Let's start with a word of prayer. Father, we again ask that your word would speak to us and we would have listening hearts, desirous hearts, and Father, that you would build us up spiritually, Father, with the edification that is your will for each son and daughter of yours. And so to that end, we commit this time in Jesus' name, amen. We were looking at, and I just want you to know where we're at, because I think it's a little hard to tell. We were looking at the angel of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, but I got interested in these responses of people that God came to and how they reacted to his call for them to do something. Most of them were, wait a minute, I can't do that, I'm too young. I can't do that, Moses, I've got a speech problem. I think Jeremiah was the one that said I'm too young. At any rate, so I got studying along the lines of some of these difficult things that God has called his people to do. And when you glean them out of scripture, they're pretty amazing, that he would call on his own to do some things that, and some of them don't even really make a lot of sense to us. And grab your hymnal, we sang this this morning. This may be my favorite hymn of all time. 270, go to 270. I just want to take that second verse, and can it be that I should gain, but the second verse, "'Tis mystery all, the immortal dies. Who can explore his strange design?" And it reminds me of Romans, you know. His ways past finding out, unfathomable. So we come along with our tiny little intellects and we expect to be able to know what God is doing. And I've been reproved by the word of God by Paul saying, remember when Onesimus, ran away, and Paul says, perhaps, you know, he met up with Paul in prison and was saved, and Paul didn't say, well, now we know why that happened. Paul said, perhaps he was, for this reason, separated. And so Paul's saying, this is so big that I can't just say, because I figured something out, that this is what it is. So we're gonna be looking at some of those this morning. Let's go to 1 Samuel. We're gonna come to chapter 15. I've seen this till, I hadn't seen this till just recently. So here's this, the great prophet Samuel. And he's the one that has, by God's direction, anointed Saul king over Israel. And so now Samuel comes to Saul and he says this, verse one, the Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people over Israel. Now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel and how he set himself against him, in other words against Israel, on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. It was interesting how God deals with nations that are opposed to him. And especially in the Old Testament, I mean, it's just clear, clear delineation. Israel's my people, and these serve Satan by way of demons and idols. He says to Saul, now go strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him. But put to death both man and woman, child, infant, ox, and sheep, camel, and donkey. Then Saul summoned the people and numbered them. in Tulane, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley. He was a very powerful military man, accomplished some tremendous things militarily in his life. And Saul said to the Kenites, go, depart. Go from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt, so the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. So Saul defeated the Amalekites from Habilah as you go to Shur, which is east of Egypt, and he captured Agag, the king of the Amalekites. Don't spare him, but he's already sparing the king. And he captured Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul, now keep this in mind, the Holy Spirit tells us, Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good. And we're not willing to destroy them utterly, but everything despised and worthless, they utterly destroyed. Really, not even close to what God said to do. It was supposed to destroy everything. Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, I regret that I have made Saul king. for he has turned back from following me and has not carried out my commands. Here's an amazing phrase that I'd never noticed before. And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all night. I come to see, Samuel had a really special love or heart for Saul. I think it was J. Vernon McGee said, I think he liked Saul better than David. I don't know if that's true or not, but he had this thing. I mean, why wouldn't Samuel say, Well, he didn't do what he was told to do, so he shouldn't be king anymore. But evidently, he prayed about this all night, okay? And cried out to the Lord all night. And Samuel rose, okay, but notice what, here's the thing. Notice what God is calling Samuel to do. He's calling him to confront this powerful king that he has, I believe, really loves him. And he's gotta confront him about this sin and what he's done. And so, notice this, what happens next. And Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul. And it was told Samuel saying, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself. Maybe based on his victory, but it's not good. Then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal, and Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, some lessons here. Blessed are you of the Lord. You know, people can learn church jargon and throw it around. Oh, God bless you. I'm not saying it's wrong to say those things, but people can learn. At any rate, blessed are you of the Lord. I have carried out the command of the Lord. Whoa. That Samuel said, what then is this bleeding of the sheep in my ears? and the lowing of the oxen, which I hear." May well have been thousands of animals. And Saul said, they, notice he's kind of keeping his way away. He doesn't say, I brought them. He says, they have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen. to sacrifice to the Lord your God. This is a really good thing I did. We've got all these animals here, and we took the best of them, and we're gonna sacrifice them to the Lord your God. He doesn't even say the Lord my God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed. And we already know from what the Holy Spirit said there that everything that was worthless, they destroyed. Then Samuel said to Saul, wait and let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night. And he said to him, speak. And Samuel said, is it not true that though you were little in your own eyes, you were made head of the tribes of Israel? and the Lord anointed you king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated. Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil on the side of the Lord? Then Saul said, I did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag, the king of Amalek, and I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choices of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal. We now come to just one of the very, very powerful statements in scripture. And Samuel said, has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. Now here's where it just, for rebellion, which is what Saul has done, for rebellion is as the sin of divination, going to Satan, going to satanic things. We don't like to think of it this way, you know, little rebellion, but here the Lord says, that's like you going and, participating in divination, you know, going to a seance. And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. That's it, that's God's word. Those are powerful statements. Okay. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you from being king. Then Saul said to Samuel, I've sinned. I've indeed transgressed the command of the Lord and your words because I feared the people and listened to their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may worship the Lord. But Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you for you have rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel. And as Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. Remember, Saul was head and shoulders above all the people of Israel. He's a big, big, I would say, powerful guy. And he grabs him by the robe, and the robe rips. And notice, so Samuel said to him, The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you. And also the glory of Israel will not lie nor change his mind for he is not a man that he should change his mind. Okay. Come down to verse 34. I better read verse 32. Then Samuel said, bring Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerily, and Agag said, surely the bitterness of death is past. They've spared my life this long, they're not gonna put me to death. But Samuel said, as your sword has made women childless, So shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel, can you, here's Samuel the prophet. I don't think it's something you normally are gonna think that a prophet's gonna be doing, but Saul didn't. The people under Saul did not. And so it says, and Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal. And Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, when he was called back up out of the grave. For Samuel grieved over Saul. You got that? For Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. Now the very next verse, chapter 16, notice what the Lord says to Samuel. This is a hard thing for Samuel. You're still doing it. since I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and go, I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for myself among his sons. And of course, that's looking forward to David being anointed king. Then let's go to the New Testament. Acts chapter nine. Acts chapter nine, and we're gonna go from verse 10. So this is shortly after Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias, and he said, Behold, here am I, Lord. And the Lord said to him, Arise, and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas. For a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying. Since he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias, come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight. But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man. You know, we have the benefit of taking the Bible, we know the story, we know the account, and we have the benefit of saying, but if you didn't know Saul's salvation, and you didn't know at all about God's plan, you might find yourself saying, Lord, are you sure about this? It seems to me that that is, and the thing I love is the Lord doesn't say to Ann and I, are you questioning me? He understands that we're limited in our knowledge and the door's open for us to speak and say, tell us what are, he says, bring these things to me. But Ananias answered, Lord, I've heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to thy saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name. But the Lord said to him, go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. And then this verse, for I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias departed and entered the house of Saul after laying his hands on him and said, brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales and he regained his sight and he arose and was baptized and took food and was strengthened. Okay. Again, looking at it from just a human standpoint, do you really wanna be the one that's a Christian going to probably the most famous persecutor of Christians in that day? You really wanna be the one doing that? Interesting in the Lord's, yeah, okay. Then, let's go to something more in our wheelhouse. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter two. 1 Peter chapter two. And we're gonna start in verse 18. This is one of those passages that is so interesting. And it reminds me of who can you know, figure out this strange design. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but to those who are unreasonable. And that's kind of a light word. You look in the margin, maybe if you've got there, it's perverse. These are probably nasty people. And then the statement, for this finds favor, or grace, if for the sake of conscience towards God, a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. We do not like to be treated unjustly. You want to light a fuse on me. I don't want to be disrespected or abused or any of that. But the Lord just says, For this finds favor or grace if for the sake of conscience towards God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if when you sin and are harshly treated you endure it with patience? But when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. Now, verse 21. For you have been called for this purpose. I can't get away from what purpose? The purpose to be mistreated. For you've been called for this purpose since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps. Who committed no sin, that's our challenge, isn't it? When we're being wrongly treated, great possibility we're gonna sin. Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth, and while being reviled, he did not revile in return. While suffering, he uttered no threats. I'm always amazed by that. He never said, you have no idea what you're doing. I am the judge of the entire universe, and you will stand before me, and I can tell you the day you will stand before. And this is what I'm gonna say. As the lamb was dumb before his shearers, so he opened out his mouth, so that, Well, and while being reviled, he did not revile in return while suffering. He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously, kept trusting the Father. And he himself, the result of all that, and he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by his wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. And you know, it's interesting, this flows right in, I don't believe there should be a chapter break here, because it says, in the same way. Okay, so now we're moving into this, there's another place where, Believers are abused, and so it says, in the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands, so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives. So the whole thing is, wife, you're serving the Lord, even when you're being mistreated. You know, it's an incredible thing. as they observe your chase and respectful behavior. And then if you come down to verse seven, you husbands, really key word here, likewise. The likewise says, husband, you're under authority also. And you're under authority as to how you do treat this wife. And so it goes on, you husbands, likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she's a woman taking out a man, and grant her honor. I love that. Grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life so that your prayers may not be hindered. She, that wife of yours, is has every bit the standing that you do before God the Father. You know, she's absolutely, there's no difference. You know, it talks about in the body of Christ there's no male, female, slave, you know, free and so forth. It's an amazing statement. But sometimes it's really easy for a husband to think, well, I am in charge. And what I say goes, and therefore, he forgets the likewise. Is this what you should be doing under the headship of Jesus Christ? Okay, now. Let's go to Ezekiel. Chapter three. Ezekiel three. And we're gonna come down to the end of that chapter, verse 25. So here's God speaking with Ezekiel. And by the way, Ezekiel's a prophet in the land of captivity. He's already been taken out of Judah, and what they call the death march marched all the way over to Babylon and the land of Chaldea. And So the Lord says, verse 24, in commissioning him, so to speak, then the spirit, verse 24, then the spirit entered me and made me stand on my feet. And he spoke with me and said to me, go shut yourself up in your house. I think, who can, who can fathom these strange desires? He's a prophet, he's calling him to be a prophet. Go shut yourself up in your house. As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them. Moreover, can you imagine hearing these words? Moreover, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth. so that you will be dumb and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a rebellious house. God said, I'm gonna, I don't know, I have no idea how he did it, but you're not gonna be able to talk. Why? Because they're a rebellious, I think the Lord said, they won't listen anyway, so I'm not gonna send you out there until I'm ready. And so, But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, thus says the Lord God, he who hears, let him hear, but he who refuses, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house. Okay, now, a little background. Back there in Judah, in Exodus, Nebuchadnezzar is putting up siege walls and doing all kinds of things around Jerusalem, and ultimately he's gonna take the city. And there's false prophets who keep saying, that's not gonna happen. Remember their refrain, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. In other words, God would never destroy his temple. But God said through the prophet Jeremiah, yes, I'm gonna, Destroy it. And so, the people are getting word from false prophets that it's all gonna be over in one place, it's all gonna be over in two years, okay? Instead of 70 years. All right, so. The Lord says, now you son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you, and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem. Hundreds of miles away, but he's going to have this little, you know, it reminds me of, I think this happened to me once where I got down into a bunker with officers. You just walk in there and you know you better not open your mouth, because you know nothing of what's going on. And they've got this whole table lined out, and it's got all these camps, and where all this battalion is, and that battalion, and regiments, and so forth. And there's generals and colonels there. So this is a mock-up of the battle. And so here we are in Ezekiel chapter four. Now you, son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you, inscribe on it, and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem. Then lay siege against it. and build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps, can you imagine? And place battering rams against it all around. Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city and set your face toward it so that it is under siege and besiege it. This is a sign. to the house of Israel. Here's where it gets really interesting. As for you, lie down, as for you, lie down on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it. You shall bear their iniquity for the number of days that you lie on it. You know, my whole thrust here is, are we ready for the Lord to call us to something like this? Or any, well, let's be more, to call us to do whatever he wants, you know? And a lot of times it's not gonna be what our little minds would say, well, he would probably call me for this. Really, you look at scripture, and you gotta be open. And you can't be thinking correctly that life is just a bowl of cherries and all we're here for is to have fun. And I think that's the malady of our nation and of the church. And there's way more important things that we so easily lose sight of. Okay, so. For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity. 390 days you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. When you have completed these, you shall lie down on a second time, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. I have assigned it to you for 40 days, a day for each year. Then you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm barred and prophesy against it. Now behold, I will put ropes on you so that you cannot turn from one side to the other. Can you go through a night's sleep and not turn in the bed? It would drive me crazy, you know, anything of just doing this. Now I don't know whether he was doing a 12-hour day or an eight-hour day, I don't know that. I do know this, I don't wanna do this, you know. Okay, so the Lord says, verse eight, now behold, I will put ropes on you so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you've completed the days of your siege. But as for you, You shall take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make them into bread for yourself. You shall eat it according to the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, and your food which you eat shall be 20 sickles, not a whole lot, a day by weight, and you shall eat it from time to time. And you shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked it in their sight over human dung. Now, Ezekiel has a problem with that. But you realize that if dung is dried, it'll burn. It doesn't smell good, but you can do that. At any rate. Okay, so, verse 11. And the water you drink will be the sixth part of a hen by measure. You shall drink it from time to time. A hen is a gallon and a half, so it's a quart of water a day, okay. This is my new verse for drinking water. No, it's because this is during a siege. What is he portraying here? Do you remember when people got into, Christian people were all into spelt? Remember that, spelt? We need to get spelt and make this, and they had this, right? They had the recipe here. You know? And like somehow this was a wonderful food, but they weren't cooking it overdone. And it wasn't to be some great meal. It was, this is what the people who are under siege are eating until there is no food. Okay. All right. Then the Lord said, Verse 13, thus shall the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean among the nations where I will banish them. I love this. But I said, Ezekiel, Lord God, behold, I've never been defiled from my youth until now. I've never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has any unclean meat ever entered my mouth. Then he said to me, see, I shall give you cow's dung in place of human dung. And what I love about this is it's a real concern for Ezekiel, and the Lord listened to him, you know? So it tells me that you can, all these men that we've been looking at express their concerns about what bothered them, and the Lord is open to listening, and so, Fascinating things. Okay, let's close. Father, we thank you for your word, the privilege of seeing it, knowing it, and just being in awe of who you are and the wisdom of your ways and the things that are gonna be unfolded to us throughout eternity. How we thank you as we look forward to that in Jesus' name, amen.