April 13, 2014 - Sunday

Start Time: 7:11 A.M.

End Time: 7:36 A.M.

Title: Samuel Rebukes Saul

Scripture: 1 Samuel 13:1 – 23

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ Saul was thirty^[a] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-^[b] two years. Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes. Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!” So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal. The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand^[c] chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven.  When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.  Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.  He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.  “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”  “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” Then Samuel left Gilgal^[d] and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.

NOTES:

Ø God is seeking for a man after His own heart, even to this day!  God appoints leaders to lead His people yet, He continually looks for someone who seeks after His own heart.  Many of us, we love God yet as leaders, we have different objectives.  Some leaders are focused on God’s cause; some leaders are focused on God’s Kingdom; but God is looking for men who seek after His own heart.  Saul had an objective and that is to defeat the Philistines.  His kinship was established when he led the Israelites to their victory against the Ammonites and most probably he thought that he is a ruler that will bring the Israelites to winning battles against their enemies.  But God wants someone who will lead His people towards what God’s heart is for them.  Saul in the passage above defined his role as a king as a warrior or overcomer of battles but a leader is not defined on a certain role; God’s leaders is defined as those who seeks God’s hearts because they are God’s.  So we ought to seek for God’s heart, will and plans at all times and not define our role from our perspective.

Ø God does not extend the leadership of those who have their own agenda! God appoints man to lead His people yet if this man has a different agenda and follows a different path instead of God’s will or heart, then God puts an end to the man’s leadership.  We ought not to be rash and at times even our agenda is for the good of others but no matter how good it is if it is not under God’s will, then it is not of God’s.  It is crucial that we seek God at all times because we are given a role or this life for His purpose and glory so it is ought to be used for His will and not our own.

→ Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah^[e] in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash.  Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual,  another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness.  Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!”  So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles^[f] sharpened.  The price was two-thirds of a shekel^[g] for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel^[h] for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.  So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

NOTES:

Ø When God is not with us, everything can go wrong!  Saul and the Israelites were in battle and in the middle of the war, they were unable to find a blacksmith in all of Israelites.  When we fight our own battles and we have our own agenda…even if our agenda is good, we lose God on our side and when that happens, everything can go wrong!  So never allow your goals to divert from God’s heart for His will must be done for His glory!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for You are my King and Savior.  Thank You because You go with us wherever we are.  Lord help me to see Your heart and will at all times.  Do not allow my heart desires to divert from Yours.  I want my heart to be in one with You Lord.  Open my eyes, mind and heart and set it as One with You that I may do Your will and not my own.  Lord Thank You for the role You have given me and the opportunity to serve and become useful for Your glory but Lord let it be that I will always look after Your own heart and not my own as I play the role that You have given me in this life.  Lord I do not want to experience ever a time when You are not with me because I was too proud to do as I please and not as You desire.  Lord I never want to have the time that I will have to go to a battle without You because I know everything will go wrong.  I entrust my life to You Lord, I hope that You will find me favorable in Your sight to be entrusted of Your heart too.  Thank You Jesus and I love You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!