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17 Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.” 20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” 25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
Election. Supreme Court Justices. Choices of leaders.
All of our choices.
17 Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah.
Mizpeh
18 And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”
Samuel reminds the people of the foolishness of demanding a king… but he goes about to show how God will select a King at their request. have it your way.
20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found.
The lot or otherwise called the tribe of Benjamin, the Clan of Matri, and the family of Kish. But they could not find the king God had chosen…His desire to be humble or not found are identified in the next verse:
22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
His stature was impressive. He looked like a king.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
Take a close look at this verse. It is very important. There was no one like Saul among all the people. He was the one who God chose. Neverthe less, he was disqualified before he got started. You say what??? How could that be? Look back at the previous verses… of the tribe of Benjamin and the family of Kish. That’s all you need to know.
In Genesis 49.10, the kingship of Judah was predicted.
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Saul was from the wrong tribe. So why did God pick him? We will get to that momentarily. Let’s continue on.
25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.
This verse talks about the authority and responsibility of the king as outlined in a book that was put together.
26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched.
It took some convincing, by God, to both Saul and the people that this man was indeeed to be king. Some believed.
27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
There will always be those naysayers.
The Bottom Line:
Selfish Demands Produce Less Than God’s Best
Selfish Demands Produce Less Than God’s Best
Election. Supreme Court Justices. Choices of leaders.
Someone has said to be careful what you ask for, you may just get it.
Israel asked for a king. they Got one. They got precisely what they asked for. A king who looked good and even looked kingly.
So much so they shouted “Long live the king.”
The only problem was that it was their desire, not God’s plan, to have this king. Yes, it’s true that God chose the king, but only in response to their request.
Does God facilitate what He doesn’t endorse? Well, to do otherwise would be to make us robots and not have choice. I suspect God chose because he had an idea that who the people would choose would be far more problematic than Saul became. So in a sense, facilitating the selection of a king was an act of God’s grace on the nation of Israel.
It is true that God can permit what He never actually intended. Do you think that God intended for Job to go through the trials he went through? No, he permitted it. And sometimes our trials are of the enemy’s making, and other times it is of our own making.
The best for Israel was to trust God. But they didn’t. They demanded to be like all the other nations around them. To have a king. To be normal. Instead of walking by faith and not by sight.
So how do we know what God’s will is?
We study His ways. In scripture. We get to know Him by every means possible.
We walk by faith- not by sight.
We trust His lead- in the person of His Holy Spirit- and move in step with God.