God Calls a Man • 1 Samuel 9-10

41:48 Teaching begins

Notes

The people have spoken, God is listening. He’s going to give them a king. How do we know this is God doing this and not just coming from ourselves? Do we vote for a guy and say, “It’s the Lord!”?

In 1 Samuel 9 and 10 we see God working in a complicated, roundabout way to call Saul. God reveals His man sovereignly, with power and confirmations so that the king himself will know: “I am God’s man. I am responsible to God first.”

1. We’re introduced to Saul’s father and Saul, they are both pretty impressive guys, vv. 1-2.

A. Remember, impressive is what Israel wants. We want a king like all the nations, and their kings are impressive.

B. Saul’s father can go back five generations. He is either a powerful man or a wealthy man, and probably both.

C. Saul himself is a choice, handsome man. He is the tallest and the most handsome guy in Israel. This is very impressive.

D. This is also the last we hear of Saul’s attributes. People choose a man because of his looks or height, but God chooses on the basis of His knowledge and wisdom. He looks upon the heart.

2. We watch as this impressive guy does something very unimpressive, vv. 3-14

A. Who cares about a bunch of lost donkeys? But Saul is assigned to go find them.

B. What I notice about this is that they know there’s a man of God in the town before them, they know that all that he says comes true, we know he’s been the leader of the nation for decades, and they don’t know the guy’s name. There is no cult of personality going on here with Samuel.

C. Notice the discussion in v. 9 about they used to say “seer”, now we call him a prophet. This is to help readers understand these antique documents. What that indicates is that this was written very close to the actual events. This is not an urban legend that grew in the retelling. It is history.

D. Saul and his servant ask the young women for information and get a very complete, detailed briefing. Why not? The tallest, handsomest man in Israel just came up to several young women and asked for help.

3. Saul finds that this is not about lost donkeys at all, but God has sovereignly brought His leader to Samuel, vv. 15-21

A. The day before God tells Samuel I will send you a man from Benjamin. So why did the donkeys get lost? Evidently God told them to get lost in order to get Saul on the road and direct him to Samuel.

B. The reason why God has done this is I have looked upon My people because their cry has come up to Me. Behind God’s sovereignty is His love. This is not the choice He would have made, but He is listening to His people and He loves them. In His sovereignty He knows how to make all things work together for good for those who love Him, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

C. Saul learns that God knows all about him and the donkeys and the donkeys are not the main issue. The fact that he is from the smallest tribe in Israel is not the main issue. God is the main issue, and you are God’s choice.

4. Samuel honours Saul with his own place of honour, vv. 22-24.

A. Samuel put this sacrifice on for Saul. Saul finds that he is the guest of honour at this sacrifice.

B. Samuel reserved the choicest cut from the sacrifice: the right thigh belonged to the officiating priest. Samuel is giving his place to Saul.

C. Samuel is honouring God’s choice for king, and putting his whole self into it. If this is what God is doing, then I’m doing it, too.

D. This honour ultimately comes from God.

5. Samuel calls Saul and confirms the calling with signs and commands, vv. 25-10:8.

A. Again, how do you know that this is God? Couldn’t it be a coincidence? Some people getting together and putting a surprise sacrifice together? Who is doing this? The answer is, it’s God. Now Samuel will confirm this is God in a complicated way that proves this is God at work.

B. Two strangers are going to meet you at Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will tell you what I’ve told you about the donkeys. This couldn’t be prearranged. Only God could know this. Be open to God communicating with you. Listen up to God.

C. Then three men are going to meet you, you shall accept two loaves of bread from them. No false modesty here, you must be able to receive from God. You are not the people’s man and beholden to them as if you were a politician. You are God’s man and you are dependent upon Him.

D. You will become a spiritual man. The Holy Spirit will come mightily upon you and you will be changed into another man. God is going to change your heart.

E. Then Saul is given two orders, one general, one specific.

1. The general order is do for yourself as the occasion demands; for God is with you. That means you are to trust God to lead you when you don’t know exactly what to do. If He hasn’t given specific direction, don’t worry, make a decision and trust God to lead and guide. He can direct you without you knowing it. He has already done this when He brought Saul to Samuel. There was no supernatural tingle as Saul looked for lost donkeys. Even so, God was leading him. Saul is to trust in God.

2. Here is a specific command from God. There is to be a meeting at Gilgal. Saul is to wait seven days for Samuel. When he comes he will offer sacrifices and peace offerings. Then Samuel will tell Saul what he should do. This is to be obeyed in a definite and exact way with precise detail. The king is over the people but he is under God, and God expects obedience in all things. You are filled with the Holy Spirit so that you will obey God.

F. Now God started as soon as Saul turned away. He changed his heart. All the signs happened.

G. The most emphasis is given to the Holy Spirit coming mightily upon him.

1. It was an ecstatic prophesying, about the greatness and holiness and perfections of God.

2. Those people that knew him were offended at him. To use one’s surname without the given name is an insult. The inference is, when did he get religion? This gives an indication of Saul’s life up until now, that it hasn’t been focused on God. To people that have had no religious background, no relationship with God, to suddenly be focused on God’s existence and perfections is offensive. Who does he think he is? Who does he make himself out to be? The answer is, whatever God wants me to be. I might please you, and I might be too “religious” for you. My life from here on in is to please God. That’s who I am.

6. So what? We’ve been shown a person called and confirmed by God. We might think, that would be great if it happened to me. Well, hasn’t it?

A. Hasn’t God moved sovereignly to bring you to Jesus? John 6:44-45 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. So if you received Jesus, it was because God worked first in your life. You had no clue what was happening and He sovereignly drew you to Jesus.

B. When you received Jesus you found that He had given you His place of honour. Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. You think, wow, that’s intense. Me? You want to say with Saul, I’m not worthy of that honour. But that’s what God does when He brings us to Christ. He gives us His own honour and glory that we don’t deserve.

C. Then these confirming signs.

1. Have you experienced God telling you things that only He knows? I’ve experienced that in church meetings, when the Bible is taught and it’s speaking directly to me. People have prayed over me and told me things they couldn’t have known about me. God has told me things through the Bible. Has He communicated with you?

2. Has God provided for you in practical ways like two loaves of bread? That’s part of His calling, that He provides for you. Have you seen Him do that for you?

3. Has the Holy Spirit come upon you mightily? This is part of being called by God for every person who comes to Jesus. Acts 2:38-39 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Being born of the Holy Spirit is permanent, but the filling of the Holy Spirit is repeatable. You need to be being filled. If you haven’t received empowering of the Holy Spirit since you believed I’ll be happy to pray for you after the service.

D. If you have experienced these confirmations of the Lord, do you obey Him?

1. Trust in Him when you do not know all the facts. This is so interesting because we don’t always have all the information we think we ought to have, yet we have to make decisions. What do we do? We pray, we weigh out the pros and cons, and then we trust God and make a decision. We worry: what if I make a mistake? God can use that mistake. What if I make a bad choice? God can make all things work together for good. What if I sin? God doesn’t want you to sin, but He made provision for you in Jesus. Trust in Jesus as your Lord and your Saviour and make a decision.

2. Do you obey His clearly revealed will? Here are the very words of God, and they are detailed. You don’t have to guess what in the world does God want from me? That’s why we give most of our Sunday service to serious consideration of what God has said. If you are called by God then He expects you to learn His will and obey it. He does not give you His Holy Spirit to enable you to pick and choose what you will allow and forbid.

E. The point to this is if you have received Christ you are God’s person. You are called of the Lord, for His purpose. This is a glorious privilege and it’s a great responsibility. Are you allowing God to change you into another person? Do you let anyone make you feel foolish for following Jesus? The world is wicked and ungodly and it tries to make you feel like a fool to be so fanatical. But you have become a visible reminder that there is a God, that there is such a thing as sin, righteousness, and judgment. You’re not the weirdo, they are. It’s healthy and right and beautiful to live for Jesus. It’s ugly and wicked to reject Him.

F. If you are God’s person, then glory in God today. His opinion is all that matters.

Let’s pray.