Samuel And Saul Part 2
1Sam 12 All of Israel was in Gilgal where they made Saul king.
· Vs1 Samuel spoke to all Israel. Consider size of the audience; consider the voice it would take to be heard by all. This speech could not be made under his own power. It had to be made through the power of the LORD.
· Vs1-5 There was no gain for Samuel in setting Saul as king over them, he did in obedience to the LORD.[Ch 8:7,9,22]
· Vs 6-9; 10-12 Samuel recounted what the LORD had done including mercy and forgiveness when they repented.
· V13 Samuel represents Saul as the king they chose and desired. But he points out it was the LORD who set him over them.
· Vs14-15 Even though the LORD had set a king over them, His demands were still the same: fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against his commandment. The same blessing if the did and the same curses if they didn’t.
· Vs16-19 The LORD brought thunder and rain during harvest to make the people realize their wickedness. This brought great fear of the LORD and confession of their sin.
· Why was rain in harvest a terrifying event?
Ø They saw the power of the LORD and the thought he was sending them to their death. Starvation due to the lost harvest or they had realized the LORD’s omnipotence.
Ø Pr 25:13, 26:1; Ecc 3:1-8; Jer 5:24; Hosea 10:12
Ø Then harvest was a dry, rainless time. God had appointed specific times harvest had to be a prolonged rainless time or they would lose the crop.
§ The providence God: [Ge 8:22] God built within the process of raising crops clear need to depend upon Him and fear Him. God is ultimately in control of seedtime and harvest. [Ps 96:9]
· V19 The people confessed their sin and asked Samuel to pray that they die not – I believe they felt they were going to be starved to death by God because they asked for a king.
· Vs20-25 Samuel response, fear not. The reason for the harvest time storm was not their death.
Ø Acknowledge their sin and repent
Ø Hearken unto these words of His prophet.
Ø Israel’s nature: forget to praise Him in times of plenty, yet seek His mercy in times of famine, and in all times ignore the words of His prophets.
Ø DESCRIBES THS WORLD TODAY, INCLUDING MANY CHRISTIANS.
Chs 13:1-7 The “vial ” reign of Saul began
13:1-4a By the third year third year of Saul’s reign the Philistines had set up a garrison {military post} in Geba in the inheritance of Benjamin, Saul’s homeland. He the chose 3000 men of Israel and Jonathan took 1000 of them and they smote the Philistine garrison. All Israel rejoiced of “Saul’s” victory
V4b- Because “Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines” {strongly hated by the Philistines} all the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal, the Philistines would surely seek vengeance for the slaughter of the garrison.
V5 This army was so large it was not numbered. [2Ch 14:9].
Vs6-7 The men of Israel were distressed when they saw the Philistines. The people hid in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits; places the shepherd would use the staff to keep his sheep from entering, associated with sin. Many passed back over the Jordan River.
Saul in Gilgal: the place the twelve stones form the river were set up [Jos 4:19-20] as a memorial to what the LORD had done.
· They abandoned their inheritance and left it to the spoilers. [V16-17] They chose not to believe the promise De 31:6
· What God promised them was not worth fighting for. This explains the word despised (lightly regard) as in the Bible as considered to be worthless or unimportant.
****1Cor 10:1-11 V6 ¶ Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted
The Children of Israel never desired what the LORD has promised them. He LORD offered the generation in Egypt a land flowing with milk and honey, they wanted Egypt. He offered the generation that crossed over the Jordan River a land completely free of the wicked, Satan controlled nations, they chose live among the heathen. If Israel would have acknowledged Him as their King, feared Him as the LORD God, and obeyed Him there would have been no earthly limit on the greatness of the nation of Israel.
They chose to worship gods they did not need to fear, they wanted an ungodly king like the Satanic, heathen, nations and despised His Holy Law.
Question for today’s Christians: What do we truly think of our salvation; do we cherish our salvation or take it for granted? Do we sometimes lightly regard out eternal salvation.
Am I looking for the rapture of the church so I be able to spend eternity perfectly worshiping Jesus Christ as Lord God Almighty or so I won’t have to walk up stairs any more?