1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:05,560 Well, good morning. I'm so grateful for you guys 2 00:00:05,560 --> 00:00:07,760 over here saying good morning. Good morning. 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:12,000 I have the rest of you. It's great to be with you. 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,560 My name is Andrew Evans, I'm one of the pastors here. 5 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:18,800 Let me invite you to open up your Bibles to First Samuel 6 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:22,760 Chapter 9, our passage today. Thank you, Matthew for reading. 7 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:28,760 Our passage is what Matthew read as well as the second-half of 8 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:30,880 the chapter and then the first half of the next chapter. 9 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:34,680 So it's a really long passage. We are going to, we'll look at 10 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,920 the entire passage, but I'm actually going to read this, the 11 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,280 middle part in the last bit during the sermon. 12 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,720 So it'll be really helpful for you to have your Bibles open so 13 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:45,120 that we can look at this together. 14 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:54,800 Before we get started. Let me pray for us, Father, I 15 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,240 praise you and I thank you for your love for us and the way 16 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:06,280 that you call us to join you in your work in the world, a work 17 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:11,480 that began before us and includes us and will continue 18 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:13,440 after us. So I pray that you would this 19 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:19,240 morning help us to see you and to see your work more clearly 20 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:23,720 and our call to it. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen. 21 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:32,080 So my sons are of the age where we discussed the, the life and 22 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:36,800 work of Spider man a lot. And we have a book that has sort 23 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:38,480 of the origin story of Spider Man. 24 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,080 And maybe you know the story. There's Peter Parker, you know, 25 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,000 he's, you know, good looking guy, athletic, but he's just a 26 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,160 normal guy, right? He likes school, works at the 27 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:53,080 newspaper, very normal things. And then one day, fate 28 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,760 intervenes with him, and he fate intervenes in the form of a 29 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,080 radioactive spider who bites him. 30 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,720 And then all of a sudden he has these superpowers. 31 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:08,160 And with great power comes great responsibility. 32 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:14,200 And so he he has this calling now because of the way that his 33 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,320 life is suddenly changed. He has this calling to go off 34 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,840 and fight the bad guys. It's a it's a, it's a 35 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,560 traditional narrative arc in certain ways, right? 36 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:30,560 So you have, you know, a normal guy, sudden transformation and 37 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:35,600 then his life is called up into this great grand story. 38 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:38,320 And this is not original to Spider Man. 39 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,520 It's you see it in so many different books, in different 40 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:43,480 movies. You see it in Star Wars, right? 41 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:47,360 Luke Skywalker, just a normal guy, had a rough life and he 42 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,840 gets called up into this big grand galactic story. 43 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:55,240 Harry Potter has it in its way. Lord of the Rings has it, 44 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,360 particularly with Sam Wise Gangi, I see that head nodding. 45 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,400 Oh yeah, Chronicles of Narnia has it. 46 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,760 This family, these kids, they're just trying, trying to not get 47 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:09,840 bombed, and they end up in Narnia and pulled into this, 48 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,040 this amazing story. Their lives are called up. 49 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:19,600 And the story of Saul actually has that same narrative arc as 50 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:21,800 well. This passage here is our 51 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:23,600 introduction to the person of, of Saul. 52 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:27,280 And we have been primed to expect a king first. 53 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,520 The last, last verse of the previous chapter, the Lord said 54 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,000 to Samuel, obey their voice and make them a king. 55 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,920 OK, so I guess we're going to meet our king here, right? 56 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:40,440 But as, as we as we meet Saul, we should be a little bit 57 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,800 confused. He's the son of a rich man. 58 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,200 That seems pretty standard in politics, right? 59 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:49,960 He's tall and handsome. It really makes a point of that 60 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:52,760 again, that that checks out, I guess. 61 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,520 But that's in in a way, it seems like all that he has going for 62 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,600 him at this point. He's from Benjamin, which is 63 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:06,680 this little rebellious tribe He and then he there's the story of 64 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:08,760 the donkeys that just keep keeps going. 65 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:16,760 And he seems in this story to be just so utterly unexceptional. 66 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,120 He's so normal. His dad has lost his donkey. 67 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:22,760 Saul faithfully goes to find them. 68 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,600 And for days he's just out there searching for them. 69 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,720 He never actually finds them. It doesn't seem like in this 70 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:33,440 story. He's just flummoxed. 71 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,840 He may be a handsome guy, but things just don't seem to work 72 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:40,080 out for him. Verse 4, they go through 73 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,200 Ephraim, Shalisha. They did not find them. 74 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,360 They pass through Shalim, but the donkeys aren't there. 75 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:47,520 They pass through their home territory of Benjamin. 76 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:50,520 They're not there either. Where are these donkeys? 77 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:56,760 So we're set up to expect this new king of Israel. 78 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:01,280 But this man isn't showing the the ingenuity or the insight 79 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:05,360 that we would expect from the next king of Israel. 80 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:09,520 And since this is the Bible and since these are, is this Israel, 81 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:12,200 the people of God, we would expect, you know, a modicum of 82 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,800 piety as well. Like at least he's, you know, 83 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:17,760 doing like George Washington and those little cutouts, right? 84 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:19,760 He's like kneeling there at the cross praying. 85 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,880 He doesn't do that. He doesn't, he doesn't do 86 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:25,600 anything. He, they wander near the great 87 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:27,840 prophet Samuel. He doesn't think to talk to go 88 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:31,760 talk to Samuel. It's a servant. 89 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,640 His this guy who's with him who says, why don't we go talk to 90 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:36,680 this guy? And it doesn't seem like he 91 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:40,640 actually knows who Samuel is in the 1st place. 92 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:43,240 Like a little later, they run into him and be like, hey, do 93 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,480 you know where Samuel is? And Sammy was like, it's me. 94 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:51,560 I'm the guy you're looking for. So so here's here's Saul. 95 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:58,080 He's tall, he's handsome. He's a loyal son working for his 96 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,600 dad family business, sent out on a mundane task. 97 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,600 And he's just frustrated at every turn. 98 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:10,280 Doesn't seem very religious. In other words, Saul is in so 99 00:06:10,280 --> 00:06:15,600 many ways a normal guy. Just a normal guy may hasten 100 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,520 have some good looks, some money behind him, but he's not 101 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:20,920 changing the world. He's not setting the world on 102 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:22,880 fire. He's just trying to make it 103 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,960 through life, love his family, deal, deal with his 104 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,720 responsibilities, no matter how frustrating the they are. 105 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:36,280 Saul is a normal guy. And in this way, the story 106 00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:40,520 invites us to see ourselves in Seoul. 107 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,080 Now, maybe you're just making your way through life. 108 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,320 You're trying to take care of your family, do right by your 109 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,120 responsibilities. Not everything falls into place 110 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,280 for you. You struggle like boiler won't 111 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:55,120 turn on. I don't know why it won't turn 112 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,080 on. I'm struggling. 113 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:00,200 And you just don't. Don't think of yourself as 114 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:06,040 particularly religious. Our story meets us today in our 115 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:13,520 ordinary lives and invites us to see God's extraordinary call on 116 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,480 all of us. Saul is just a normal guy, but 117 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:23,120 God calls him up into a much bigger story, one that's more 118 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:28,080 majestic, one that's more grand than any fantasy novel, any 119 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:30,320 movie. And the same is true for us. 120 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:38,320 God calls us ordinary people into his grand, majestic story 121 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:43,080 of redeeming the world. So we first get a hint, 122 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,400 actually, that something bigger is happening when Saul and his 123 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,720 helper walk up to the city and they meet these young women 124 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,640 coming out to draw water. And it's this, this little 125 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:56,360 detail of the women like he, the writer doesn't have to tell us 126 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:58,600 that they're going out to draw water, but it's this little 127 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,240 detail that actually is really a clue there. 128 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:04,360 It's here for a reason. When you hear of women drawing 129 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:08,880 water in the Bible, you should start listening for wedding 130 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:12,480 bells. Think about it. 131 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:14,720 Engagements happened to women at wells. 132 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:19,920 Abraham's servant finds his son Isaac a wife at a well. 133 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:25,360 Isaac's son Jacob finds a wife at a well. 134 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:32,559 Moses finds a wife at a well. At the college I went to, 135 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:38,840 there's a well. People get engaged at Wells. 136 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:42,120 And so when we hear of these women coming out to draw water, 137 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:46,680 it's like the bridesmaids are walking down the aisle of the 138 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:49,960 church and we're looking for the bride. 139 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:51,760 Where is she? And so we're to ask the 140 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,160 question, is Saul about to get married? 141 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:58,520 And as we go on, this theme will actually develop. 142 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,560 There will be a feast. He will sit at the place of 143 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,320 honor at the feast. I'll have a bed made for him. 144 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,800 But the idea isn't that he's marrying a woman per SE, but 145 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,680 rather than God is calling him into a covenantal relationship 146 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,640 with God's people, to lead them and to defend them. 147 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:26,480 God is calling Saul, our normal guy, into something greater, 148 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:32,320 something higher, something grander than just hurting 149 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,360 donkeys. So let's look at the specifics 150 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:39,000 here of God's call to Saul in our passage. 151 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,280 So turn with me back in your Bibles to first Samuel Chapter 152 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:43,960 9. I think it's on page 216 and 153 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:51,680 2:17, and we will read together starting at verse 16, showing 154 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:53,960 verse 15. Actually, now the day before 155 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,040 Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel. 156 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:01,360 Tomorrow about this time, I will send to you a man from the land 157 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:05,480 of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be Prince over my 158 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,400 people Israel. He shall save my people from the 159 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,160 hand of the Philistines, for I have seen my people, because 160 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:17,120 their cry has come to me. When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord 161 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,640 told him, Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. 162 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:23,040 It is he, he it is who shall restrain my people. 163 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:26,800 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, Tell me, 164 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:32,160 where is the House of the seer? Samuel answered Saul, I am the 165 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:34,920 seer. Go up before me to the high 166 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,360 place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I 167 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,280 will let you go, and we'll tell you all that is on your mind. 168 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,920 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set 169 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:47,000 your mind on them, for they have been found. 170 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:50,400 And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? 171 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:52,800 Is it not for you and for all your father's house? 172 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:56,600 Saul answered. Am I not a Benjaminite from the 173 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,920 least of the tribes of Israel? And it's not my clan, the 174 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:02,520 humblest of all the clans of the tribes of Benjamin. 175 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:05,600 Why then have you spoken to me in this way? 176 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,400 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into 177 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,560 the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those who had 178 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:16,280 been invited, who were about 30 persons. 179 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:20,080 And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion I gave you, of 180 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:21,760 which I said to you, Put it aside. 181 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,520 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it, and set them 182 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:29,040 before Saul. And Samuel said, See, what was 183 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:34,360 kept is set before you eat, because it was kept for you 184 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,880 until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests. 185 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:43,080 So Saul ate with Samuel that day, and when they came down 186 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:46,080 from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul 187 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:47,960 on the roof, and he laid down to sleep. 188 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,280 Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof. 189 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:54,240 Up, that I may send you on your way. 190 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:57,760 So Saul arose and both he and Samuel were out, went out into 191 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,560 the street as they were going down to the out turns of the 192 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:02,320 city. Samuel said to Saul, tell the 193 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,760 servant to pass on before us, and when he is passed on, stop 194 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,920 here for your stop here yourself for a while, that I may make 195 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:12,040 known to you the word of God. This is the word of the Lord. 196 00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:17,680 So there are two things that are I pretty blindingly obvious from 197 00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:20,280 this passage. The 1st is that Saul has no idea 198 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,560 what is coming. He is completely ignorant. 199 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:27,200 He's just a guy trying to find some donkeys. 200 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:29,160 That's just what he's, that's all he's trying to do, man. 201 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:33,960 But the second thing is that God does know. 202 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:39,600 God has been at work preparing for exactly this moment. 203 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:44,160 The day before Saul showed up in the city, God spoke to Samuel 204 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:48,040 and told him who was coming. God was at work in the donkeys 205 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:53,760 being lost in order to make Saul and Samuel's paths cross. 206 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:58,280 When God spoke to Samuel, he told him what he was going to 207 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:02,880 call Saul to, and this call is nothing less than to saving 208 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:06,960 God's people. Saul will be a Prince over God's 209 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,120 people. He will rule, and the result of 210 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,960 his ruling will be that Israel will be saved from their 211 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,360 enemies. Apparently the surrounding 212 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:19,240 Philistines has started to oppress Israel again, and so 213 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,800 they needed saving. But not only will Saul defeat 214 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,800 these external enemies, but he will also, in verse 17 it says 215 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:29,240 restrain God's people. He will direct them, keep them 216 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:33,640 from their worst impulses. This is what salvation always 217 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:37,160 means for God's people. Salvation means defeating our 218 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:42,520 enemies outside of us. Yes, sin, death, the devil, but 219 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:46,800 it also means restraining us, redirecting us, directing our 220 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:51,880 hearts to what is truly good. This is the call that God is 221 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:57,640 about to put on Saul's life. Saul doesn't know it. 222 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:03,920 Saul may not want it. It's a big call, perhaps the 223 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:09,360 biggest call, and I wonder if some ways we can feel this way 224 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:11,880 about the call of Christianity itself. 225 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:15,920 We believe we're walking in faith, but then but then there's 226 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,800 some kind of crisis or trial in our life. 227 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:20,880 Things just blow up and we cry out. 228 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:27,280 God, I didn't sign up for this. I know you wanted me to love my 229 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:30,240 enemies and forgive my enemies, but I didn't know that that 230 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:37,480 person would be my enemy. I know you wanted me to tell 231 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,640 people about you, but I didn't know you wanted me to tell them 232 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:45,920 there. Can't my call just be small? 233 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,280 Can't I be a comfortable Christian? 234 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:54,800 The reality is, though, that God calls us all into the same story 235 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:57,040 that he's calling Saul into here. 236 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:00,600 We're not called to be a ruler in the same way, but we are 237 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:05,120 called into this same grand story of salvation that God has 238 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:07,480 been writing since the beginning of time. 239 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:12,480 God is on the move, He's at work saving the world, reconciling 240 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:18,640 all things to himself, and He calls you, yes, you, to enter 241 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:22,640 into that story with him. We get a sense for the sweep of 242 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,880 this story in the words that God tells Samuel. 243 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:31,320 If you look at verse 16, at the end of the verse, God says he 244 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,920 shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. 245 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:38,400 For I have seen my people because their cry has come to 246 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,520 me. This is almost exactly the same 247 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:45,640 language that God uses with Moses when he's about to save 248 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:49,640 Israel from slavery in Egypt. And this language of saving my 249 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:53,720 people from their enemies is very, very similar to the words 250 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:58,080 that God uses about Jesus when he says that He will save his 251 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:03,080 people from their sins. The story of the Bible is one 252 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,320 story of God saving his people from their enemies. 253 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:11,080 And He is calling Saul here to step into that story and to play 254 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:15,880 a role in that story. Saul may not be asking for this 255 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:19,720 call, but God here is preparing him for it by lavishing all 256 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:23,320 these unasked blessings on him. He doesn't need to worry about 257 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:25,360 his donkeys first of all, right, they're found. 258 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:27,360 This is verse 20. Don't worry about these smaller 259 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:31,040 things the Lord will provide. God has already been at work. 260 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:33,440 Trust him. Don't worry about your donkeys. 261 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:36,280 But God doesn't stop there, does he? 262 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:41,240 He's been preparing this feast for Saul to come and eat at. 263 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:46,040 Before Saul even showed up, Samuel had asked that the prized 264 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:48,840 part of the sacrifice would be set aside. 265 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:56,760 Verse 24, Samuel says, see, what was kept is set before you eat, 266 00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:01,840 because it was kept for you until the hour appointed that 267 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:07,000 you might eat with the guests. This is about about the leg of 268 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:08,680 the animal. It's about the feast, but it's 269 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:10,520 not way more than the feast, isn't it? 270 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,520 Samuel calls Saul to step into this role. 271 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,319 This role has been kept for him. He is to take it up. 272 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:23,800 It's a hard role, but like this prized part of the sacrifice, 273 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:27,079 this reserved plate, it is the best call. 274 00:17:27,319 --> 00:17:31,680 There is nothing better than stepping into this story and 275 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:35,600 playing your role in God's redemption of His people in the 276 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,000 world. My friends, you may not have 277 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:44,080 chosen the path that God gave you, but He still calls every 278 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:47,880 single one of us into his story of saving the world. 279 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,800 That calling can be hard, but God has been at work even before 280 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,520 you knew him, even before you knew of him. 281 00:17:55,880 --> 00:18:00,600 Preparing A feast for you, eager to set it before you. 282 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:05,680 He's inviting you into something that's far better than you could 283 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:09,920 ever dream of. Following Jesus, submitting to 284 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:15,400 his kingship, working for Him, seeing where he leads, it's both 285 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:19,480 the hardest and the greatest thing you could ever do with 286 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:23,680 your life. This is God's call to Saul. 287 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:28,080 It's God's call to us. So let's read on to see how he 288 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,320 actually delivers this call to Saul. 289 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:32,760 Let's read chapter 10 verses one through 16. 290 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:37,240 Let's turn there. Then Samuel took a flask of oil 291 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:39,920 and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, Has not the 292 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,960 Lord anointed you to be Prince over his people, Israel? 293 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,680 And you shall reign over the people of the Lord, and you will 294 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:49,560 save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. 295 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,280 And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed 296 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:55,120 you to be Prince over his heritage. 297 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:58,320 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by 298 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,640 Rachel's tomb in the territory, Benjamin Zelzot, and they will 299 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,720 say to you the donkeys that you went to seek or found. 300 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,360 And now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys, and 301 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:10,840 is anxious about you, saying, What shall I do about my son? 302 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,640 Then you shall go on from there farther, and come to the oak of 303 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,400 Tabor. Three men going up to God at 304 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,880 Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, 305 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:23,680 another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a 306 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:26,920 skin of wine. And they will greet you and give 307 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:30,040 you 2 loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 308 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,600 After that you shall come to Gibieth Elohim, where there is a 309 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:37,040 Garrison of the Philistines, and there as soon as you come to the 310 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,440 city, you'll meet a group of prophets coming down from the 311 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,600 high place with harp, tambourine, flute and lyre 312 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:44,720 before them, prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will 313 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:48,720 rush upon you, and you will prophecy with them and be turned 314 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,120 into another man. Now when these signs meet you, 315 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:55,520 do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 316 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:00,640 Then go down before me to Gilgal, and behold, I'm coming 317 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,400 down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace 318 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:06,320 offerings. Seven days you shall wait until 319 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:09,160 I come to you and show you what you shall do. 320 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:14,000 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another 321 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,360 heart. And all these signs came to pass 322 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:18,160 that day when they came to Gibeah. 323 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:21,040 Behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God 324 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,320 rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 325 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:28,880 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied 326 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,720 with the prophets, the people said to one another, What has 327 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:35,720 come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 328 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,400 And a man of the place answered, And who is their father? 329 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,600 Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? 330 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:46,920 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high 331 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:49,960 place. Saul's uncle said to him and to 332 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:53,800 his servant, Where did you go? And he said to seek the donkeys. 333 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,240 And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel. 334 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:01,560 And Saul's uncle said, Please tell me what Samuel said to you. 335 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,840 And Saul said to his uncle, he told us plainly that the donkeys 336 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:09,640 had been found. But about the matter of the 337 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:13,960 Kingdom of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him 338 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,720 anything. This, too, is the word of the 339 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,680 Lord. So it's only here the Psalm 340 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:23,760 learns what the call actually consists of. 341 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:29,320 Samuel here formally lays before him the call to be king. 342 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:34,360 But notice the word that God and Samuel never use in this 343 00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:37,960 passage. They never actually refer to 344 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,600 Saul as a king. They never use that word king 345 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:42,520 melek. They use a different word, 346 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,640 nagid, which means Prince, leader, head. 347 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:50,680 And the big point here seems to be that Saul isn't to be the 348 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:54,600 absolute ruler over Israel. He's a Prince or a vice region 349 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,320 under God. God is the one who reigns even 350 00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:00,720 with a king on the throne, and Israel needs in their king a 351 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:03,880 representative of God in their midst. 352 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:09,680 So in effect, we're to see Saul not as an autonomous king, but 353 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:15,440 rather as God's son and even Samuel's son ruling in 354 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:19,040 accordance with what God wants. Did you hear that question there 355 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:21,240 about the prophets? And who is their father? 356 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,600 Who is their father? And this is one of the greatest 357 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,080 provisions for Saul and it should have been a tremendous 358 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:32,760 comfort to him. But God continues to provide 359 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:35,960 more and more lavishly in order to confirm this call. 360 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:40,320 He provides the donkeys. He provides food for the 361 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:41,560 journey. It's verse four. 362 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,720 He provides most importantly, his his spirit. 363 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:50,200 Verse 6 God will be with Saul and give him all that he needs 364 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:53,520 to rule, and all of these things come to pass. 365 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:59,320 God gave Saul a new heart. Verse 9 God's Spirit rushed on 366 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,240 him such that Saul became one of the prophets. 367 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:07,920 God here is calling Saul up into this magnificent story, but he 368 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:10,920 did not leave Saul alone in that call. 369 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:17,520 God provided all that he needed most of all by providing his 370 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:19,880 Spirit. And how much more is this true 371 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:23,560 for us when God calls us to Himself? 372 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:27,400 God calls us to trust Him in faith, to follow Him, to join 373 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,400 Him in His story. And then He provides. 374 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:32,320 He doesn't leave us alone, He provides. 375 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:35,280 He provides for our lives. He makes us new. 376 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:37,600 He gives us new lives and new hearts. 377 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:42,080 He provides bread and wine not just during the week, but how 378 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:46,440 much more at the table where we eat true food and true drink 379 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:50,600 provided by His Son. And he provides his Spirit who 380 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:55,200 connects us to Christ and gives us all that Christ has, eternal 381 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,280 life, righteousness before God, reconciliation with the Father, 382 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:05,360 a new identity, hope and courage for the future, and all of these 383 00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:11,320 ways God provides for his call just like he did for Saul. 384 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:19,120 The question then for Saul and for us is what then will we do? 385 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:24,320 What then will he do? God calls, how will we answer? 386 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:28,200 Verse seven, I think is one of the most remarkable and 387 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:33,480 encouraging verses in this whole chapter goes Now when these 388 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:37,600 signs meet, you do what your hand finds to do, for God is 389 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,240 with you. The immediate context seems to 390 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:42,640 be that Saul is to go out and figure out how to defeat the 391 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:45,640 Philistines that are stationed there near these prophets. 392 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:50,080 But God doesn't dictate to him what exactly he should do or how 393 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,080 he should do it. God just calls him to step into 394 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:57,400 this story with courage. Go forth and act. 395 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:01,240 God is with you. Be bold and courageous. 396 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:08,120 Will Saul act? That's the question that this 397 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:11,440 passage presents us with. When Saul runs into his uncle 398 00:25:13,120 --> 00:25:14,880 and his uncle's like, oh, what did Samuel say? 399 00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:17,920 What did Samuel, what did Saul say? 400 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:19,240 It's only a partial answer, right? 401 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:25,640 He told us that the donkeys were found, but the end is such a 402 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,480 cliffhanger. But about the matter of the 403 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,480 Kingdom of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him 404 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:39,960 anything. Will Saul answer the call God is 405 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:42,240 calling? Will he answer? 406 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,800 And will you answer the call God is calling? 407 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:50,720 Will you answer? Maybe you're listening to this 408 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:53,280 sermon and and you're not a Christian or you're, you're not 409 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:56,360 sure exactly where you stand. Maybe you're just exploring the 410 00:25:56,360 --> 00:25:59,000 faith. Maybe you're baptized as a kid, 411 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:00,640 but you've, you know, you've fallen away. 412 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,760 You're not sure exactly what you believe, not sure about the 413 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,760 whole Christian thing. You're like Saul in a lot of 414 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:09,520 ways, right? Seeking to be faithful, not 415 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:12,360 particularly religious, just making your way through life as 416 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:17,560 best you can. And this story invites you to 417 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:24,000 see God's call to your life enter into his story of 418 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:29,200 salvation, first of all, by receiving his salvation of you. 419 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:35,000 Trust Jesus for your salvation. Trust that his sacrifice on the 420 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:40,400 cross is all that you need in order to stand before God as 421 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:44,560 righteous and then follow him where he leads. 422 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:47,480 You might think that you don't know exactly where he's going to 423 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,200 lead. That's true. 424 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,040 You don't. None of us know exactly where 425 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:56,720 he's going to take us. But what we do know is that 426 00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:02,480 there is nothing better, nothing greater, nothing more exciting, 427 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:07,800 nothing more meaningful, nothing more glorious than following our 428 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:12,680 Savior Jesus. Your life will never be the same 429 00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:18,720 and at the end of time you will enjoy the great feast with our 430 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:22,160 King. Now maybe you're you are 431 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:23,720 following Jesus. Maybe you recently came to 432 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:26,960 faith, or or maybe you've been a Christian your entire life. 433 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:31,520 Now for you this story actually poses a very similar question. 434 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:35,560 Will you follow God with courage? 435 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:39,320 You are in God's story. The wedding bells have already 436 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:43,800 told you are in God's people. You have joined the covenant 437 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:47,720 family. Will you speak of the matter of 438 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:53,400 the Kingdom? Will you act with courage, or 439 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:57,800 will you concern yourself only with the donkeys in your life? 440 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:04,240 My friends, we may be ordinary people, but God invites all of 441 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:09,320 us, every single one of us, up into his grand story of 442 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:13,640 redemption of the world. There is no greater adventure 443 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:16,960 than following Jesus wherever he leads. 444 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,560 My friends, I urge you, follow him with all your heart. 445 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:27,440 Follow him with courage. Follow him today in the name of 446 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,120 the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, Amen.