to the clan to the household to the man.
So that they could point out and find The Sinner.
That's what happened in Joshua's day.
Now, they're here in this day. God's called them to the same
array. I wonder if anyone probably,
besides Samuel knew this the solemn occasion.
But that's what they did. They lined up.
They cast lots. We're not sure exactly how they
did it. The prescribed way for finding
an answer was to inquire of the Lord and the priest carried in
his breastplate, in his ephod, in a little pouch, a little
pocket, a to small instruments. We don't know exactly what they
were Stones. Perhaps maybe pieces of metal,
but they were the urim and the thummim, the ER Lament The
Curse, the thumb and It perfect. When there was a perfect
alignment of these two stones or emblems.
It was affirmative. Yes.
Perfect. God is with you, when it was a
misalignment. One said, one thing in one said
the other words, an incongruity in an inconsistency in the to
collect flipping coins in heaven, to come up heads.
That's yes, one. Come up.
Heads one. Come up Tails.
That's no. That was the way they cast the
lots and lot casting is all through the scripture.
He just follow it all the way through you for through the
Kings David Saul, cast, lots, David cast, lots the cast lots
in the days of the prophets. Even cast lots in the New
Testament. Acts chapter one.
That's how Matthias became the 12th Apostle replacing Judas was
by the casting of lots, because here's what they believed.
They believe Proverbs 16:33 where it said, the lot is cast
into the lap. But the Lord makes the decision.
So this was a decision that they would all witness was a fair and
square deal. It was the flip of the coin that
they could all see it. It was out there in the open but
yet the results. They believe was what God
wanted. And they did, they did this cast
of lots? In it came up Tribe of Benjamin.
Well, we're narrowing it down now, bring it down to the
merits, the clan. And then to the household of
Kish and then his son Saul. And it's an interesting little
scene here, which has been appointed a lot of discussion.
I'll try to not say too much about it, but he says and Saul
the son of cash was taken by lot, but when they sought him,
he could not be found. So they inquired, again of the
Lord. Is there, a man?
Still to come? This was one of those lots where
you had to be present to win? They had came up Saul.
And where Saul he's not. Here.
Is there somebody else? Who's next door?
Just hold on. Lord says, he's, he's present.
He's just hiding. And here was this tall handsome
capable in many ways incapable and many other ways as we saw
last week. Hiding hiding in the baggage.
These people had traveled from all over the kingdom.
Had taken them days to come. They would come in there.
Oxcarts. They'd come in their donkeys,
riding in their Caravans, and they had a ton of baggage.
And I imagine it was all piled around in, piles around the
camp. When they went the Lord said
he's here. They ran to find him.
We need to get him out in front of the people very quickly
before they become some question about what's going on.
Some question about this decision.
Is somebody messing with The Ballot Box.
What's happening here and they run to find him in the Lord
spotted him and pull him out. Said, he's in the baggage.
He's back there where he feels comfortable in his comfort zone.
He's back there with the donkeys.
And they pull him out of his comfort zone and put him in
right in the middle. Now be aware that a lot of
things that happened. You remember that he had been
appointed by the Lord. He had been anointed by the
prophet already. Saul knew he was the man.
It's all knew. It was coming his way.
And when that lot was cast, it was just a triple or quadruple.
Confirmation. God had already given him three
confirmations of his call and his selection in, this was the
fourth and final and he needed to appear before the people in
order to be accepted by the people in order to have the
approbation of the people. And bear in mind, this was not
the coronation of Saul. That's going to happen neck in
the next chapter. He's going to be crowned, King
and made King at gilgal. This is just the time when
Israel comes to The Crucible of their thinking, where they
actually bring out the man who will be their King.
And he is placed in the middle. It's interesting to text here.
He said when he stood among the people, he was taller than any
of the people from his shoulders upward 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. That's an interesting phrase,
It's translated in some of the older.
Text behold the man. Behold.
Your king. Look at your king.
What do you think of him? See him standing there.
No doubt. Shy embarrassed overwhelmed in
the middle Center Stage. Up front on the microphone. this
is, The man. The approbation of God's people
was given long live. The king when I was studying
through this passage. I was arrested.
I was just stopped in my in my heart.
I said hold it. Where have I seen this seen
before? Fast forward 11 centuries.
There. Standing before Pilate.
Christ have been put in the middle of the people on what was
called the pavement in the middle of that great room.
By Pilot had been placed there and there stood Jesus.
Betrayed. Bound.
Falsely accused. Condemned.
Be his body was lacerated. Blood was already dripping from
his body. His beard had been pulled out.
Did you know, that was an Old Testament symbol of defeat?
One of the things they would do to a soldier when they had
defeated him as they would pull out his beard.
Or in some cases if he had mercy that we shave him clean.
But the pulling out of the beard was a symbol of absolute.
Defeat pilot, representing Rome, and conquered the Lord's, king
the king of the Jews, and that's how pilot thought of him.
And that's what pilot put up on the cross.
Was the king of the Jews and they disputed with that.
They said no he claimed to be king pilots and what I have
written. I have written if there was ever
a man who quibbled over truth and told the truth, it was
pilot. Tyler told the truth when he
said I find no fault in him. The sinless Son of God had
nothing to condemn him and that there he stood he had his beard
pulled out. He was mocked by the people spat
upon. This is a long way from the
approbation that was given to King Saul on this day.
He standing there in a in a makeshift.
Mocking robe. He's wearing a crown of thorns
that have been pressed to not just for the pain, but for the
symbolism, the Thorns represented the curse.
Back in the Garden of Eden. It's the thorns and thistles
that were the curse of the land. And here he was crowned Upon
Jesus here. He was burying the curse of sin,
the curse of the law, the curse, they would send him to his
death. As he stood, there is blood
soaking through His Garment and dripping down on the pavement.
What did Pilots say? Behold the man.
Look at your king, behold, your king.
And he turned him over. To be crucified.
We thought the writer says that he suffered for his own sins
after all. He was a traitor.
He was a blasphemer. We thought he was smitten of God
for his own transgressions. He was getting what he deserved,
wasn't he? That's what we thought we were
carrying out. Justice said, the Sanhedrin said
Herod said, pilate said you and me.
Shirley. He hath, borne our iniquities,
our sins, our transgressions, the penalty that is do us was
placed upon him. And there this man, Jesus Christ
died. As a substitute, the high
priest. And mockingly said, you know,
it's best that one man die for the people.
That's exactly what the substitutionary atonement of
Christ. Is one man dying for the people
dying for you and me dying for All Saints.
I'll stop with just one more thing.
I don't have time to develop it and I don't think I need to.
What was the exclamation of the people?
Long live. The king.
We fast-forwarded 11 centuries. Let's rewind, 20 centuries.
It's the resurrection. Jesus was raised to long life,
eternal life. The king, whose Dominion is
forever eternal life, which he, then bestows upon his own.
He had borne, the curses of the Covenant.
Now, he was given by the power of the spirit of God raised from
the dead. He was given the blessing of the
Covenant, in the blessing of the Covenant is you will live
forever. No, it's not about Soul.
It's really not about Eli the old priest.
It's really not about Samuel the prophet.
When we read these stories out of the Old Testament out of the
Hebrew scripture, sacred history.
We're reading about Christ. Every time you turn a page in
that Old Testament, something will point you to Christ.
Think I'm out of clothing. The Bible, too, soon.
Let me see if I can find it again.
I like what Samuel said, if you hadn't been speaking of Saul
directly to been, speaking of Christ, have been beautiful
words. Do you see him whom the Lord has
chosen? Do you see Christ?
There is none like him. Among a whole people.