1 00:00:00,050 --> 00:00:03,220 Once you turn with me in your Bibles to First Samuel, we'll 2 00:00:03,230 --> 00:00:04,990 continue on in our Lenten series. 3 00:00:05,060 --> 00:00:09,780 First Samuel, how are we doing with an hour less? 4 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:14,390 We get an hour more tacked on the end, which is great, but now 5 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,110 we're less good that you're here. 6 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:17,730 Great. Let's stay positive, right, 7 00:00:17,740 --> 00:00:20,610 going right on. That's good. 8 00:00:20,620 --> 00:00:24,330 Hey, we have intercessors missing this this morning. 9 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,900 They're at the Alpha retreat is a good group of people at the 10 00:00:27,910 --> 00:00:31,010 Alpha retreat and a number of people that are praying on site 11 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:32,549 for the people on the Alpha retreat. 12 00:00:32,659 --> 00:00:36,970 So those who are willing, would you pray? 13 00:00:36,980 --> 00:00:40,990 Let us pray this morning that God would move in our midst and 14 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,130 that His Word would be heard right to the depths of our soul. 15 00:00:44,140 --> 00:00:46,850 Amen. Lord, hear us, hear our prayers. 16 00:00:47,660 --> 00:00:52,730 Amen, Amen. For those of you who want to so 17 00:00:52,740 --> 00:00:55,770 we've been walking through Samuel and, and reflecting on 18 00:00:55,780 --> 00:00:57,950 the, the, the text of First Samuel. 19 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,330 But for those of you who want to study a little more deeply, I 20 00:01:01,340 --> 00:01:03,780 want to recommend three resources that I've found 21 00:01:03,790 --> 00:01:07,950 particularly helpful, one from David Sumera. 22 00:01:08,260 --> 00:01:11,690 So this is the new National Commentary on the Old Testament. 23 00:01:12,020 --> 00:01:16,140 Pretty heavy volume, but if you love study to go deeper, this 24 00:01:16,150 --> 00:01:18,410 would be a great one for you to do. 25 00:01:18,580 --> 00:01:25,300 To pick up Joyce Baldwins from the series Dial Old Testament 26 00:01:25,310 --> 00:01:27,590 Commentary. A little shorter, a little 27 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,670 briefer, but still great scholarly work. 28 00:01:30,740 --> 00:01:34,450 And then another one was a little bit is more expository, a 29 00:01:34,460 --> 00:01:37,910 little lighter, but still powerful. 30 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:41,310 Very effective, very practical. From the Focus on the Bible 31 00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:45,230 series from Dale Ralph Davis, you might want to pick one up. 32 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:50,090 Actually, I failed to acknowledge Dale Davis's word 33 00:01:50,100 --> 00:01:53,980 last Sunday. Archaeology used that and it was 34 00:01:53,990 --> 00:01:57,150 in my notes they forgot to refer to it, but that that term 35 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,800 actually came from him. So we are in the middle of Old 36 00:02:01,810 --> 00:02:04,040 Testament history. How are you guys doing with it? 37 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:06,290 How are you doing? Doing OK? 38 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:11,730 Yeah, if you're not a history buff, do not despair. 39 00:02:12,620 --> 00:02:15,510 There is a reason why this is in the Bible. 40 00:02:16,460 --> 00:02:20,750 God wants us to hear this. These accounts, these are so 41 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,670 significant in helping us that there's there's a reason why 42 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:26,810 they're there and there's a reason why you're here this 43 00:02:26,820 --> 00:02:28,050 morning. If this is your first time to 44 00:02:28,060 --> 00:02:31,390 force you, we just say welcome. We're so glad that you're here 45 00:02:31,450 --> 00:02:34,830 and we trust that God will speak to you through these very 46 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,630 ancient texts that continue to be relevant to us. 47 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,900 The, the, the chapter we're looking at today is chapter 8, 48 00:02:43,690 --> 00:02:47,270 chapter 8 in First Samuel. And this chapter is extreme. 49 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,020 It is an extremely significant chapter with regard to the 50 00:02:50,030 --> 00:02:54,520 history of Israel because it chronicles the point in which 51 00:02:54,570 --> 00:03:00,080 there was a transition from leadership from the judges to 52 00:03:00,150 --> 00:03:04,480 kings. So kingship begins right here. 53 00:03:04,530 --> 00:03:08,220 So before the judges were raised up by God, when they were 54 00:03:08,230 --> 00:03:11,440 needed, Moses was raised up by God. 55 00:03:11,450 --> 00:03:14,190 And there's through through the book of judges, you see leaders 56 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,980 that are raised up by God, and then he raises up another one 57 00:03:16,990 --> 00:03:19,700 after that. We're now gonna read where 58 00:03:19,710 --> 00:03:23,740 there's a transition to kingship, where and one 59 00:03:23,750 --> 00:03:27,360 individual has sons and those sons carry on. 60 00:03:27,370 --> 00:03:28,820 It's like it's a monarchy, right? 61 00:03:28,830 --> 00:03:33,100 The sons carry on from from their father to to lead the 62 00:03:33,110 --> 00:03:38,280 people of Israel. So really keep pointing in 63 00:03:38,290 --> 00:03:41,290 Israel's history, but in particular for those of us who 64 00:03:41,300 --> 00:03:43,440 are not history buffs and couldn't care less about 65 00:03:43,450 --> 00:03:44,790 monarchy and all that kind of stuff. 66 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,170 We do not want to miss the relevance that is here for each 67 00:03:49,180 --> 00:03:51,190 one of us. This this stuff is speaking 68 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,210 directly to our hearts. You know, the the book of James 69 00:03:54,580 --> 00:03:58,130 chapter 1, James talks about scripture is being like a 70 00:03:58,140 --> 00:04:02,250 mirror. When we read scripture, we see 71 00:04:02,260 --> 00:04:05,720 ourselves reflected back in the scriptures. 72 00:04:05,730 --> 00:04:08,980 We begin to see ourselves rightly. 73 00:04:09,250 --> 00:04:12,940 All of us have false conceptions of ourselves and the only way we 74 00:04:12,950 --> 00:04:15,950 can get that cleared up and to be able to see ourselves the way 75 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,769 that we should is through our reading of the Holy Scriptures. 76 00:04:19,779 --> 00:04:23,640 So last week we referred to the fact that the scriptures reveal 77 00:04:23,650 --> 00:04:28,460 God, reveal the character of God, but it also, along with 78 00:04:28,470 --> 00:04:32,730 that, reveals our own character and helps us to see ourselves 79 00:04:32,740 --> 00:04:35,720 the way that we should be seen in, in relation to God in order 80 00:04:35,730 --> 00:04:40,070 to align ourselves a right, we're going to look at 81 00:04:40,850 --> 00:04:43,740 characters in the Bible. And, and this is no exception 82 00:04:43,780 --> 00:04:46,980 that we're going to think in our deepest places of heart saying, 83 00:04:46,990 --> 00:04:48,600 you know, these people are bozos. 84 00:04:48,610 --> 00:04:51,660 Like how on earth could they be doing stuff like this, right? 85 00:04:51,670 --> 00:04:55,320 It just seems almost ridiculous. But we have to be really careful 86 00:04:55,430 --> 00:04:59,420 that we're not making judgment calls on people from the past or 87 00:04:59,430 --> 00:05:02,490 even people in the present. You know, Jesus warns us, right? 88 00:05:02,710 --> 00:05:06,300 Do not judge, right? You might see a a problem in 89 00:05:06,310 --> 00:05:10,180 somebody else, but he says that's a spec compared to the 90 00:05:10,190 --> 00:05:13,580 log that's in your own eye. So the problems that we see in 91 00:05:13,590 --> 00:05:16,800 others are actually actually reflections of a problem that we 92 00:05:16,810 --> 00:05:19,960 already have ourselves. And so we need to, we need to be 93 00:05:19,970 --> 00:05:23,200 very cognizant of that. Be very careful as you approach 94 00:05:23,210 --> 00:05:27,560 the scriptures and ask God to show us, OK, Lord, how is this 95 00:05:27,570 --> 00:05:30,500 me? What, what can I learn about me 96 00:05:30,580 --> 00:05:35,220 and in humanity in the midst of, of, of the stories that are 97 00:05:35,230 --> 00:05:37,320 being relayed through the scriptures. 98 00:05:37,330 --> 00:05:41,590 So Lord, I pray and if you will join me in frame, Lord, as we 99 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:46,150 open up your word this morning, that you would reveal yourself 100 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:50,230 to us and ourselves in relation to you. 101 00:05:50,240 --> 00:06:01,160 Help us to see ourselves a right that we could move past those 102 00:06:01,170 --> 00:06:04,840 areas that are that are stumbling blocks for us and to 103 00:06:04,850 --> 00:06:07,060 honor and magnify you with our lives. 104 00:06:07,130 --> 00:06:13,340 We pray in Jesus name, Amen. So we're in chapter 8 of First 105 00:06:13,350 --> 00:06:17,830 Samuel, and last week we looked at chapters 4 to 6, which were 106 00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:24,930 essentially Samuel lists, right? Chapters 4 to 6 describe how the 107 00:06:24,940 --> 00:06:29,310 glory of God had departed from Israel, how the Ark of the 108 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:33,290 Covenant, which was a symbol of the presence of God, was 109 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:36,310 captured by the Philistines and taken out of Israel. 110 00:06:36,620 --> 00:06:40,370 Now as we were reading last last week, we realized that this was 111 00:06:40,380 --> 00:06:44,140 God's intention along the fact that the arc disappeared was a 112 00:06:44,150 --> 00:06:47,800 sign of the fact that the people had already lost their awe of 113 00:06:47,810 --> 00:06:51,480 God and and did not value his presence. 114 00:06:51,550 --> 00:06:54,500 And so the fact that the arc was gone was kind of a symbol. 115 00:06:54,510 --> 00:06:57,800 It was it was a it was a it was a metaphor almost of this is 116 00:06:57,810 --> 00:07:00,320 this is how things are actually for you, Israel. 117 00:07:00,390 --> 00:07:04,790 So as a wake up call for them, well, God of course is fully in 118 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,710 charge. He wanted the art to be 119 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:09,650 captured. He revealed himself to the 120 00:07:09,660 --> 00:07:12,730 Philistines. He actually brings the ark back 121 00:07:12,780 --> 00:07:15,930 into Israel and he's fighting the battle all by himself. 122 00:07:15,980 --> 00:07:18,790 He doesn't even, he doesn't need his people to fight his own 123 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,110 battles for him. He's doing it all himself. 124 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:23,070 And so there was this massive wake up call. 125 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,210 So was Adriana was referring to in Chapter 7? 126 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:32,940 There is this moment where the people realize we've sinned and 127 00:07:32,950 --> 00:07:37,890 it's time to return to the Lord. And so there's this mass return 128 00:07:37,900 --> 00:07:39,550 to the Lord. They're they're getting rid of 129 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:44,790 their idols and they are now wholeheartedly devoted to God. 130 00:07:44,940 --> 00:07:48,830 And they assemble in Mizpah. This is Chapter 7 and the 131 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:54,330 Philistines, they get, they catch wind that that the, that 132 00:07:54,340 --> 00:07:57,630 the, that the people of Israel are all in this one place 133 00:07:57,700 --> 00:08:00,330 worshipping God there. There's a sacrifice, there's 134 00:08:00,340 --> 00:08:02,490 intercession going on. And they say this is a great 135 00:08:02,500 --> 00:08:07,460 opportunity to destroy them. And so they're, they're ready to 136 00:08:07,470 --> 00:08:14,680 pounce on Israel, but in the middle of the sacrifice, God 137 00:08:14,690 --> 00:08:21,010 actually, he he he he he he completely demolishes the, the, 138 00:08:21,020 --> 00:08:23,150 the Philistines. Just read it here in verse. 139 00:08:25,550 --> 00:08:30,790 Uh, verse 10 says while said this is Chapter 7, verse 10. 140 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,330 While, well, Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, 141 00:08:33,340 --> 00:08:35,760 the Philistines drew nearer to engage Israel in battle. 142 00:08:35,770 --> 00:08:39,240 But that day the Lord thundered with loud Thunder against the 143 00:08:39,250 --> 00:08:41,929 Philistines. Not sure what that actually 144 00:08:41,940 --> 00:08:46,350 means, but something happened and, and threw them into such a 145 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,930 panic that they were rooted, rooted before the Israelites. 146 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:56,570 And and so there's this this absolutely crystal clear example 147 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:00,540 of God get winning the battle for them. 148 00:09:00,550 --> 00:09:02,600 Victory was, was was was purchased for them. 149 00:09:02,610 --> 00:09:06,500 And then verse 12, it says, then Samuel took a stone and set it 150 00:09:06,510 --> 00:09:10,420 up between Miss Punchin and he named it Ebenezer, not Ebenezer 151 00:09:10,430 --> 00:09:14,100 Scrooge, but Ebenezer, which means the stone of help, stone 152 00:09:14,110 --> 00:09:16,840 of stone of our help. And it says he's saying, thus 153 00:09:16,850 --> 00:09:20,000 far the Lord has helped us. So there's this mass returning 154 00:09:20,010 --> 00:09:22,540 to God. There is a, a monument that is 155 00:09:22,550 --> 00:09:25,000 set up in recognition for what God has done. 156 00:09:25,090 --> 00:09:31,520 And then we get to chapter 8 and there's no, um, there's no 157 00:09:31,530 --> 00:09:36,820 mystery as to why the author puts these two chapters so close 158 00:09:36,830 --> 00:09:40,160 together. It's to reveal the tendency that 159 00:09:40,170 --> 00:09:46,140 we have in ourselves is to show us as great contrast between 160 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:51,910 where our hearts go and as well and as as the backdrop, the 161 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:55,500 graciousness of our God in the way that he responds. 162 00:09:55,810 --> 00:09:58,780 We just see the, you know, just the apostle Paul talks about 163 00:09:58,790 --> 00:10:03,080 the, in the, the, the, the immense patience of God for him 164 00:10:03,090 --> 00:10:05,320 as a Sinner, the way that he shows his mercy. 165 00:10:05,390 --> 00:10:07,780 And we see this displayed here in so many ways. 166 00:10:07,790 --> 00:10:10,260 So it's great for us to reflect on this. 167 00:10:10,270 --> 00:10:13,780 So we're going to read through chapter 8 and we're going to 168 00:10:13,790 --> 00:10:18,160 highlight a few ways really essentially our tendency. 169 00:10:18,170 --> 00:10:21,620 What does this show us about our tendency as human beings? 170 00:10:21,670 --> 00:10:27,430 So let's start in verse one. When Samuel grew old, he 171 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,340 appointed his sons as Israel's leaders. 172 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,230 The name of his first born was Joel and the name of his second 173 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:36,700 was Abuja and they served at Beersheba. 174 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:39,740 But his sons did not follow his ways. 175 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:47,340 I they, they turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted 176 00:10:47,350 --> 00:10:50,240 bribes and perverted justice. Just pause there for a minute. 177 00:10:50,390 --> 00:10:54,500 Here's Samuel, very godly man. I'm not sure exactly how he was 178 00:10:54,510 --> 00:10:56,990 as a parent, but he was a godly man. 179 00:10:57,170 --> 00:11:01,220 And still his sons did not follow the Lord. 180 00:11:02,190 --> 00:11:05,870 Our our children. There's no guarantee as we raise 181 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,810 our children in the ways of the Lord, no guarantee that they're 182 00:11:08,820 --> 00:11:10,290 going to follow, follow the Lord. 183 00:11:10,350 --> 00:11:13,820 And some of us may be feeling, you know, very guilty about what 184 00:11:13,830 --> 00:11:15,900 have we done or what have we failed to do. 185 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,950 We can do everything right and our kids are gonna make 186 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:23,100 decisions, right? Good example here. 187 00:11:23,700 --> 00:11:26,140 Keep going. So all the all the elders of 188 00:11:26,150 --> 00:11:30,010 Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Rama, and they 189 00:11:30,020 --> 00:11:34,530 said to him, you are old. That's that's quite a way to 190 00:11:34,540 --> 00:11:39,340 start a conversation and your sons do not follow your ways. 191 00:11:39,710 --> 00:11:43,640 Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations 192 00:11:43,650 --> 00:11:46,920 have. But when they said, give us a 193 00:11:46,930 --> 00:11:50,350 king to lead us, this displeased Samuel. 194 00:11:51,370 --> 00:11:56,420 So he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord told him, Listen to all 195 00:11:56,430 --> 00:11:57,890 that the people are saying to you. 196 00:11:58,890 --> 00:12:02,380 It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected 197 00:12:02,390 --> 00:12:07,100 me as their king, as they have done from the day I brought them 198 00:12:07,110 --> 00:12:10,320 out of Egypt until this day forsaken me and serving other 199 00:12:10,330 --> 00:12:16,310 gods. So they are doing to you verse 1 200 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:20,230 to 8. Our tendency is to reject God. 201 00:12:20,940 --> 00:12:23,370 We, we, we were just kind of look at what is our tendency. 202 00:12:23,380 --> 00:12:27,270 It is to reject God. Now I I wanna take a little bit 203 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,460 of extra time on this particular point. 204 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:35,380 When I hear that, I think I don't reject God, I love God. 205 00:12:35,990 --> 00:12:38,740 Does that? Does that sound familiar? 206 00:12:39,110 --> 00:12:42,800 Typically, if we're, if we're, if, if we're, if we have any 207 00:12:42,810 --> 00:12:46,600 desire at all to serve the Lord, it's like, no, I do not reject 208 00:12:46,610 --> 00:12:48,920 him. Well, that's exactly how the 209 00:12:48,930 --> 00:12:50,780 people of Israel thought of it as well. 210 00:12:50,790 --> 00:12:53,320 We're not rejecting God, we love God. 211 00:12:54,190 --> 00:12:59,050 We're just asking for a king and there's this subtle shift that 212 00:12:59,060 --> 00:13:04,150 has taken place here. There is a replacement going on 213 00:13:04,220 --> 00:13:10,250 where suddenly the even the God held in their lives was now 214 00:13:10,260 --> 00:13:11,840 being replaced by something else. 215 00:13:13,050 --> 00:13:18,220 So we look that right in, in Chapter 7, after watching God 216 00:13:19,090 --> 00:13:24,610 single handedly give them a victory, now they're now they're 217 00:13:24,620 --> 00:13:25,890 looking for another king to lead them. 218 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:28,900 God's led him to victory and now they're looking for another. 219 00:13:28,940 --> 00:13:31,890 There's a replacement going on. And, and the fact that this 220 00:13:31,900 --> 00:13:34,530 happens just just like that, just like a switch should tell 221 00:13:34,540 --> 00:13:37,050 us something about us, that we have a tendency, a natural 222 00:13:37,060 --> 00:13:41,370 tendency, propensity to reject God, to turn away from God, to 223 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:48,170 replace God with other things. What was going on for them? 224 00:13:49,210 --> 00:13:52,280 What was going on for them? If you, if you here they are, 225 00:13:52,350 --> 00:13:55,820 they're worshipping the Lord and the Philistines are creeping up 226 00:13:55,830 --> 00:13:58,350 on them. And in Chapter 7, it's like 227 00:13:58,390 --> 00:14:00,600 suddenly their weaknesses were exposed. 228 00:14:00,610 --> 00:14:03,940 Anything happened to you before in your life where you thought, 229 00:14:03,950 --> 00:14:06,260 man, you know what? I was a sitting duck there. 230 00:14:06,270 --> 00:14:08,400 And it was so lucky that I got out of that. 231 00:14:08,490 --> 00:14:10,980 So I have to make sure that that never happens to me again. 232 00:14:11,930 --> 00:14:14,350 This is kind of what's going on. They're trying to eliminate 233 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:16,160 their vulnerability, vulnerabilities. 234 00:14:16,170 --> 00:14:18,180 Now they're they had good reason to be anxious. 235 00:14:18,820 --> 00:14:21,570 And you know what? In this broken world, we all 236 00:14:21,580 --> 00:14:24,210 have very good reasons to be anxious. 237 00:14:24,340 --> 00:14:27,990 Think about it. In their case, Samuel, their 238 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:33,150 judge, their leader is getting really old and his sons aren't 239 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,680 following the Lord. And the Philistines are super 240 00:14:36,690 --> 00:14:40,460 strong and they are organized. What are we going to do? 241 00:14:42,390 --> 00:14:45,140 Yeah, we know God. God is sort of a pickle in 242 00:14:45,150 --> 00:14:46,900 Chapter 7. But here in Chattanooga now, 243 00:14:46,910 --> 00:14:50,040 today is a new day. We gotta figure this out. 244 00:14:50,110 --> 00:14:57,490 And so the requesting a king for stability, this king will unify 245 00:14:57,500 --> 00:14:59,610 us. A king is going to make us 246 00:14:59,660 --> 00:15:03,010 strong. He's gonna enable us to survive. 247 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,270 That's entirely reasonable. I get that. 248 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:08,110 Do you get that? I totally get that. 249 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:10,950 That's reasonable. That is logical. 250 00:15:11,380 --> 00:15:14,210 And that is absolutely, according to God, godless. 251 00:15:16,460 --> 00:15:18,700 Because where's God in the middle of all that? 252 00:15:20,050 --> 00:15:23,300 I think it's a really important thing for us to, to to ponder 253 00:15:23,310 --> 00:15:25,940 for a bit. There was a subtle shift that 254 00:15:25,950 --> 00:15:28,680 took place where they were leaning on God suddenly and 255 00:15:28,690 --> 00:15:31,960 realizing just acknowledging their dependence on God. 256 00:15:32,050 --> 00:15:33,880 And now they're leaning on something else. 257 00:15:33,890 --> 00:15:38,120 They're gonna lean on a king. They wanna lead, lead on a lean 258 00:15:38,130 --> 00:15:41,260 on a different king. But God is the true King. 259 00:15:43,490 --> 00:15:46,880 And this is what's communicated again and again in scripture. 260 00:15:46,970 --> 00:15:49,670 I love what Gideon. Gideon summarized it really well 261 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:54,310 in Judges chapter 8 after he won the victory over the Midianites. 262 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,800 The people came to him and said we want to make you the king, 263 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:03,490 and Gideon told them, he says I will not rule over you, nor will 264 00:16:03,500 --> 00:16:08,370 my sons rule over you. The Lord will rule over you. 265 00:16:09,270 --> 00:16:11,020 Why? Because he is the true King. 266 00:16:11,030 --> 00:16:15,780 The Lord is the true King. God has proved himself again and 267 00:16:15,790 --> 00:16:20,120 again and again throughout their history that He is dependable. 268 00:16:20,830 --> 00:16:25,460 He is the one that is raised up leaders in His name, and He's 269 00:16:25,470 --> 00:16:27,500 the one that has led them into battle. 270 00:16:27,510 --> 00:16:31,780 He's the one that has helped them with every decision and 271 00:16:31,790 --> 00:16:34,840 he's gonna get them out of it. And so for the people to say we 272 00:16:34,850 --> 00:16:40,540 want a king, it's like treason. We want to overthrow the current 273 00:16:40,550 --> 00:16:45,540 government, which is headed up by by the Lord God Almighty, the 274 00:16:45,550 --> 00:16:49,580 King of the universe. So it's it's quite a statement. 275 00:16:49,590 --> 00:16:53,200 Now, Deuteronomy chapter 17, we won't go there, but there's 276 00:16:53,210 --> 00:16:56,150 there's an allowance for in the future. 277 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:01,130 So this is in Moses time that there may be a need for a king. 278 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,730 And the way that it's spoken of is actually positive terms. 279 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:09,670 If the king, if it's done properly, it will be OK. 280 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:13,930 So the request for a king in an in and of itself is probably not 281 00:17:13,940 --> 00:17:20,130 so bad, but it's the motives that lay behind that request. 282 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:26,440 Suddenly what we're trusting in has shifted. 283 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:28,210 We're no longer trusting in the Lord. 284 00:17:28,220 --> 00:17:35,000 We're trusting in a king to look after all these things for us in 285 00:17:35,010 --> 00:17:36,500 Scripture gives us these warnings. 286 00:17:36,510 --> 00:17:42,470 Psalm 118 says it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to 287 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,130 trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in 288 00:17:46,140 --> 00:17:52,090 the Lord than to trust in Princess and some 146 verse 289 00:17:52,100 --> 00:17:57,110 three do not put your trust in Princess, in human beings who 290 00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:01,960 cannot save. Leadership is important. 291 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,710 It's important in a country, it's important in a community. 292 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:08,670 It's an important in the church. Leadership is absolutely 293 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:12,210 critical, but we need to be careful not to put so much trust 294 00:18:12,220 --> 00:18:17,270 in the leaders because why? Because they cannot save and 295 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:21,240 they are not flawless, they will fail us. 296 00:18:22,360 --> 00:18:25,150 And so often, even in the in the in the Christian Church, when 297 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:32,790 when very prominent and powerful and effective leaders fall, it's 298 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:36,410 crushing to the human spirit. And particularly so if that's 299 00:18:36,420 --> 00:18:41,000 where our hope is. Our hope is in one liter, my 300 00:18:41,010 --> 00:18:43,700 friends. And his name is Jesus Christ. 301 00:18:43,770 --> 00:18:46,710 He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords, and this is his 302 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:49,220 church. And we have to have our eyes 303 00:18:49,230 --> 00:18:54,860 focused on him and realize that a king, a Prime Minister, a 304 00:18:54,870 --> 00:18:58,300 ruler, a leader, an elder, a pastor, whatever that 305 00:18:58,310 --> 00:19:00,970 leadership, wherever that leadership is, they're going to 306 00:19:00,980 --> 00:19:05,050 disappoint us. And so as important as the gift 307 00:19:05,060 --> 00:19:09,380 of leadership is, it's not a replacement for the living God 308 00:19:09,390 --> 00:19:11,490 himself. And this is the point that's 309 00:19:11,500 --> 00:19:13,780 being made. You know, I, I, I just, I think 310 00:19:13,790 --> 00:19:20,420 about for myself where I have leaned in the past and continued 311 00:19:20,430 --> 00:19:24,120 to lean like, for example, other pastors who I deeply respect, 312 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:30,530 some of whom have disappointed me greatly and in, in, in those 313 00:19:30,540 --> 00:19:34,890 disappointments have shown me where is your, what are you 314 00:19:34,900 --> 00:19:36,820 leaning on, John? What? 315 00:19:36,830 --> 00:19:38,730 What? What are you trusting in? 316 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:41,860 Because every human being is going to fail us. 317 00:19:46,550 --> 00:19:50,690 Where are you leaning right now? Who are you leaning on? 318 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:56,090 Who are you trusting? Who you really putting your 319 00:19:56,100 --> 00:20:00,420 hopes in? Bless you. 320 00:20:01,140 --> 00:20:06,050 Definitely don't put it in me, and I know you're not, but think 321 00:20:06,060 --> 00:20:08,610 about the people in your life. Think about the things in your 322 00:20:08,620 --> 00:20:10,090 life. Where are you leaning? 323 00:20:10,100 --> 00:20:12,920 Where is your hope place? What are you trusting in? 324 00:20:13,630 --> 00:20:17,540 Consider that deeply and make sure that our eyes are put on 325 00:20:17,550 --> 00:20:20,870 the Lord. He is the King of glory. 326 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:26,330 So first tendency is to reject. Let's look at verse 9. 327 00:20:28,390 --> 00:20:31,920 Continue on here. So this is the Lord speaking to 328 00:20:31,930 --> 00:20:33,790 Sam, who says now listen to them. 329 00:20:34,660 --> 00:20:36,950 So they've asked for a king. He says now listen to them, but 330 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,670 warn them solemnly, and let them know what the king who will 331 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:42,930 reign over them will claim as his rights. 332 00:20:44,030 --> 00:20:46,620 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were 333 00:20:46,630 --> 00:20:50,890 asking him for a king. He said this is what the king 334 00:20:50,900 --> 00:20:53,270 who will reign over you will claim as his rights. 335 00:20:53,340 --> 00:20:56,970 He will take your sons and make them serve with his Chariots and 336 00:20:56,980 --> 00:20:59,590 horses, and they will run in front of his Chariots. 337 00:21:00,940 --> 00:21:03,510 Some he will sign to be commanders of thousands and 338 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:07,760 commanders of 50s, and others to plow his ground and reap his 339 00:21:07,770 --> 00:21:10,910 harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and 340 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:13,890 equipment for his Chariots. He will take your daughters to 341 00:21:13,900 --> 00:21:16,180 be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 342 00:21:16,490 --> 00:21:19,920 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive 343 00:21:19,930 --> 00:21:21,760 Groves and give them to his attendants. 344 00:21:22,070 --> 00:21:25,680 He will take a tenth of your grain and your and of your 345 00:21:25,690 --> 00:21:29,170 vintage and give it to his officials in attendance. 346 00:21:29,370 --> 00:21:32,630 Your mail and female servants, and the best of your cattle and 347 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:34,620 donkeys, he will take for his own use. 348 00:21:35,470 --> 00:21:38,800 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will 349 00:21:38,810 --> 00:21:42,420 become as slaves. When that day comes, you will 350 00:21:42,430 --> 00:21:46,640 cry out for relief from the King you have chosen, but the Lord 351 00:21:46,650 --> 00:21:52,550 will not answer you in that day. But verse 19, the people refused 352 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,230 to listen to Samuel. No, they said. 353 00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:03,970 We want a king over us. A second propensity. 354 00:22:03,980 --> 00:22:08,220 A second tendency that we have is to ignore wisdom. 355 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,730 It's to ignore wisdom. The Lord gives a very stern and 356 00:22:13,740 --> 00:22:19,890 clear warning through Samuel to the people, and yet they resist. 357 00:22:21,710 --> 00:22:24,180 They're gonna tax. You know, for those of us who 358 00:22:24,190 --> 00:22:27,580 are actually should be, almost all of us, maybe the exception 359 00:22:27,590 --> 00:22:29,480 of a few, are doing taxes right now. 360 00:22:29,490 --> 00:22:31,040 It's tax season. We remember. 361 00:22:31,050 --> 00:22:33,240 Hey, this is what's gotta be going to the government. 362 00:22:33,290 --> 00:22:36,040 Some of us are really upset about that, right? 363 00:22:36,350 --> 00:22:42,710 Yeah, the warning is given the the the the people at that time, 364 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:44,490 they enjoyed incredible freedoms. 365 00:22:44,500 --> 00:22:47,350 And now if you put a king in that, in that, in that position, 366 00:22:47,420 --> 00:22:51,050 this is what's going to happen. And you see, you see the 367 00:22:51,060 --> 00:22:53,720 arguments on both sides of the political fence going on here, 368 00:22:53,730 --> 00:22:56,010 right? Like, I mean, the, the, the, the 369 00:22:56,020 --> 00:23:00,170 conservatives are are kind of kind of harping at the liberals 370 00:23:00,180 --> 00:23:04,330 for their heavy taxation of the people, like stop interfering in 371 00:23:04,340 --> 00:23:07,310 our lives, right? And then, but you also have the, 372 00:23:07,370 --> 00:23:10,470 the, the liberals who are down on the conservatives for 373 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,630 investing so much money in the war machine where it should be 374 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:16,490 placed in social programs for people, right? 375 00:23:16,500 --> 00:23:19,290 All of it's right here. You're getting all of that stuff 376 00:23:19,300 --> 00:23:22,410 right here. Huge warning. 377 00:23:22,420 --> 00:23:25,950 No, no notice. Notice how many times the word 378 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:30,190 take shows up in these scriptures in in these in these 379 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:32,150 verses. Like 6 times in the NIV. 380 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:36,330 I think in other translations as well, there's a lot of taking 381 00:23:36,340 --> 00:23:38,770 going on. The king is gonna take, take, 382 00:23:38,780 --> 00:23:44,730 take and not giving a whole lot in return that at least taking 383 00:23:44,740 --> 00:23:45,960 more than he's going to be giving. 384 00:23:46,190 --> 00:23:52,690 So warning, what's the response? No, we still want to king. 385 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:59,510 They've heard it, but no, now that no is pretty significant is 386 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,630 if you remember back to chapter 3, verse 19. 387 00:24:05,090 --> 00:24:07,520 This is the this is the, this is the statement that it makes 388 00:24:07,530 --> 00:24:09,940 about Sam. It says the Lord was with Samuel 389 00:24:09,950 --> 00:24:14,630 as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the 390 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,900 ground. In other words, Samuel was 391 00:24:17,940 --> 00:24:22,660 faithful in delivering the Word of God to the people, and here 392 00:24:22,670 --> 00:24:27,230 he is in chapter 8, delivering the word of God to the people. 393 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:38,270 And they say no, ignoring the wisdom, and they're gonna cry 394 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:40,610 out in verse 18. When that day comes, you will 395 00:24:40,620 --> 00:24:45,600 cry out from leaf relief, not from your enemies, but from your 396 00:24:45,610 --> 00:24:49,690 king. And we see this full blown in in 397 00:24:49,700 --> 00:24:52,970 Solomon's reign, actually. I mean, it's just a train wreck 398 00:24:52,980 --> 00:24:54,830 of a history with the kings in Israel. 399 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:57,450 But even Solomon, the people were crying out because they 400 00:24:57,460 --> 00:25:00,210 were being oppressed. This was not too not too far 401 00:25:00,220 --> 00:25:06,680 after this this event. So I think about this for 402 00:25:06,690 --> 00:25:14,470 myself. How prone I am to resist wisdom, 403 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:21,570 to ignore wisdom. You know, I, I think in pastoral 404 00:25:21,580 --> 00:25:26,050 ministry, some of the, some of the moves that I have made have 405 00:25:26,060 --> 00:25:30,900 been moves that I've made that were kind of away from the 406 00:25:30,910 --> 00:25:35,770 ministry of Jesus, that I saw other people doing things that 407 00:25:35,780 --> 00:25:38,820 seem to like other pastors and other ministries that hey, you 408 00:25:38,830 --> 00:25:40,980 know what that looks like that's effective. 409 00:25:42,670 --> 00:25:46,980 And the wisdom from the word became less important to me then 410 00:25:46,990 --> 00:25:49,160 the results that I was seeing in the world. 411 00:25:49,250 --> 00:25:53,320 And how often is that the case for us, huh, where we're kind of 412 00:25:53,330 --> 00:26:00,190 lured away and we think we've got a better way than what God 413 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,950 has given to us? It's like, no, Lord, I think I 414 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:06,170 got, I think I got a better way. I've got a better way. 415 00:26:06,180 --> 00:26:10,400 And my ears are just deaf to it. That is, that is a 416 00:26:10,410 --> 00:26:14,220 characteristic of the human heart is summarized in in 417 00:26:14,230 --> 00:26:18,780 Proverbs chapter 12 says the way of fools seems right to them, 418 00:26:19,090 --> 00:26:25,360 but the wise listen to advice. We get stuff in our mind and 419 00:26:25,370 --> 00:26:28,080 it's like, yeah, this is the way to go. 420 00:26:28,090 --> 00:26:32,110 And we will not hear anything. We won't will not hear the word. 421 00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:34,430 The the, the, the, the, the the voice of wisdom. 422 00:26:35,590 --> 00:26:40,300 And yet Scripture is continuing to speak to us, to depend on 423 00:26:40,310 --> 00:26:42,060 that wisdom. We need to be people that are 424 00:26:42,070 --> 00:26:44,990 teachable. We need to be willing to learn 425 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,310 and to cry out to God for that heart. 426 00:26:47,580 --> 00:26:53,510 That is a teachable heart. Let's keep moving last few 427 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:57,270 verses back to verse 19. But the people refused to listen 428 00:26:57,280 --> 00:26:59,070 to Samuel. No, they said. 429 00:26:59,140 --> 00:27:04,240 We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the 430 00:27:04,250 --> 00:27:08,970 other nations, with a king to lead us, and to go out before us 431 00:27:08,980 --> 00:27:13,020 and fight our battles. When Samuel heard all that the 432 00:27:13,030 --> 00:27:15,060 people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 433 00:27:15,130 --> 00:27:18,640 The Lord answered, Listen to them and give them a king. 434 00:27:19,010 --> 00:27:22,000 Very gracious. Then Samuel said to the 435 00:27:22,010 --> 00:27:27,740 Israelites, Everybody go back to your own town in the motive had 436 00:27:27,750 --> 00:27:30,940 some recommendations as to who that king might be, but Samuel 437 00:27:30,950 --> 00:27:33,810 just kind of cuts the agenda short and says, everybody back 438 00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:37,000 to your hotel, right? I gotta be a I gotta be bringing 439 00:27:37,010 --> 00:27:40,110 this before the Lord. What's this last tendency? 440 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:42,200 Last tendency is just to avoid holiness. 441 00:27:44,780 --> 00:27:52,170 To avoid holiness? No, we want a king over us. 442 00:27:52,220 --> 00:27:57,340 Then we will be like all the other nations that desire to be 443 00:27:57,350 --> 00:28:00,100 like all the other nations back in verse 5. 444 00:28:00,410 --> 00:28:05,740 Is is is is very similar When when they when they said give us 445 00:28:05,750 --> 00:28:09,550 a king to lead us. Nope, Sorry. 446 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:14,520 Back up a little bit. Verse five Yeah, um, appoint a 447 00:28:14,530 --> 00:28:17,490 king to lead us, such as all the other nations have. 448 00:28:17,500 --> 00:28:23,100 This is this desire to be like like the people around us, not 449 00:28:23,110 --> 00:28:29,180 wholly set apart, unique as God has created us to be, but to be 450 00:28:29,190 --> 00:28:33,080 like everybody else. We want to copy what we see 451 00:28:33,090 --> 00:28:36,040 around us. There's no regard here at all 452 00:28:36,050 --> 00:28:40,960 for the holiness of the leader. Notice right, will be like all 453 00:28:40,970 --> 00:28:44,700 the other nations with a king to lead us and to go out before us 454 00:28:44,710 --> 00:28:47,420 and fight our battles. What is the what is the primary 455 00:28:47,490 --> 00:28:49,370 character quality of that leader? 456 00:28:49,380 --> 00:28:51,610 That they've got to be fearless in the battle. 457 00:28:51,730 --> 00:28:54,960 That military, military strength is what we were after. 458 00:28:54,970 --> 00:28:58,390 But of course, there's so much more to what lead good 459 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:00,180 leadership is there. They weren't concerned about 460 00:29:00,190 --> 00:29:02,740 godly leadership. They just wanted to survive the 461 00:29:02,750 --> 00:29:08,120 Philistines and never do we see in their own strength or they 462 00:29:08,130 --> 00:29:11,180 are capable of doing that. It's only the the Lord who is 463 00:29:11,190 --> 00:29:13,460 his working victory for them in that regard. 464 00:29:14,940 --> 00:29:19,710 So there's always this pressure, right, to kind of be up with 465 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:22,590 everybody else, kind of keep up with the people that are around 466 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:25,730 us, keep up with the times. It's like, guys, you know, this 467 00:29:25,740 --> 00:29:28,970 is the Stone Age, right? Or actually, it's not the Stone 468 00:29:28,980 --> 00:29:30,070 Age. This is the Iron Age. 469 00:29:30,130 --> 00:29:33,390 You know, let's keep up with with with the conventions of our 470 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:35,750 day. And we're no different, right 471 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:39,250 that that pressure is always there. 472 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,690 Romans 12/2 reminds us, do not conform to the pattern of this 473 00:29:45,700 --> 00:29:49,380 world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 474 00:29:51,770 --> 00:29:54,700 Don't be conformed to the pattern of this world. 475 00:29:55,740 --> 00:29:59,170 That pressure is always going to be there, and we need to remain 476 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:03,370 steadfast. If you're a follower of Jesus 477 00:30:03,380 --> 00:30:08,180 Christ, if you've received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have 478 00:30:08,190 --> 00:30:12,810 entered into the family of God and that you are special, you 479 00:30:12,820 --> 00:30:17,310 are anointed, you have been chosen, you have been set apart 480 00:30:17,380 --> 00:30:22,000 to be different from the world. You are now a representative of 481 00:30:22,010 --> 00:30:28,130 heaven itself and the King of Kings to reflect His beauty, His 482 00:30:28,140 --> 00:30:31,850 Majesty, His purity to the world. 483 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:38,200 And so we have to resist that temptation to kind of throw away 484 00:30:38,210 --> 00:30:42,320 that incredibly special status that we have as his people and 485 00:30:42,330 --> 00:30:45,140 to be able to stand firm and be OK with being different in this 486 00:30:45,150 --> 00:30:48,780 world. You know, there's there's a lot 487 00:30:48,790 --> 00:30:53,700 of lot of effort put in to trying to be different from 488 00:30:53,710 --> 00:30:56,530 everybody else. But in a sense, we're all just 489 00:30:56,540 --> 00:31:01,620 the same. But it's God's chosen people. 490 00:31:01,670 --> 00:31:05,200 We are a peculiar people. We are meant to be different. 491 00:31:05,270 --> 00:31:10,700 We stand out because we are in some ways revealing a piece of 492 00:31:10,710 --> 00:31:13,600 heaven to this earth, and we never want to throw that away. 493 00:31:13,790 --> 00:31:15,930 That's why holiness is such an important thing. 494 00:31:16,930 --> 00:31:20,820 It's not a not a popular word today, but it's something we 495 00:31:20,830 --> 00:31:25,020 need to continue to, to bring into the middle of our lives. 496 00:31:25,930 --> 00:31:29,500 You know, I just just think of the the pull in my own life to 497 00:31:29,510 --> 00:31:34,150 do things the way that other successful organizations do that 498 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:38,540 are following worldly kind of worldly patterns. 499 00:31:38,590 --> 00:31:42,080 And we can learn a lot from anybody, but when it pulls us 500 00:31:42,090 --> 00:31:47,610 away from our distinctiveness, distinctiveness as a church, we 501 00:31:47,620 --> 00:31:52,700 know that we're losing ground. And so very seriously, we need 502 00:31:52,710 --> 00:31:56,230 to consider this. How are we going to bring purity 503 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:59,200 that the holiness into the things that we're doing, into 504 00:31:59,210 --> 00:32:02,610 the leisure activities that we're committed to, what we're 505 00:32:02,620 --> 00:32:09,270 watching on the tube, the way that we're conversing with other 506 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,530 people, the kind of conversations that we have, 507 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:15,650 resisting those temptations, that temptation to gossip and to 508 00:32:15,660 --> 00:32:17,860 kind of operate the way that the world does. 509 00:32:19,340 --> 00:32:23,250 Think of just the the kind of, you know, the kind of 510 00:32:23,260 --> 00:32:27,950 relationships, the way that we relate to one another, keeping 511 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:31,710 pure in our relationships, in our marriages, to be sure, but 512 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:35,890 also dating relationships, etcetera, staying pure before 513 00:32:35,900 --> 00:32:39,790 the Lord and even the way that we treat the less fortunate. 514 00:32:41,300 --> 00:32:45,690 There's a holiness demands of us something different than the 515 00:32:45,700 --> 00:32:49,270 world, the way that the world thinks and the way the world 516 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:52,440 operates. So the Lord is is is leading us 517 00:32:52,450 --> 00:32:56,100 into we need to resist that flow of our culture and to swim 518 00:32:56,110 --> 00:32:59,350 against the current. That's the call that was been 519 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:04,490 placed in our lives. So that's our tendency. 520 00:33:05,530 --> 00:33:10,140 How is the Lord respond to this? I, I just thought I'd be well 521 00:33:10,150 --> 00:33:13,760 worthwhile that just despite, despite our rebellion, despite 522 00:33:13,770 --> 00:33:17,720 our folly, despite our ingratitude, all of this kind of 523 00:33:17,730 --> 00:33:23,330 stuff, God stays faithful, gracious, kind through it all. 524 00:33:24,250 --> 00:33:27,090 I mean, just just notice the way that he deals with Samuel. 525 00:33:27,100 --> 00:33:29,430 This is, this is fascinating to me. 526 00:33:29,630 --> 00:33:33,080 Samuel's miffed that the people wanted another king. 527 00:33:34,050 --> 00:33:36,320 Give us a king. It's like, aren't I good enough, 528 00:33:36,390 --> 00:33:39,760 right? He's displeased over this, so 529 00:33:39,770 --> 00:33:43,730 it's an affront to him. But interesting that Samuel had 530 00:33:43,740 --> 00:33:48,460 already appointed his sons as leaders, that that had never 531 00:33:48,470 --> 00:33:51,680 happened before. God raised up judges. 532 00:33:52,010 --> 00:33:55,180 It wasn't natural that the sons would be appointed, but Samuel 533 00:33:55,190 --> 00:33:58,600 had already appointed his sons. It's almost like he was leaning 534 00:33:58,610 --> 00:34:01,700 toward kingship himself. It's almost like he said, OK, 535 00:34:01,710 --> 00:34:04,500 you know, he, he was actually following a pattern that he's 536 00:34:04,510 --> 00:34:06,880 rebuking God's people for following. 537 00:34:06,890 --> 00:34:10,719 This is what we do, right? As leaders, as parents, as as, 538 00:34:10,730 --> 00:34:14,400 as, as, as Christian leaders, no matter what we say, no, don't do 539 00:34:14,409 --> 00:34:16,199 that. But we're doing it ourselves, 540 00:34:16,270 --> 00:34:18,219 right? That's kind of what's been 541 00:34:18,230 --> 00:34:22,510 happening with Samuel, but God doesn't pin him to the wall. 542 00:34:23,150 --> 00:34:25,489 He's gracious and he comes along. 543 00:34:25,500 --> 00:34:27,409 Samuel, when he says, hey, you know what? 544 00:34:27,650 --> 00:34:31,530 It's not against you the rejecting me. 545 00:34:32,770 --> 00:34:35,560 They're rejecting me. You just stands in the gap there 546 00:34:35,630 --> 00:34:38,040 and speaks this word of encouragement to Samuel's 547 00:34:38,050 --> 00:34:42,590 powerful, powerful. And then the people who are, you 548 00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:45,030 know, doing their thing. God gives them this gracious 549 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:48,080 warning because He wants to keep them liberated from oppression, 550 00:34:48,710 --> 00:34:52,489 and they refuse. So God says, hey, let's give him 551 00:34:52,530 --> 00:34:53,790 Samuel. Give them a king. 552 00:34:54,070 --> 00:34:57,650 We're gonna do this. We're going to let them see 553 00:34:58,750 --> 00:35:02,380 sometimes we a good leadership is we're, we're just gonna let 554 00:35:02,390 --> 00:35:05,440 this play out what the people want and they're gonna learn 555 00:35:05,450 --> 00:35:08,130 something from this. But even in the middle of it, 556 00:35:08,140 --> 00:35:13,950 God is doing he just, it's always the most kind thing that 557 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:16,190 he can do. Do you know how many prayers 558 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:18,780 that you've prayed that God has not answered and that we should 559 00:35:18,790 --> 00:35:21,920 be celebrating? I think some of the things that 560 00:35:21,930 --> 00:35:24,670 I've really wanted and have prayed for and I look back and 561 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:27,470 think, oh man, if he answered that prayer, I'd be toast. 562 00:35:28,870 --> 00:35:33,040 He is so gracious. Everything that he does do every 563 00:35:33,050 --> 00:35:34,740 good and perfect gift comes from above. 564 00:35:34,750 --> 00:35:40,130 He's always looking out for our good and he's always at work and 565 00:35:40,140 --> 00:35:43,780 he's still gonna be at work. He's gonna give them a king and 566 00:35:43,790 --> 00:35:47,090 he's gonna work through the kingship model. 567 00:35:48,300 --> 00:35:50,100 He he's in, he's in complete control. 568 00:35:50,110 --> 00:35:54,310 That last scripture, I'll just point out Psalm 132, and this is 569 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:59,450 a promise given to David, says one of your own descendants I 570 00:35:59,460 --> 00:36:03,480 will place on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant 571 00:36:03,490 --> 00:36:07,520 and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your 572 00:36:07,530 --> 00:36:10,530 throne forever and ever. Beautiful promise. 573 00:36:11,790 --> 00:36:16,070 So Saul, we're gonna read his sons. 574 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:21,510 Don't assume the throne, David. His sons start to, but there's a 575 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:26,950 huge interruption in that. Ultimately, one of David's sons, 576 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:30,230 one of his descendants, does ascend to the throne and his 577 00:36:30,240 --> 00:36:33,720 name is Jesus. And that's why it's so important 578 00:36:33,730 --> 00:36:38,230 that we know that the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, took 579 00:36:38,240 --> 00:36:42,970 on flesh in the midst of all of our mess, all of our rebellion, 580 00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:46,690 all of our ignorance toward wisdom and avoidance of 581 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:49,230 holiness. Pure holiness has come to meet 582 00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:54,680 us in Jesus Christ. He's despised and he is rejected 583 00:36:56,780 --> 00:37:01,240 and he's crucified. And through that rejection we 584 00:37:01,250 --> 00:37:05,080 gain an acceptance into the family of God. 585 00:37:05,090 --> 00:37:06,930 I mean, it's just, it's just unbelievable when you think 586 00:37:06,940 --> 00:37:12,590 about it, the cross, the cross. It's, it's, it's foolishness to 587 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:14,290 the Greeks. It's a stumbling block to the 588 00:37:14,300 --> 00:37:17,130 Jews, but it's the wisdom of God. 589 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:24,940 And so we say, Lord, thank you, thank you, Lord, who can stand 590 00:37:24,950 --> 00:37:27,750 against the Lord Almighty? We sang that this morning. 591 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:30,630 Who can stand against the Lord of mighty? 592 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:35,530 Nobody can stand even in the midst of our horrific decisions 593 00:37:35,860 --> 00:37:40,370 in the in the midst of of course, that is completely going 594 00:37:40,380 --> 00:37:43,340 the wrong direction. God is at work and I think this 595 00:37:43,350 --> 00:37:47,130 is something give us great hope. He is the ruler of all and he 596 00:37:47,140 --> 00:37:50,180 cares about us so much. And then if your life feels like 597 00:37:50,190 --> 00:37:53,050 a train wreck, or if you feel like it's off the rails or maybe 598 00:37:53,060 --> 00:37:55,970 you're going the wrong direction, you can pause right 599 00:37:55,980 --> 00:38:00,560 now and rest in the fact that God has got you. 600 00:38:00,700 --> 00:38:07,380 Acknowledge him, return to Him, do an about face with him and he 601 00:38:07,390 --> 00:38:10,520 is going to be magnified through your life. 602 00:38:15,390 --> 00:38:19,770 A hymn This is my father's world. 603 00:38:19,820 --> 00:38:22,540 Many of us know that that that old him just gonna read to you 604 00:38:22,550 --> 00:38:27,550 the last couple stanzas multi Babcock is the the writer of the 605 00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:30,410 poem originally and was published after his death in 606 00:38:30,420 --> 00:38:31,670 1901. Listen to this. 607 00:38:31,720 --> 00:38:36,810 This is my Father's world, so let me never forget that though 608 00:38:36,820 --> 00:38:43,420 the wrong seems often so strong. God is the ruler, yet this is my 609 00:38:43,430 --> 00:38:46,920 Father's world. Why should my heart be sad? 610 00:38:47,330 --> 00:38:51,360 He is the King. Let heaven sing, and let the 611 00:38:51,370 --> 00:38:57,850 earth be glad. Father in Heaven, we declare the 612 00:38:57,860 --> 00:39:02,940 truth that you are our King, You are our Lord. 613 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:06,000 Forgive us where we have not acknowledged that. 614 00:39:06,010 --> 00:39:08,700 Forgive us, Lord, where we have rejected you and we have looked 615 00:39:08,710 --> 00:39:13,030 for replacements where we know where our hearts take us. 616 00:39:13,290 --> 00:39:17,880 Cleanse us now. Wake us up to this truth and 617 00:39:17,890 --> 00:39:23,340 lead us in that path of receiving your wisdom into 618 00:39:23,350 --> 00:39:28,170 living lives of holiness that your greatness would be made 619 00:39:28,180 --> 00:39:32,460 known on this earth, for we pray in Jesus name, Amen.