 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.”
And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the LORD will not forsake HIS people, for HIS great Name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for HIMSELF.” 1 Samuel 12:19-22 ESV The Israelites finally realized that asking for a king was a mistake. Plain and simple, the people had messed up. No doubt. My interpretation, if I may, of God’s response to the Israelites: Come on home. I want nothing more than a relationship with you. I take delight in calling you My own. I am here. Waiting on you. All day. Every day. 💜 I am so grateful, no matter what, it is HIS response to you and me, too. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 NIV  So, me, I imagine this:
Samuel standing before the Israelites, trying so hard to keep his composure, heart swelled in disappointment, fighting back the raw emotions. And then after a long pause, in exasperation, I picture Samuel saying: So here’s the king you wanted, the king you asked for. God has let you have your own way, given you a king. If you fear God, worship and obey Him, and don’t rebel against what He tells you. If both you and your king follow God, no problem. God will be sure to save you. But if you don’t obey Him and rebel against what He tells you, king or no king, you will fare no better than your fathers. 1 Samuel 12:13-15 MSG Imagine the sick feeling deep down in the pit of Samuel’s gut now because he knows the Israelites have made a horrible mistake. It’s as if he has just sounded the trumpet, hoping they hear and understand, longing for them to just remember one simple truth: “God is KING!” Though, deep inside, he knows the warning has been silenced by the fulfillment of their idolatrous hopes and desires. The problem with having a king is that we may begin to worship him. Author unknown. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to Me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the LORD your God was your King. 1 Samuel 12:12 NIV And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!” Revelation 15:3 ESV  Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah and said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you'.
But you have now rejected your God, Who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans". 1 Samuel 10:17-19 NIV And through a process Saul was selected to be king over the Israelites. Get this. When they called Saul’s name, as the chosen king, they could not find him. Saul was hiding. They eventually located him, and when he stood amongst the people he was a head taller than any of them. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!” 1 Samuel 10:24 NIV See, there came a point in the lives of the Israelites where they wanted a king. So God gave them a king. Saul. Saul, already elevated in stature, now is being elevated in status. Little did they know, the thing they so desired (a king) would drop them to their knees. Hmmm. Something to ponder. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz Be careful of what you desire for it may just be the thing that drops you to your knees.  Saul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, Where did you go? And Saul said, To look for the donkeys, and when we found them nowhere, we went to Samuel.
Saul’s uncle said, Tell me, what did Samuel say to you? And Saul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the donkeys were found. But of the matter of the kingdom of which Samuel spoke he told him nothing. 1 Samuel 10:14-16 AMPC When Saul arrived home he was noticeably different. God’s Anointing was on Saul. Imagine his uncle thinking, “I can’t put my finger on it but there is something different about you.” Oh, Father, that is my prayer today. Let You so continue to change us that it is noticeable to everyone around. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you will show yourself to be a prophet with them; and you will be turned into another man. 1 Samuel 10:6 AMPC  So, let’s come back to the servant. Saul’s servant. The guy he picked to go with him on his ‘donkey finding mission’. (1 Samuel 9:3)
The servant shared information, one might say wisdom, with Saul. At the time, the servant didn’t realize that the information that he possessed, and was willing to share, would be critical to fulfilling the destiny of Saul. Critical to fulfilling the purpose of God. Said another way, he didn’t even understand that he was being used to fulfill God’s plan for providing the nation of Israel with a king. He just thought he was on a mission to find some lost donkeys. Let us never forget that our role, our purpose, no matter how big or small, may be just what is needed to propel someone else to their destiny. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz  Now, Saul was tall, dark and handsome. Just kidding. He was tall and handsome. Well, two out of three ain’t bad, huh? On a serious note, Saul was unusually tall. From Saul’s shoulders and upward he was higher than anyone else. Definitely noticeable in a crowd. One might say head and shoulders above the rest. 😀
So imagine when Samuel saw Saul. My mind tells me he might have been thinking to himself, “Wow! That dude is tall. Where did he come from?” And imagine his reaction when he then heard the Lord say to him, “That’s My man!” That’s not exactly what the Lord said, though. The LORD told Samuel that is the guy I was telling you about. He shall reign over My people. Saul then walked up to Samuel and asked him where they might find the man of God. Saul doesn’t even realize Samuel is the guy he is looking for nor does he even know that his life is about to be changed forever. So, long story short, Samuel invites Saul and his servant to eat with him and at the same time tells Saul not to worry about the donkeys that were lost three days ago because they have been found. Samuel also says to Saul, “And for whom are all the desirable things of Israel? Are they not for you and for all your father’s house?” (1 Samuel 9:20) Imagine what Saul is thinking. Who is this guy? How did he know we lost the donkeys three days ago? And why is he talking gibberish about me being the desire of Israel? Dude, are you confused? Do you even know who I am? I am a Benjamite from the smallest of all the tribes. SMALLEST!!! And my family? I guess you hadn’t heard. We are nobodies in the rank and file of the families within our own tribe. I think you might have the wrong guy. He might even look over at the servant who has traveled with him and whisper something like, “Are you sure this is the guy? You know. The man of God.” Now Saul does pretty much tell Samuel he has the wrong guy but Samuel doesn’t even provide a rebuttal. The next day, before Saul leaves, Samuel asked Saul to speak with him in private. In private, Samuel anoints Saul with oil and lets him know he will be prince over God’s heritage. Check this out. Saul wasn’t looking to be king. His mission was finding his Dad’s donkeys. He was fulfilling one purpose and found the purpose of God for his life. God used a circumstance, call it a crisis for one (his dad), to fulfill His plan for a nation. Not only that but Saul thought he was limited by his tribe, by his heritage, by his background, by his past. Saul’s purpose was so much bigger than what he could see. Saul’s purpose may have been bigger than his dreams. Imagine that! So much to ponder. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 Note: Today we are in 1 Samuel Chapter 9  Now a day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel in his ear,
Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be leader over My people Israel; 1 Samuel 9:15-16a AMP So, look at that. The LORD told Samuel about Saul’s arrival the day before. Now that is what I call insider information. Father, Today, I humbly ask, as we seek You, in prayer, in the Word, in worship, let us find direction, and purpose, and all that we need to walk out our journey. That is what we desire. Bless us with the whispers of insider information. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz  Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. Kish said to Saul, Take a servant with you and go, look for the donkeys.
And they passed through the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah, but did not find them. Then they went through the land of Shaalim and the land of Benjamin, but did not find them. And when they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, Come, let us return, lest my father stop worrying about the donkeys and become concerned about us. The servant said to him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, a man held in honor; all that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can show us where we should go. Then Saul said to his servant, But if we go, what shall we bring the man? The bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no gift for the man of God. What have we? The servant replied, I have here a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God to tell us our way — 1 Samuel 9:3-8 AMPC Ever think about the servant? The guy who Saul picked because his Dad told him to take a servant with him to go and find the lost donkeys. When Saul was ready to throw in the towel, and go back home without completing the mission, the servant was not. The servant thought about who he might have known, or knew of, that could help Saul, and ultimately Saul’s Dad (his boss) get back what they lost. Think on this. This guy was a servant. He could have kept quiet and went back home with Saul but he didn’t. Honestly, he didn’t have any skin in the game, but he was willing to share what he knew with someone in authority to help them achieve their mission. The ‘donkey finding mission’. And what about this. The servant came prepared for the unexpected. Not finding the donkeys. The servant came prepared to seek help to fulfill the mission. Prepared to do whatever it takes to fulfill the mission. Oh Father, Help me to be like the Benjamite servant. A friend indeed. Determined. Prepared. Focused. Selfless. Ready to use what I have to help others. No matter their rank or file. Oh, and ready to seek You for help in time of need. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz  In First Samuel Chapter Eight, the Israelites wanted a king so the LORD laid out in detail just what this would mean for the Israelites. God began to define the Kingdom of Man.
Man’s way is to take and make you slaves. Take care of his stuff, plow his ground, reap his harvest, make this and make that for him, and he will take your sons and daughters and then you will not have anyone to take care of your stuff but you. Take the best of your fields and vineyards and groves and give them to others. Take a tenth of your grain and vintage and give it to others. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys will be for his own use. And then you will cry out for relief. And you know what the KING will say. How’s that working out for you? Just kidding! The KING will not hear you. Samuel even gave them a history lesson on the greatness of the LORD, their KING, and how He delivered, provided, and sustained them. And the people still refused to change their minds and wanted a king because they wanted what the other nations had. God basically told them a king is what they want then a king is what they will get. And God selected a king. Oh, just look at the mercies of God towards His people. God gave them ample opportunity to change their minds. God even detailed out the kingdom of man for His people. In the end, He did not go against their will. He gave them what they wanted. So much to ponder. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz  Samuel began to age as most of us do. Samuel had sons so when he got old he appointed his sons as Judges for Israel. 1 Samuel Chapter 8. His sons names were Joel and Abijah. You won’t even believe this! His sons didn’t walk in Samuel’s ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
Imagine what Samuel is thinking. “Good grief you two! Did you not believe me or even hear me when I told you the stories of Hophni and Phinehas and their Dad Eli who I succeeded? Hello people! Remember. They all died as a result of their disregard for God.” Imagine the inner turmoil for Samuel. I bet it didn’t help when the elders gathered and came to Samuel with their solution to the dilemma either. I know it looked like they needed a plan. It looked like this problem of theirs (the Israelites) required a solution. Sammy was getting old. Samuel’s sons were no good. It didn’t look like there was any other way. The Israelites looked around and saw how others were doing it. They saw how others were carrying on with a king. It must have looked good to them. I guess they were afraid of the future with no known leader. But they forgot Heaven rules! God is their KING. HE had brought them this far without their input. HE had provided a leader when it looked as if there was no one. They never asked for Samuel. If they thought about it Samuel was not the “earth” plan. Samuel was not in the line of Eli, hence Aaron. God raised up someone HE knew could judge HIS people. God grew Samuel and developed a relationship with him and provided direction and leadership and all that they needed. Every single time. God was not dependent on the Israelites. They were dependent on HIM. Selah (pause and calmly think on that). Let’s pray. Father, Help me. Oh, how I can so relate. So many times I develop plans because I see a need for a solution. And If I am honest I don’t consult YOU. Help me to remember Heaven rules. Every single time. In every single thing. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM, Liz |
Hey There! I'm LizFounder of Ezra728 with a purpose of creating inspiring messages to strengthen and encourage primarily us gals across the globe. Guys, don't fret. You are definitely welcome, too. Archives
April 2020
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