Choices, Choices, Choices- An Overview of 1 Samuel Choices, choices, choices! We are faced with a bewildering array daily. Most- like which outfit am I wearing today? - are of no major consequence. However, there are a few- like who will I ask to marry me? – that are destiny shaping. Neo sums up the dilemma in the movie classic “The Matrix” when he asks the architect of the Matrix the question, “So the problem is with choice?” Of course the answer is, “No.” Being made in the image and likeness of God has more to do with volition than anything else. God designed us sensate and rational beings who have the privilege and power to choose what we believe is best for us. God will not override our will, but our Father knows what is best for us. He wants us to willingly choose to obey Him. However, the downside to choice is that we are all too familiar with the predicament of having to deal with the adverse consequences of making bad choices. How do we avoid these undesirable situations? We can do so by allowing God’s word to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In 1 Samuel we learn from the life of Saul that it is not a good idea to establish a pattern of making choices that are contrary to the dictates and directives of God’s word. The Lord told Joshua that if he wanted to make his way prosperous and have good success that he would have to obey His word. Saul did not learn this lesson. It would be in our best interests not to repeat his mistake. Let us chose to obey God’s word. Transition from Rule by Judges to Rule by Kings The last judge to rule Israel was Samuel. Samuel was a great man of faith. Not only was he a judge, but he was also a priest and a prophet. Of the three positions of leadership in Israel- priest, prophet, and king- Samuel held two of them. This is a short list. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, was the only other person to hold these two offices. By the way, David held two offices- prophet and king. Only Christ holds all three offices- priest, prophet, and king. Notwithstanding, as a judge, it can be argued that Samuel functioned as a king. Even in this light, there was only one other person that functioned in all three capacities- Moses. No matter how you slice it, Samuel was in very heady company. Israel asked Samuel for a king so that they can be like the surrounding nations. The request in and of itself was problematic and troubling to Samuel- we are in the world but not of the world- but the Lord directed him to anoint Saul as king. Initially Saul had some military victories against the Philistines, but it soon became evident that he had trouble obeying God’s word. For example, there was an incident in which Saul got impatient waiting for Samuel to come and offer sacrifices. In his restlessness, Saul foolishly offered the sacrifices himself. This was a clear violation of God’s word which stipulated that only a priest can offer sacrifices. Through Samuel, God commanded Saul to wipe out all of the Amalekites and their livestock for attacking the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. However, Saul kept some of the livestock for himself and did not kill Agag, the king of the Amalekites. When confronted by Samuel, Saul responded that he kept the livestock to offer as sacrifices to the Lord. Samuel responded that disobeying God’s word was akin to worshipping the devil and that obedience was better than sacrifice. Samuel went on to tell Saul that because of this the Lord had taken the kingdom from him and given it to a man after his own heart. But Samuel did not say who it was because God had not revealed it to his prophet yet. David is Anointed King and Flees from Saul The Lord directed Samuel to go to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem of Judah. As Jesse brought out his sons in birth order, Samuel said surely this was the one just by looking at physical characteristics. God told Samuel that He does not look at the outward appearance, but the heart. Seven of Jesse’s sons were not chosen. Samuel asked Jesse were there any others? In an afterthought, Jesse remembered his youngest son, David, and had him come in from tending the sheep. When David came in, the Lord told Samuel that this was the one. Anoint him. Oddly, however, David was anointed king but it would be almost 20 years before he became king. God does indeed work in mysterious ways. But what we find during the wait is that David was a man who chose to obey the word of God despite very tempting and trying circumstances to do otherwise. The Spirit of God came upon Saul at his anointing to become king, but left him at his rejection by the Lord. The Holy Spirit came upon David at his anointing and never left him. When the Holy Spirit left Saul, the Lord sent a demon to torment him. Saul’s staff heard of the soothing psalms that David wrote and sang and had him come to the palace to play music to calm Saul down. Saul did not know it at the time, but the Lord had brought his replacement to the palace. Nevertheless, it did not take long for it to become apparent to all, including Saul, that David had been chosen to be Israel’s next king. It began with David defeating Goliath. Then Saul made David commander over his army. David got victory after victory after victory against the Philistines. It was obvious that the Lord was with him. When the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, but David has slain his ten thousands”, there was no longer any doubt in Saul’s mind and in his jealousy he tried repeatedly to kill David. Saul Dies and David Becomes King David had to run for his life, but he chose not kill Saul even though he had several opportunities to do so. David trusted God to deal with Saul in His own way and in His own time. Eventually, David went and lived among the Philistines. When Saul was stymied at every turn, he once again disobeyed God’s word and went to a soothsayer for divination. By now Samuel was dead, so he asked the soothsayer to conjure him up. In what was usually a ruse of chicanery and trickery all of a sudden became the genuine article as Samuel came back from the abode of the dead. Samuel chided Saul for this final act of disobedience and told him that he would die the next day in battle against the Philistines which indeed came to pass. In what was a promising beginning for Saul became a disaster because of his incomplete obedience to God’s word. Let this not be us. A series of bad choices turned Saul’s winning hand into a losing proposition. Because of Saul’s self-will and pride, he snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory. His repeated disobedience to God’s word resulted in the kingdom being taken away from him and given to David, a man after God’s own heart and Israel’s greatest king. Saul’s life is a cautionary tale to us all. Let’s not fail to adhere to the dictates and directives of the Scriptures just because we figure that it is prudent or expedient to do so. In summary, where God’s word is silent we have liberty to make whatever choice we want. Where God’s word is explicit, to make a contrary choice is to our own detriment. The ultimate choice that we have is between everlasting life and everlasting condemnation. God admonishes us to choose life by receiving by faith His Son Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 18:07:09 +0000
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