Let's have a word of prayer. Father, we do thank You for the privilege of being here together and just reflecting on this is a precious group of people, Lord, and I think there'll be a season of our life when we look back at this as just a great time where we met together as brothers and sisters in Christ. saying praises to your name, studied your word together, encouraged each other, and so we thank you, Lord. This is a wonderful privilege, Lord. Help us not to take it for granted. We thank you for the way you provide for us. Lord, as we look at your word tonight, we pray that you'd help us to be good students of your word, and that would be students that study it, listen well, learn, and apply it to our lives. We need your Holy Spirit to do that, Lord, so please direct as we look at your word together in Christ's name, amen. So we're at 1 Samuel. And we'll pick up a few verses in chapter 8 just to give us context, hoping to cover tonight chapters 9 and 10 because they flow together. And you're going to see, as I think Linton mentioned this morning, The chapter breaks aren't there, and it's unfortunate oftentimes, not always, where they put the chapter breaks, because it's right in the middle of a thought. And so, and I think sometimes it butchers the, I mean, if you look at it, it can butcher the meaning. So, just as a review, 1 Samuel 8, verses one and two, And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his son judges over Israel. Though the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his secondborn was Abijah, they were judging in Beersheba. So Samuel's grown old. We looked at this last week. He's appointed his son to succeed him. And this is a very unfortunate decision that's been made. And if we look back at Eli, we'll kind of think about that later on, Eli seemed to have been headed in that same, well, he did, in the same direction. His sons, either Eli had appointed them or they had taken charge because they bring the ark of the Lord into battle. And so there are several reasons why it was bad. And this is partly review, but partly kind of honing in. First, His sons were not up to the task. Samuel was godly and his boys were not. We don't have quite the details we have with Eli's sons, but these guys were not qualified. Samuel represented God. Samuel's boys represent God. themselves. And that's a big difference. And I think we see that sometimes when ministries get handed off to family members, you know, the founder may have been really super, but sometimes, you know, the founders' kids don't always follow through with that. So, and the second thing, Israel seems to, at this point, and not saying they had never done this because they're always doing this, they look past the God who protected them, the God who delivered them, and the God who judged them. God says that to them in the process of this, and instead they begin to look to Samuel, and they place Samuel in a higher position than he wanted or deserved. This wasn't Samuel's doing, but this is what the people naturally did. I don't want to blame Samuel, but there's always danger for that in leadership. especially godly leadership, there's always danger that they get placed in a position that's higher than they belong. We look at some of the tragedies we've had within high biblical leader positions in the last 20 years where people just didn't think they could stand up to the person or confront them with wrong that they were doing. What they should have been doing is looking to the Lord But instead, they're looking to Samuel. So you notice they don't say to God, they don't go and have a prayer meeting and say, God, we want a king. They go to Samuel. And it's kind of like this. As a pastor over the years, I've had people say to me, I just really need you to pray for me. And I am happy to pray for people, but sometimes like, you know, you can pray too. You know, hey, pray for my daughter. Well, you should be praying for your daughter as well. And so you wanna be careful in that regards where you begin to look to a man, because if that man goes away, everything's gone, right? And we would never want that to happen. So then verses four and five of chapter eight, Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. And they said to him, behold, you have grown old. What a nice thing to say to somebody. And your sons do not walk in your way. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like the other nations. So the third thing, so we have their sons went up to the task, the people are looking beyond God to Samuel as being the provider, and at least they say to him, give us a king, you know? And then the third thing is decisions have consequences. Samuel placing his sons in a position they had not earned, and then they were not qualified, results in the people crying for a king. Now God's going to use this, but therefore they move their focus away from God, and then they move their focus away from Samuel, and now they're looking at the other nations, maybe the Philistines and others, and saying, we want to have what they have. And God's word tells us that this was a clear rejection of their true king, which was God himself. He says that straight up. God will use this for His purpose, but that doesn't okay the horrible exchange that when man makes a choice for man over God. It's something you can follow through Scripture quite often. It would be good to remember that it was God who called Israel from all the nations of the earth. It was God who set them apart. Just like believers today, are set apart by God. Israel was, and we're not to be like the world, right? We are in the world, but not of the world. This is what God wanted for the nation of Israel. Israel was not to be like the world. They were never to be like the other nations. That's the whole purpose of this picture of redemption, is God's going to do something that is so unlike what the world could do. And so to go back to that, I mean, we've seen that with people that kind of for a short term seem to walk with Christ, and then sometimes they're worse when they leave than they were in the first place. So it hurt the heart of Samuel to hear the people say, we want to be like the other nations. This was the opposite of what God intended, and it grieved the heart of God. In fact, God says in verse seven, they rejected me. So you don't have to really kind of go looking for, I mean, wonder how God felt about this. He knows that people reject him. And that's a serious matter. So God tells Samuel, to give the people what they ask for, which just seems odd, right? I mean, if you brought your kid into a candy store, you know, and candy stores have changed a lot. Now, I'm not all of you as old as some of us, but remember when there was like a small selection of candy? You'd go in the candy store, and there'd be, you know, maybe a couple of shells of candy. I mean, you go into a candy store now, and it's like, it's maddening, you know? it's yeah so you bring kid there and you know they just want what do they want they want all of it yeah oh boy so therefore don't ever bring your kid to a candy store You remember the song, if you heard the song, I Thank God for Unanswered Prayer, remember that song? Before that song was ever written, sermon after sermon after sermon was preached about be careful what you ask for. Be careful what you ask God for. Israel has often been the illustration. I have to admit, I've used Israel more than any other people as an illustration of don't ask for that, you don't want that. Think about the difference between Samuel and his boys. This is just stuff that I've reflected on, I want you to reflect on. Samuel said, speak, Lord, for your servant listened. This is listening, right? His boys say, let me tell you, God, what I want, right? There's a great difference from God, what do you want from me? And God, here's what I want from you. That should be something we take to heart when we go to the Lord in prayer, right? If we're always going, here's what I want from you, God, today. Be careful what you ask for. So we're in chapters nine and 10 of Samuel. First Samuel, do the people get what they ask for? That's what I said at the end of last week's lesson. Do they get what they want? And I have to tell you, initially the answer is yes, they do. Now that doesn't mean all the people are gonna be tickled about it because we're gonna see at the end of chapter 10, not everybody is. But most of the people are pretty happy about it. You know? Now, Saul, I think he's kind of wondering, like, what's going on here, you know? But we'll see this. So, this brings us to Saul. Now, maybe you're not like me. Of all the Bible characters, he's one of my least favorite in the Bible. I've spent years just not liking Saul. And I mean there's a lot of reasons for it because really most of the rest of 1 Samuel is going to be talking about the life of Saul. And he makes a lot of mistakes. But I have to admit to you, I overlooked the early days of Saul. And I think the danger in doing that is if you overlook what a man was at one time, then you also overlook, you might do the same thing. And it seems few studies have been done on his early days. It's possible if a study was done on the early days of Saul, let's just say we're doing that tonight, it would be titled How to Start Well. how to start well. And I'm gonna give you a list and we're gonna read some passages well together. I want you to take an initial kind look at Saul. I want you to like him. I wanna tell you, if you had put Saul and David in the same room together, I know, man, look at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart, I get that, you know, you'd have picked Saul way before you pick David, okay? But there was reason. So first of all, Saul is a likable man. If you met him today, you would like him. He'd be one of your buddies. He's good looking. You could say that he's tall, dark, and handsome, right? Because he is. I mean, we're gonna see that. Saul's dad was a valiant man. The scripture says he was a mighty man of value. Now, some Bible scholars believe that meant his dad was rich or had a lot of money, but it's most likely it means that he was a known warrior, that this guy had been a known battle warrior, because later on, this same term is used about Saul and then about David. So he may have had a lot of money, I don't know, but he was a known warrior, I think. Saul, the Hebrew name for Saul means asked for or desired. That's real important, and I think that name meant that before this story all plays out. But the Hebrew means asked for or desired. Now, we just followed what they just did, right? Give us a king. So it fits pretty well. Saul is a humble man. At least he is initially, right? He's not seeking to toot his own horn. Saul is your favorite son. I mean, if you're not supposed to have favorites, right? But he would be your favorite son. Saul is seen as obedient to his father. Saul is a hard worker. He's diligent. He's given a task to do, and he goes way beyond what would seem like the normal thing of doing it, looking for the donkeys. He is also a very thoughtful young man he realizes his family might be worried about him. So he's concerned about that. Saul wants to earn his way. When they go before Samuel, they don't know it's Samuel, he says, well, we don't have anything to give him. We're not gonna go without having something to give him. So he doesn't wanna take advice for free. He would have been your best friend. He is a type of man you'd want your daughter to marry. And I want you to look at all this as you look at his life. Because, I mean, you're probably like me. It doesn't end well. And he has, there's a lot of trash in there. But it doesn't start that way. So don't be too hard on him. For if you fail to see that he started well, Saul could be you. Starting well but finishing poorly. So I want you to like Saul. To be honest, until I say these two chapters, I didn't like him. I didn't care for him. But I become very fond of him. Because of that, it hurts me when I see that he ends up his life at 80 years old, falling on his own sword. It's really one of the huge disappointments in Scripture when you see that take place. So like Saul with me tonight. Just like him, okay? Look at Saul and examine yourself. I'm afraid that if you learn nothing from his life, You're liable to have that happen to you. I'd say, I want you to see Saul the way Samuel saw Saul. That's really bad English, isn't it? Samuel did not despise Saul. He loved him. I think Samuel wished that his sons were like Saul. Now that's going to change. But I think it's kind of like Eli had Samuel, And I think Samuel's like, oh, this is gonna be like me and Eli. It's a little bit different story, but I think he's kind of thinking that way. So chapter nine, verse one. There was a man of Benjamin. whose name was Kish, the son of Abel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekaroth, the son of Aphium, the son of Abenjamite, a mighty man of value. And he had a son whose name was Saul. A choice, handsome man. Now, who do you think's making this, giving this description? Samuel's the narrator, okay. Now there's going to come a time in the book of Samuel where two other prophets pick up because Samuel dies, but it's believed the first portion of this is Samuel's the narrator of this story, okay. So now Samuel's not going to narrate and put anything down in scripture that's not God speaking through him, okay? So he's speaking what he sees, okay? And he had a son named Saul, and he was a choice and handsome man. There was not a more handsome person than he. Among the sons of Israel, from his shoulders up, he was taller than any of the people. Now it's not hard for me to imagine that, because our grandson Logan is six foot five. And I have pictures of Logan through the years. Logan, when Logan was like in fifth grade, he was taller than any of the coaches on the football team, you know, the football coaches. And so he's always been, so I can kind of picture that, you know, big, tall guy, okay? You know, he's not the tallest, but he is in our crew. Okay, verse three. Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, take now one of your servants, arise and go and search for the donkeys. Now Samuel describes Saul as a choice and handsome man. There's not a more handsome person among the sons of Israel. From his shoulders up, he was taller than any of the people. So not only is he good looking, you can see he's good looking because he's taller than everybody else. You can just see those good looks walking in. And Saul obeys his father, right? He's gonna work hard for three days looking for these donkeys and then realize He probably should head home. He's not just one of Israel's best. One commentator said, he's not just one of Israel's best. He was the best. And that's how Samuel is describing him. That's how we're viewing him at this point. Literally, there was not a man among Israel that was better than he. It could be translated. So he's head and shoulders taller than any other Israelite. He was an impressive young man. So they go on a mission, and verse five says, when they came to the land of Zoph, Saul said to his servant, who's with him, come, let us return, lest my father cease to be concerned about the donkeys and become anxious for us. Notice the focus of the father-son relationship. These things are in here for a reason. Kish, Saul's father, Saul is his son. Our previous story had been dominated by father and son relationships gone bad, right? Eli and his boys. Samuel and his sons. But now we see a son who gladly did his father's bidding. So this is a picture, you're getting a picture of what Saul, how Saul starts. His obedience will take him all the way up to 1 Samuel 10, 16. We'll get there eventually. It turned out to be, it's much more than just they need to go look for donkeys. We're gonna see that. The mention of the land of Zoph is worth noting. Look back at 1 Samuel 1, verse one. Now there was a certain man from Rava Soviem of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zoph, an Ephraimite. The mention of this land, this is none other than the great, great, great grandfather Samuel. So this land was named after him, and this is where Saul ends up going with the servants. They've looked all over the place. This is where they end up looking for these donkeys that are missing. When Saul says, hey, you know, we probably should head home. We've been gone long enough. Do you think that was just good luck? Or do you think that was God just purposely designing it? Now, you figure it out. It was God who caused these donkeys to wander off, because he desired Saul and Samuel to meet. Remember, remember what Samuel said to the people? They asked for a king, and Samuel goes back and he whines to God about it and says, I'm really not happy about it. And God says, tell them you're going to give them a king. And Samuel does, and he tells them what to do. Everybody just go home. Then what does Samuel do? He goes home. So, I'm trying not to read more into this, but I don't really think Samuel had any intentions of going looking for a king, you know? He went home, the people went home. You know, I'm not, is he just, you know, it seems to imply, you know, he goes home, Samuel goes home. If these two people are gonna meet, God's going to have to bring them together. And in fact, I don't think I'm reading too much into it because God's going to tell Samuel that's what he's doing. So as we read on, so Samuel has no desire to go out looking for a king. He's hurt by the people's request. And Saul has no aspirations to be a king as far as we know. He just wants to carry on the family business, just trying to find the donkeys. That's, if you had interviewed him, So after three days, Saul says to his servants, hey, we need to head home, because my dad has probably stopped worrying about the donkeys. Now he's worrying about me. Now, ladies, I know what you're thinking. Maybe. A daughter would have realized that in one day. But it's the truth. I mean, guys, I actually think you should give him credit. In three days, he realizes, maybe I should go home, because we're not always the brightest light bulb in the pack. Saul's servant replies, chapter nine, partway through verse six, behold, there's a man of God in the city, and the man is held in honor, and all that he says surely comes true. Now, let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set. Now, does this imply the servant thinks, I think this is more than just about donkeys. Is that implied? Well, we'll continue on. Notice the narrator is telling us what the people are doing when they say, come and let us go. The servant says, let us go. They're going to inquire of God. The journey they began was a search for lost donkeys has now become a search for a word from God. And that's what Samuel's servant says to him. Let's go get a word from God. We're here. you know, let's get a word from God. He can tell us about our journey. Now it's interesting, He doesn't say He can tell us about the donkeys, which Samuel will do, but about our journey. Saul's servant seems to be moved beyond the search for some donkey when he says, maybe the man of God can tell us what this journey is all about. So that's why I say sometimes I think we, we should do a slower read of Scripture because sometimes I think we kind of whip by something like that. It's probably fairly significant. The servant is realizing this is more than just donkeys. Doesn't it kind of say something though that they are going to go talk to Samuel who has been leading the country of Israel for the last, what, 30 years, 40 years? And Saul doesn't know who they are going to go talk to. I think that, yes, it was a big territory and they didn't get around like we did. I kind of wonder, though, so when the elders had gone to meet with them and asked for a king, was Saul in the caravan of the elders? He wasn't one of the elders, but... No, but I mean, there's the fact that... It does. They're going into this area where Samuel lives. Right, and they don't know Samuel's territory. And that's a good point. Yeah, yeah, it is. The fact, and we're not gonna read all of the passage, but they're gonna ask for the seer, you know, and then there's a little explanation there. Back in those days when they were looking for a prophet, they called him a seer, and we'll see part of that as we're looking through there. So that they don't know that's where Samuel's from, you know, He probably should have. His dad might have. I mean, he got home. If he talked to his dad, he might have said, well, of course that's where Samuel's from. And maybe the servant knows that God, I think God is using the servant to say, hey, let's go talk to this guy. But he doesn't name him out at this point. How old is Saul at this time? Isn't he around 40? Has he ruled for 40 years? I didn't look that up. He's not just young, but I'd have to, for next week I'll try to find out if somebody else can. So, they're gonna learn about what their journey is all about that they've set out. Now, who do you think put it on the servant's heart to go and talk with Samuel? I think God did. You know, it's interesting, God's always smarter than we are, right? I mean, we sometimes, God does something really special and it makes us look like we're smart. The best thing to do is say, hey, this is beyond me. You know, I just happened to walk into this, okay? So they had searched for three days for these lost donkeys, had headed conveniently exactly in the direction of Samuel. Who did that? I mean, there's a lot of places they could have ended up, and they don't. Verse 7, then Saul said to the servant, Behold, if we go, what shall we bring this man? For the bread is gone from our sack, and there is no present to bring the man of God. What do we do? And the servant answered Saul again and said, Behold, I have in my hand a fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man, and he will tell us our way. Then skip down to verse 10. Then Saul said to his servant, well said, come, let's go. So they went to the city where the man of God was. Now remember, Samuel's home, he doesn't appear to be looking for a king, so God brings the king to find him. But he does give Samuel, God does, the day before, he gives Samuel a preview of what's gonna happen this time tomorrow. So look at verse 15. Now the day before Saul's coming, the Lord revealed this to Samuel, saying, about this time tomorrow, I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. And he shall deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines, for I have regarded my people, because their cry has come to me." So Samuel knows what's going on, which is going to explain, because he's going to have this meal prepared. that it almost seems like when you're reading the passage, he knew this ahead of time, and he did, okay? He set aside a portion for Saul and everything. But I find it interesting this, this struck me as I was studying through this either yesterday or today, that when people read the Old Testament, I've had people say to me, we just don't see the grace of God in the Old Testament. And I'm just thinking, I don't think you're reading the same Bible that I'm reading. I think you see God's grace everywhere. I mean, you see grace in the Garden of Eden when God could have just said, that's it, experiment done. But God says, I have regarded my people in this passage. He shall deliver my people from the hand of Philistines, for I have regarded my people because their cry has come to me. They don't even seem to be crying to God. They're asking God not to be their king and to give them an earthly king that they want. And even though the people are not regarding me literally, it could read, God says, I am looking with favor upon them. So if you read the Old Testament and you don't see the grace of God, Read slower, I guess. It's everywhere. It's just like you can't go through Scripture without seeing Christ. He's all through the Bible. So what an incredible scene. Saul walks up to Samuel, and God says, well, look at verse 17. When Samuel saw, saw, see it wasn't just me that does that. The Lord said to him, behold, the man of whom I spoke to you, this one shall rule over my people. So Samuel doesn't have to guess. He's not there thinking, well, I wonder, you know. So then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, please tell me where the seer's house is. And Samuel answered Saul and said, I am the seer, go up before me to the high place for you shall eat with me today and in the morning I will let you go and I will tell you all that is on your mind. And as for your donkeys, which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. So Samuel says, you've been thinking about donkeys. You've been thinking about other things as well. Don't be thinking about the donkeys anymore. Tomorrow, I'm going to tell you all that's on your mind. So Samuel says, the donkeys have been found. But that's not why you're here. We're going to have dinner together tonight. And tomorrow, I'm going to tell you all that is on your mind. And just in case Saul wonders, Samuel says, verse 20, and for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's household? Remember Saul's name? Saul's name means desired or asked for. So in other words, Samuel says, Saul, you know what Israel's looking for. They're looking for you. I think Saul was shocked by this. I'm not gonna say he didn't think about it, because in his journey the last three days, it would appear Saul was thinking about Israel's request for a king. So again, I don't know, was he with the elders, did he hear? Because the elder came back and reported, we've demanded a king. But he's familiar with it. Maybe his thoughts were this. Here I am out searching for my dad's donkeys, and Israel's looking for their next king. I don't know, but it's on his mind. Samuel says, this has been on your mind, you're thinking about. Maybe he was thinking, well, I could be a king. But the story doesn't play out that way, because when he finally becomes king, what does he do? He's hiding by the suitcases, you know, okay? So Saul would have known, okay, he's known what they're looking for. Verse 21, and Samuel answered and said, Am I not a Benjamite, the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the tribes of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me this way?" Now, it's very interesting. Sometimes questions are asked and no answer is given. Samuel gives him no answer at all. He doesn't say, well, let me explain some things to you. You know, God appeared to me yesterday. He just doesn't answer. So look at verse 22. of chapter nine. Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about 30 men. So this is a planned meal. I don't know who the 30 men were, but men of importance of some health. And Samuel said to the cook, bring the portion I gave to you concerning which I said to you, set it aside. So Samuel planned for this, okay? Then the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, here is what has been reserved. Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, since I said I have invited the people. So Saul ate with Samuel that day. So he feeds Saul dinner. He prepares a place for him to sleep on his roof that night, and he says the next morning, he wakes up Saul and he says, let's talk. So pick up back at verse 25, we'll go through 10, one. Verse 25, when they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke, and spoke with Saul on the roof. And they arose early, and it came about at daybreak, that Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, get up, that I may send you away. Saul rose, both he and Samuel went out into the street. As they were going to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, say to your servant that he might go ahead of us and pass on, but you remain standing now that I may proclaim the word of God to you. Then Samuel took a flask of oil, so the servant takes off, and poured it on his head, kissed him, and said, has not the Lord anointed you the ruler over his inheritance? So the setting is private. It needs to be. Saul's not ready for this. He's not ready for what's being told to him at this point. And Samuel doesn't want the servant to be there, you know. Samuel anoints him as king. He tells him prophetically, every detail of his day ahead of him. He tells him all the things are going to happen the day ahead of him to verify that God has called him as a king. All these things are going to happen to you, so you know the word that I say to you. He doesn't say this, but it's implied that I speak the truth to you. This is the truth that I'm giving you. So look at verse 2. When you go to day, you will find two men close to Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zilzah. They will say to you, the donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has ceased being concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you saying, what shall I do about my son? Then you will go on further from there and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor. There three men are going to be going up to God at Bethel. You will meet and will meet you. One carrying three kids, another three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine. And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hands." I mean, the stuff is playing out. This, you know, this isn't just gonna happen, okay? No more than searching for donkeys led him to Samuel. Verse five afterward. will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will, and it shall be as soon as you come there to the city that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from on high, on the high place." And get this, even with the instruments relisted, with a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre before them, and they will be prophesying. The then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. And it shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires for God, for God is with you. And it just continues to go on. So in verse nine it says, then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart, And all those signs came about that day. So God's doing a work on Saul's life. Saul, who we like right now, right? We like him, and God is doing a work in his life. And I'm saying, if you're watching this as a movie, this would be just sweet. All these items taking place just as Samuel said they would. So we'll discuss more in a later day, but at the very least, it says God changes Saul's heart. So that's why it's, Saul wasn't ready to be king. And I still think obviously he's going to be battling with it. Then Samuel tells Saul to wait for seven days and he's going to come to him. Now the seven day wait is going to be important in the relationship with Samuel and Saul. And Saul's going to do poorly in that, okay. Saul's not going to like to wait later on, alright. day seems to be important. So, Samuel does indeed come. He gathers Israel. He reminds them that it was wrong for them to demand a king. That it was God who had delivered them in the past and had given them the land. Look at verse 17, Therefore Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. And he said to the sons of Israel, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I brought Israel up from Egypt. I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians, from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you. But you today reject your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses, and yet you have said, no, but set a king over us. Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and by clans. So they do this, they all come before him, all the tribes, the tribes are picked, the tribe of Benjamin is picked, then verse 21, then he brought the tribe of Benjamin nearby families, and the Matrite family was taken, and Saul, the son of Kish was taken, but when they looked for him, he could not be found. So the tribes gather, this is a picture in your mind, okay, would it be hard for Samuel to pick out Saul from the crowd that day? We've always been described, right? He's the tallest around. So Samuel's going through the tribes. I mean, Samuel knows what's going to happen, but he's just doing this in due diligence, looking through all the tribes, picks a tribe, Benjamin, the family of Mitra, and then Saul is picked. And when they look for Saul, look at verse 20, Saul brought the tribes near Israel, the tribe of Benjamin was taken, then from the tribe of Benjamin near its families, the Matride family was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken, but when they were looking for him he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the Lord, has the man come yet? So the Lord said, behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage. It's humorous. It's kind of embarrassing. I mean, for Samuel, I would think it's kind of an awkward thing, you know? It's like, I know what he looks like, you know? And he's not there. Of course, Saul knows clearly what's happening, right? This wasn't a surprise to Saul now. He's been told, he's been anointed as king. All the things have happened. God has worked on his heart. And God says, hey, by the way, your new king, he's siding over by the suitcases over there, you know? Now, at that point, I thought, that just doesn't really sound very kingly to me, you know? That's not really what I'm expecting from the king. But verse 21 says, Kish was taken. Samuel said to all the people, verse 23, they ran and took him from there. And when he stood up among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to the people, Do you see Him who the Lord has chosen? Surely there is no one like Him among all the people. So the people shouted and said, Long live the King. Where is your heart when God calls you to do something for Him? Have you ever hidden yourself? I mean, have you ever been in a spot where you know there's somebody you need to talk to the Lord about, and maybe you're at Fred Meyer, and you're just thinking, I just hope they don't see me. I'm just not ready for this, you know? Have you ever refused the call of God? And we all have, right? So we know the answer to that is that, yes, we have. Who's the king of your life? You know, this is a battle that Israel's going through right now. How do you know that he's the king? Oswald Chamber wrote this, today we have substituted creedal belief for personal belief. That is why so many are devoted to causes and so few are devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not want to be devoted to Jesus, but only the causes he started. Jesus Christ is a source of deep offense to the educated mentality of today that does not want Him in any way other than a comrade on the journey. The Lord's first obedience was to the will of the Father, not the needs of men. The saving of men was the natural outcome of His obedience to His Father. If I am devoted to the cause of humanity only, I will soon be exhausted. But if I love Jesus personally and passionately, I can serve humanity, though men treat me like a doormat. The secret of a disciple's life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and not to his causes. Will the people be happy with their choice? I know that we read this is God's choice, but this is the people's choice. This is their request. Will they be happy? We'll look at verse 25 through 27. Then Samuel told the people the ordinance of the kingdom and wrote them in a book and placed them before the Lord. And you can go back and look early on, like in Deuteronomy or something, where there's ordinances for the king. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his own house. And Saul also went to his house at Gibeah, and the valiant man whose heart God had touched went with him. But certain worthless man said, how can this one deliver us? And they despised him and did not bring him any presents, but he kept silent. Will they be happy with their choice? Are these verses a sign of things to come? Which group's gonna gain the stronghold? Will it be the valiant guys that say, hey, this is our king, we're going with him? Oh, we will see. Who is in charge though? Was Samuel in charge? Was Saul in charge? God is in charge. We know the answer, and I just have to say, you know God is in charge at the turning of every page of scripture, if you just read it right. So, we'll pick it up next Sunday, Lord willing. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you again for your word. I just wanted us to be able to like Saul for a little while because he seems to mess up so quickly. But yet he did start well, Lord. And many of us can say that as well. But we want to finish well, Lord. And we want you to be the king of our lives. Lord, we want to be a people that when you call on us, we're not We're not hiding by the suitcases, but we're saying to you, speak, Lord. Your servant listens. We want to do what you want us to do. We know that we're weak, Lord, and we're unable to do that, but we just pray that your Holy Spirit would empower us to walk in obedience to you. Thank you that we're able to work through this narrative of the nation of Israel and how you set them apart so that one day the Savior Jesus Christ could come. And we praise You, Lord Jesus, for You are the Savior of our soul. Bless the remainder of our evening and the week in front of us, in Jesus' name, amen.