Saul was rejected because he didn’t really see himself as God’s anointed. If he had, he would have obeyed God, not man.
Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed. He had God’s Spirit without measure. He was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He reigns.
But, his reign came at a price. The cross. Can you imagine a King that submits to death? Can you imagine a King that literally rises from the dead to reign? Well, most of the Jew couldn’t. That’s why they rejected him. But, God didn’t. Jesus put his faith in his Father who had the power to literally raise him from the dead.
Well, we now have God’s Spirit (Acts 2, I Corinthians 6). We will reign with Christ (II Timothy 2:11-13; Revelation 5:9-10; Revelation 20:6). We will judge angels (I Corinthians 6:3). We are a kingdom of priests (Revelation 5:9-10). We have duties, responsibilities, and blessings. I say that to say, like Saul, we have to believe that. We have to believe that God will never leave nor forsake us. In that way, we can carry out our responsibility, and we can say with Peter,
“We must obey God rather than men,” Acts 5:29.
And, we can say with the Hebrew writer,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.What can mere mortals do to me,” Hebrews 13:6.
If Saul had had that attitude, he would have reigned.
When it comes right down to it, that’s what Saul did wrong. That’s why he lost the Holy Spirit. It’s why he was troubled. It’s why he lost the kingship. He respected man’s opinion more than God’s decree.
So, what did I learn from I Samuel 15?
If God commands you to hack Agag into pieces, you better do it. Otherwise, it’s you that will fall apart. Now, I don’t think God is commanding any of us to hack up any Amalekite kings any time soon, but he is telling us to offer a holy sacrifice.
Romans 12:1 says that sacrifice is ourselves.
Jesus says we are to take up our cross.
What if the Amalekite that God wants you to sacrifice to him is….yourself. And, what if you lie about it? Oh, you sacrifice the things that don’t cost, but when the good stuff rolls around…the things of value…you simply act like you’ve offered them up…when, in fact, you haven’t. How do you think God will deal with that?
Well, it’s time that we offer up something that’s costly. That doesn’t mean a few Amalekites won’t escape. It doesn’t mean that we might sometimes slip up and let something pass through our sacrificial gaze. But, when that happens, we won’t lie about it. We’ll face it like a King. We’ll pull out the Sword of the Spirit, and we’ll hack it into pieces. We’ll completely destroy it. Or, at least we’ll try.
If you want to know what that looks like…ask Peter. Ask Paul. They made some mistakes. They let a few Amalekites escape for a while…but when they were confronted with their sin…they didn’t lie. They didn’t shirk. They took responsibility, and they turned around. And, look what they became.
Saul, he didn’t fail because he thought too much of himself. He failed because he thought too much of self and he thought too much of people’s opinions. He didn’t have the sort of faith that says…I won’t offer God a sacrifice that costs me nothing. He didn’t have the sort of faith that says, I will face a giant and slay him if God is on my side. He didn’t have the kind of faith, that when confronted with a terrible sin, openly confessed and sat in sackcloth and ashes.
The question isn’t what kind of heart Saul had. We know that he rejected God, and God rejected him. The question is, what can we learn, and I think it’s pretty simple.
Pick a hero.
Don’t pick Saul.
Turns out, there’s another hero just around the bend.
Discussion Questions:
Who were the Amalekites? See Deuteronomy 25:17-19; Judges 6:3-4; I Samuel 14:47-58.
What does I Samuel 15:12 mean about Saul setting up a monument for himself?
Why did Saul lie in verse 13? Didn’t he know Samuel would know?
I Samuel 15:17 is something that really struck me. It talks about Saul being little in his own eyes. Was the problem that Saul thought he was too big to obey God or too small to question the people?
Why did Saul disobey?
How do we respond to questions about genocide? The question goes something like this. If God is a God of love, as seen in Jesus, how could the same God command genocide in the Old Testament? This can lead to apologetics type discussion or even theological discussions of the continuity of the OT and NT.
Why did God remove his Spirit from Saul?
Who got the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament?
Who has the Holy Spirit now?
Why did God deal with Saul the way he did, i.e., remove kingship and Spirit? David, later, will sin, and God will not remove his Spirit from him. Why not? What’s the difference?
How do we keep the Spirit? Can we put out the Spirit’s fire in our lives? Can we grieve the Spirit? Can we lose the Spirit? Why would we want to hold on to the Spirit?
It’s great when God calls you to do something important…except when you realize that it’s a responsibility. Then, you might hide from it (I Samuel 10:22).
It’s good to be given great power, except for when you forget where it comes from (I Samuel 13).
It’s good to be king, except for when it’s not.
Here’s when it’s not:
When you don’t see where the real power and blessing comes from.
Here’s the thing: God has called us to do extraordinary things.
Here’s the two ways we mess it up:
1. We hide.
When, we look at our weakness and inadequacy, we hide. Can you think of a time that you just thought you weren’t up to the task. It was something that God has called you to do, but you just didn’t accept the calling.
“I’m not smart enough.”
“I’m not strong enough.”
“I just don’t think I can do it.”
Truth, is..they were looking for you. You were the one for the job…but you hid.
It’s time to come out of hiding and accept the call of God on your life.
2. We don’t wait on God.
Now, let’s say you’ve come out of hiding. Maybe someone pulled you out. And, now you’re front and center. You’re doing the things God would have you do. You’re out there working, you’re shining, you’re making things happen…and then you get the idea that it’s you that’s making things happen. So, you begin to trust in yourself to get things done, and not wait on God.
“I’m ready to get married…so I know my girlfriend won’t help me reach my potential for God…but I’m ready right now. God will understand.”
“I know this career move isn’t something that God would have me do…but I need the money, and I’m tired of waiting…gotta make things happen.”
Sound familiar?
What happens when we don’t wait on God?
Well, ask Saul. He was king and one day decided that he didn’t need to wait on God. He took matters into his own hands (I Samuel 13). He was rejected by God, and ultimately, let’s just say it didn’t turn out well.
Here’s the other option: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 ESV.
The Key
What’s the key to it all? Remember that if God calls you to do something, don’t shirk. Go for it. But, when you do, remember one thing: It’s God’s mission, his calling, and his blessing. Just follow in faith, and he will take you places you never imagined, and show you things you could never dream. It may be hard, and there may be a few Philistines and Amorites along the way, but stay faithful, and he will be faithful to his promise. You can soar like the eagles.
Discussion Questions
Name some characters in the Bible who made excuses when God called them?
How does God call us today? Is it through a prophet like Samuel, is it through his Word, or what?
Name a time when you made excuses for not accepting God’s Word in your life/
Name some characters in the Bible who trusted in themselves and not in God?
How did it turn out for those who trusted in themselves?
Name some times in your life when you trusted in yourself and not in God.
Are there ways right now that I’m trusting in myself and not in God?
I recently saw Randy Harris preach on Mark 8. He called his message “The Gospel of Peter.” It was about the crucified Messiah, the cruciform life, and the gospel of the cross.
For Randy, preaching is 75% listening and 25% speaking. So, he built a sermon on Mark 8 by trying to listen to the text. He used a sort of odd way of doing it, that he called the Ignatian way. (It’s so odd that WordPress doesn’t recognize “Ignatian” as a word!). What that means is he tried to imagine himself in the text. He imagined himself as Peter, and out of that grew his sermon (and a very powerful one to me).
Well, I thought, why don’t we try to do a little Ignatian way with the Bible class this Sunday. Why don’t we try to enter the text.
The text is I Samuel 8-10. It’s the story of Saul becoming King.
Well, when I really listened to the text, I found some surprises. The Bible has a way of doing that. So, I’m not going to spoil all the fun in this post, but I would suggest that as you read through I Samuel 8-10 that you try the following:
Imagine that you are Samuel. Try to tell the story as Samuel.
Now, imagine that you’re Saul. Put yourself in his shoes. I think you’ll find a really interesting story there.
Finally, put yourself in the shoes of the people. Try to tell their story. I sort of did that in this post.
When I did all of that, I came away with one lesson. It’s a simple one, and yet it’s one that I sometimes forget. I think not just me, but WE forget. We tend to forget this huge lesson because it just doesn’t feel right. It just doesn’t set well with us sometimes. But, when we do get it, it changes everything.
Are you interested in that lesson?
It’s God’s plan, and I will follow it even when I don’t understand and even when it hurts.
That’s it. It’s his plan. His kingdom. His work. His purpose. We get to get in on it. We may not understand it. We may not see how the gears of his plan are fitting together to turn the wheels of history. We may not understand how the foundations are being laid and the structure is being built. But, he’s doing it.
I don’t know if Samuel understood what God was doing…but he was faithful. Now, there’s a lesson. You see, it hurt Samuel to appoint a King. He felt rejected. He felt like a failure. And, I don’t think he really understood what God was up to with all of this…the long term…centuries long plan that was being carried out…but you know what? Even though it hurt…even though he didn’t understand…he followed God.
Even When It Hurts (Hillsong United)
Take this fainted heart
Take these tainted hands
Wash me in Your love
Come like grace again
Even when my strength is lost
I’ll praise You
Even when I have no song
I’ll praise You
Even when it’s hard to find the words
Louder then I’ll sing Your praise
This is the challenge for me. Follow God, even when it hurts. Strangely enough, this gets us back to Mark 8 and Randy’s message. You see, in Mark 8, Jesus called his disciples to follow him…even if it means losing their lives. Peter didn’t get that the Messiah had to die. Didn’t understand. He didn’t understand the message of the cross. Sometimes, we don’t either. But, just like Samuel who followed when he didn’t understand, and just like Samuel, who followed, even when it hurt, we take up our cross, and follow the crucified King, the King of all King, and the Lord of all Lords. And, guess what? He’s worthy of our following. He’s worthy of our praise. Even when we don’t understand, and even when it hurts. Why? Because he’s doing something more wonderful than we could have ever imagined. That’s the gospel (good news) of Samuel.
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forevermore, world without end. Amen.
Discussion
What do you think of the Ignatian way of reading Scripture?
When you look at the story from the people’s perspective, what do you see?
When you look at the story from Samuel’s perspective, what stands out?
The story of serving God even when he feels distant is found throughout Scripture. Name an example.
The idea of serving God even when you don’t understand is tough. Think of a time in your life when you dealt with this. How do you find strength in the story of Samuel?
Serving God even when it hurts is tough. What are the benefits of doing this? Why do we often fail? What lesson are we going to learn from Samuel?
What does the writer mean by the “gospel of Samuel”?
I’m telling you, they crossed the Jordan on dry ground. Dry ground. It was terrific. They had great leaders. And, it got better. They conquered Jericho. I guarantee their enemies respected them then.
But, something happened. Terrible leadership. Terrible. These last priests…total disaster. Total disaster, I’m telling you. And, I guarantee you this, Israel wasn’t respected. The ark had been taken away. Can you believe that? The Philistines had taken cities, and the last judge…he was so old and fat, that when he heard the news, he fell out of his chair and his neck broke.
A tall, authoritative man came a long. He was strong. He looked like a leader. He had a history of winning. What did the people want?
Make Israel Great Again!
You see, they saw a strong human leader as the hope of Israel. And, his name was Saul.
You see, they wanted a King. But, when they put their hope in human leader, they were rejecting the divine one. When they had their eyes set on an earthly king, they took their eyes off the heavenly King. And, the shocking truth came later…God would be their King.
I wrote a post some time back titled More Than Decency: Jesus for President. The backdrop of this is simple: When Jesus went to the cross, died, and was resurrected, this wasn’t just about forgiving us of our sins, though that’s a huge part of it. It was about God becoming King.
Now, Israel rejected God as their King, and history tells us how that turned out. There is scandal in a King that has been crucified. Truth is, there is scandal in following a cross-shaped life. But, let me tell you this: There is also resurrection. And, in that pattern, we find the truth of the only one that can make Israel great again:
Different from Eli, whose neck broke soon after his heart. Different from Eli’s sons, who died at the hands of the Philistines, but died really much earlier to the work of the temple.
What was his secret?
Why was Samuel chosen, literally called of God?
I know the answer. It’s a simple one, but it will change your life. Your calling will be fulfilled. Your purpose will be lived out.
Wouldn’t you like to come to the end of your life, and look back on it and say, “I’m happy I lived my life that way!”
Here’s how to do it, and here’s the key to what was so special about Samuel:
He gave God his heart.
“And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only,” I Samuel 7:3-4.
You see, these people had been under siege by the Philistines, the same ones who had killed Eli’s sons, the same Philistines who carried the ark away. Now, Eli was dead, his scoundrel sons were gone, and the ark was returned…but now what?
Samuel knew. He knew because his mother had lived that way. He knew because he was a child of promise and a man of purpose. He had the call of God forever resounding in his mind, and he knew what must be done.
Return to God. Do it with your whole heart.
Now, here’s the thing. He said this BEFORE defeating the Philistines.
Maybe there are some Philistines in your life. Oh, you don’t call them Philistines. But, they’re out there. They’re big, and they’re scary, and they’ve defeated you in the past. Maybe it’s addiction. Maybe it’s the sin you just can’t seem to put away. But, you’re ready to go to battle. You’re ready to face your enemy. What do you do?
Well, Samuel did three things:
He declared his faith. He said that what we have to do it give God our whole hearts.
He prayed.
He offered a sacrifice.
He did all of this before facing the Philistines.
What happened?
” And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel, ” I Samuel 7:9-10.
The Philistines were defeated, and not just that once. God drove them back the rest of Samuel’s life. He gave them back all the cities that the Philistines had taken.
Now, maybe you’re at the point in your life when the Philistines seem to have taken something from you. Maybe it’s something you cherish. Maybe it’s a son. Maybe it’s a daughter. Maybe it’s like the Israelites – it’s whole cities. It’s big…and they won’t let you alone. They keep coming. What do you do?
Well, you remember the story of Samuel, and you remember what happened when they trusted in God. They won!
Back to Samuel.
Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. Here’s how the chapter ends, “and he built an altar to the Lord.” He didn’t forget where his blessing came from. He didn’t forget his praying mother. And, he didn’t forget this. It’s God that defeats the Philistines.
Questions:
Whom do you think Samuel learned his faith from?
What was Samuel’s situation like growing up?
What was the situation when Samuel became judge?
What was the military situation looking like at this time?
Why did Samuel propose a spiritual solution to a military problem? Was it a military problem?
Why might he have mislabeled the problem?
Name some problems/struggles you are having right now. Are they spiritual in nature?
How does turning to God relate to your problems?
If you turn to God with your whole heart, will he give you what you want?
Have you ever seen Raiders of the Lost Ark? It’s a great story. There’s mystery, intrigue…and there’s the Ark. The Ark is dangerous. It’s not something to handle lightly….
It melts Nazi’s faces..
Now, that’s fictional…but, is it?
Here’s the story behind that story.
In the days of Samuel, the Philistines captured the Ark (I Samuel 4).
While they had the ark, a few things happened (I Samuel 5).
Their idol was toppled and destroyed.
They developed tumors (one translation has hemorrhoids).
There were mice.
Now, their faces didn’t melt, but it was pretty scary. So much so that they decided to send it back with a special offering of gold.
Here’s the lesson:
God is to be feared.
The same God whose ark topples idols and sends terrible tumors is the same God who sent the 10 plagues (Exodus 7-11). This is God who sent fire on the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18). This is the God of fire on the mountain (Mount Sinai, Exodus 19).
Of course, this is the same God of whom we speak at Christmas when we talk about sweet baby Jesus, But, we forget that this same sweet baby would later overturn the tables of the swindlers at the temple (John 2:14-16). We forget that sweet baby Jesus would become our Redeemer through enduring terrible suffering, and that the cross shows the scary wrath of God. And we forget that one day, people will hide themselves “in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,16 calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’ ” Revelation 6:15-17.
So, how is it that God is full of grace and love and also a God of holiness and wrath?
He hates sin. He is angry at sin. He is holy, and that means that he is separate from sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). So, how can this holy have anything to do with sinners? How can he in mercy welcome us into his presence? The answer is the cross. In the cross we see grace, but we also see wrath. Jesus bore the terrible wrath of God so that God’s justice would be satisfied. He satisfied that requirements (I John 2:2). That’s how God can hate sin and love the sinner. He took the sin on himself. But, he’s still the God of holiness, and his wrath is as real as his love. By the way, when we come to Christ in faith, we are allowed to be clothed in Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:26-28). This means that when God looks at us, he sees not our filthy wickedness, but his own holiness. That’s why we call it amazing grace!
What happens when we forget that?
What happens when we forget the price that Jesus paid? What happens when we forget that grace isn’t cheap? Well, we might just have the situation that Paul addressed in Romans. Here’s what people might say..“.Since there is this thing called grace, why don’t we just go on sinning and grace will just cover it all? Whopppee! Time to let loose and sin, sin, sin!!”No!!!! If that’s what you think, then you missed the whole point. You missed the point of your baptism, and you missed who God is, and what following Christ means. You missed the story. That’s what Romans 6 says (Justin’s interpretation). And, when you miss all of that…bad things happen.
I think that can be seen in Eli’s sons.
There’s this story of some really bad things happening. Eli was the priest. His sons had missed the first lesson: the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). Because of that, they went astray. They turned God’s service into a mockery. And, just as Jesus drove the swindlers out of the temple, God drove this family totally out of the temple. There was death on top of death. The sons were killed in battle. The father died upon hearing the news. They were done. But, God had a plan, he had a replacement. He had a new priest (Samuel) that would serve him from the heart. This priest was a the son of a woman (Hannah) who had no doubt shown the fear of the Lord and the grace of the Lord.
Now, back to the ark. Back to the fear. What do you do, when you realize that you should be killed, but you are spared? What do you do when God gives you a gift you just don’t deserve? Well, you do what Hannah (Samuel’s mother) did. You serve. You give. And, you praise.
And, when you do…God can do more with your praise and your service that you ever imagined. Just think..did Hannah know that her son would become THE priest and prophet in Israel? Did she know that he would anoint the first king and then the greatest king of Israel? Did she know that her son would help pave the way for the coming of the Messiah who would save all mankind, not just Israel, and would be the greatest King of all Kings, and would be God himself among us…more than we can ever hope or imagine. Did she know all of that? No! But, she knew that God was great, and he loved her, and that she loved him.
Be like Hannah. God can do more than you ever think or imagine with your gift, with your service, and with your praise.
I leave you with Hannah’s prayer of praise:
And Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
2 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. 3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. 6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord‘s, and on them he has set the world.
9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. 10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
Now, I think I’ll go listen to a little Praise and Harmony, Our God is an Awesome God:
Bible Class Questions:
Had you ever heard the story about the hemorrhoids, mice, and tumors. Why not?
How do we sometimes try to make the Bible stories into children’s stories?
What does it mean to fear the Lord?
What was the ark all about? What would it have to do with us today?
Should we fear the Lord now that Christ has come?
What do you think “cheap grace” means? How do we cheapen grace in our minds?
How does Romans 6 tie in to the discussion of Hophni and Phinehas?
Why does it seem that God takes people abusing the temple so seriously? What is the temple nowadays? Who are the priests? Has God changed?
What do you think of Hannah’s prayer life?
How can we pray like Hannah?
What does it mean to encounter the God of grace and wrath?
Some of the best gospel singing I ever heard was done by the Greater Shiloh Baptist Choir in Jasper, Alabama. Shiloh.
It’s a word that evokes Genesis 49:10 and the Messianic promise.
But, when I’m talking about Shiloh, I’m not talking about the North American Baptist choir, and I’m not talking about the Messianic prophecy. I’m talking about a place. A place that looked something like this.
By MyName (Shuki) (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
This picture is a view from the grounds of ancient Shiloh. It’s the setting of the opening of I Samuel.
Chapter 1 opens with a story about the Hannah. It opens with a story about a woman and her prayer. That’s significant.
Hannah groaned. She didn’t whine. She didn’t pout. She was tough, and she went to the right source. Her hearts desires were fulfilled. Let’s see what we can learn.
Here are some questions that jump out at me about Chapter 1:
Why did Elkanah have two wives? I mean, if he loved Hannah so much, why have another one? Did it have to do with child bearing?
What did it mean that Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion of the sacrifice? What in the world would this have to do with BBQ? Why was this not very effective? Can you imagine giving your depressed wife a double helping of BBQ to “make it all better”?
Which festival does this seem to be? Hint, I think it’s Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).
Verse 9 – “the doorpost of the temple of the Lord?” – What are we talking about here? Isn’t this in Shiloh? Why a “temple” here?
What is the significance of the title “Lord of Hosts” that is used repeatedly in this chapter? What might it have to do with the overall story and Hannah’s prayer?
How is Hannah’s prayer a daring one? How would you describe it?
What do you think about making promises to God? How was it viewed in the Old Testament?
How does her prayer remind you of a story in Judges?
Verse 13: Is there any irony that Eli would accuse Hannah of drunkenness? Do you know what happens with his sons?
Verse 15: “Pouring out my soul before the Lord.” Can you think of a time when you did that? What happened?
Hannah describes herself as a a tough woman. Do we think of the Bible as teaching women to be tough? To plead their case with God?
What should we learn from Hannah’s prayer?
What should we learn about God from answering Hannah’s prayer?
I Samuel isn’t a story about Samuel. It isn’t even about the other two main characters, Saul nor David. But, it is a story about the king.
Why Study I Samuel:
Key insight into who Christ is.
Foundation for understanding the gospel.
Better understand the church.
Understand what God is doing in the world.
Deepen your worldview.
If you don’t get what’s going on in I Samuel, you will never really understand what’s going on in the gospels. But, to understand I Samuel, you must step back a minute, and look at what happened right before that in the book of Judges.
Background
It’s a wild, crazy world. It’s not a G-rated story. It’s a story where
men cut off the thumbs and toes of their rivals (Judges 1:7)
a man assassinates a king so fat the dagger just won’t come out of his belly (Judges 3:27).
a woman kills a king by driving a tent peg into his temple (Judges 4:21).
Basically what happened is that God told the people to take the land, but they were unfaithful in various stages. So, there were various people that fought against them and oppressed them.
Here is an infographic of the general situation:
The book of Judges has some of my favorite stories. Great movie material here.
The Original 300
This is a time when God showed up and showed out! He took a man lacking in faith and called him to lead God’s armies. And, when this man, Gideon, this mighty man of valor, showed up with army of 22,000, God said NO! He made him get the number down to a ridiculously small band of 300. Yes, this is the original 300. And, they took thousands. Why? Because God was in it.
My Favorite Childhood Story
Then, we come to my favorite Bible story as a child. It’s a story of a man so strong he could literally carry the city gates off on his shoulders! But, it’s a man so weak for pretty women, that he let one talk him out of his strength. It’s a story of a super-hero who falls, but in the end regains his faith, and kills more in his death than in his life.
Gustave Doré [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Messy
To put it bluntly, the situation in Israel was a mess. They wanted to have the full conquest promised, but they didn’t seem to be faithful long enough to really follow through on what God promised to give them. Yes, Joshua led them into the promised land. Yes, God was true to his promises. But, there were wars.
Sometimes the map of Israel during the Judges is presented like this:
Courtesy of oneinjesus.info
While this map gives us some insight into the general locations of the judges, the actual territory of each tribe was in a state of flux depending on the current fights with the surrounding people (you know, all the “stines” and “ites”).
The actual territory may have looked more like this map.
Courtesy of oneinjesus.info
No King
God delivered mightily through Samson, Gideon, and Deborah, but the people forsook him. It hurts to tell you, but they turned their back on God. Can you imagine that? God delivered them, then they forgot. And, the phrase that is used to describe their situation is that “there was no king in the land.”
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” Judges 21:25.
You see, they didn’t have a human king, but that wasn’t really the problem. They had rejected their true King. They had rejected God.
King
But God is not surprised. He has a plan. I Samuel tells us about that plan. And, it starts with a dejected woman and her prayerful cry at what we might would call the annual BBQ. Very Southern. Very real. God answers her prayer, and sets in motion a plan that is being fulfilled even now.
Join me as we see the seeds of the kingdom. and the true king in Israel. You see, there’s this story in I Samuel about a bad judge, then a good judge, and then a bad king, then a good king. But, the good good king is just a shadow of the real King.
He’s the King of kings.
Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think about theocracy? Is it a crazy, outdated form of radicalism? Should we be interested in helping establish a theocracy?
2. Why do we “sanitize” the Old Testament stories? I mean, why do we somehow not see the gore, the grit, and the very “real” side of these stories?
3. What does it mean that the there was “no king in Israel”? How does that apply to modern day USA?
4. Why does God do things like insist on an army of 300 (versus 22,000, a much more seemingly fitting number)?
5. What kind of a king do you think God is going to bring about in I Samuel, and how does that tie into the story of the 300?
6. What was the difference between a Judge and a King?
7. Read these passages: Exodus 15:18, Numbers 23:21, Deuteronomy 33:5. Was God king of Israel?
8. When God was king of Israel, how did that contrast to surrounding nations?
9. Do we put our faith in our nation? In our leader? What if our nation was God’s kingdom, and our King was the King of Kings?
10. How does this tie in to our national discussion of the presidential election?
11. What do we see about the character of God in Judges and I Samuel?
12. What about the place of women at this time?
13. Why does God keep using such flawed people?
14. God is depicted in certain ways in Judges and I Samuel. What does this tell us about Jesus?
15. What does Jesus tell us about the God of Judges and I Samuel?
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