You were just ministered to by the Holy Spirit. Is there any comment? I just came from church. Outstanding sermon. as always.
Or something like that. Is there anything ever that Registers with you when you leave the house of God. Or are you just like Saul? You just expect you know, this kind of treatment. And it just never rings a bell in your head or your heart or anywhere else.
I hope not, and if if that has been the case, may you take steps to correct it. Yeah. Hmm. You're listening to Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville.
Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of 1 Samuel. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. 1 Samuel chapter 9 is the text Pastor Rick will be teaching from today, and he will conclude his study called Meeting Saul. The reverence shown to Samuel as a prophet judge in Israel, he's a Levite. He seems to be in authority over the priest, but not carrying out their duties, which is legitimate.
But the reverence of the people, you know, no one's going to eat till Samuel blesses the food. I mean, that's appealing to us to read that. It should be. If it's not, why is it not? As Christians, do we not bless the food before we eat?
And it's fun that when sometimes someone gets excited and another Christian starts eating, he says, Hey, hey, why don't you bust the food for us? And they got a mouthful of food. But that's how you kind of. playfully catch them. Verse 14.
So they went up to the city. As they were coming into the city, there was Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
Now this is an arranged meeting by God, and that's going to come out in the story. Samuel has to tell these things for us to know. What is happening? In Matthew 10, we read: Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin, and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will, but the very hairs on your head. are all numbered.
some more than others. Yeah. Seven. Anyhow, that verse in Matthew, of course. A bird doesn't drop to the ground without God knowing about it.
There's nothing that gets past him. He's omniscient. He knows everything. God cannot learn. And Here he knows Right when Samuel and Saul's paths are going to cross.
And he has engineered it, and now it is happening. And verse 15, Now Yahweh had told Samuel in his ear, the day before Saul came, saying, Tomorrow, about this time, I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. And you shall anoint him commander over my people Israel, That he may save my people from the hand of the Philistines, for I have looked upon my people because of their cry, because their cry has come to me. And so when Samuel saw Saul Yahweh said to him, There he is. the man whom I spoke to you.
This one shall reign over my people. This God of the universe just kind of casually See, there he is right there. That's what I was telling you about. It's amazing. And Samuel's telling this, he said, I'm telling you, God did all of this.
This is what happened. This predictive prophecy. It's God tell telling future Events And the day earlier, the day before, Samuel was alerted this was going to happen.
Now God comes along and He confirms this to him. Saul He was not sent into this world. to play the role of a fool. He was intended to play the part of a king. And he failed.
And we look at that and we say, okay. If I'm called into this world, to serve The Lord He hasn't called me to be a fool. But I can be a fool if I want to be one. The choice comes to me. He was intended, as I said, to be this great king.
And when we get to chapter 10, we're going to see God investing in him. Helping him along, giving him everything he needs, taking away all the excuses. Youth may get tired of hearing me say, you go to a church that preaches the word, your excuses have been taken away from you. You won't be able to say to God, well, I didn't know. Um Serious.
Business. Faith. Things about God. Every cemetery Calls out to the living. and says this is serious stuff.
You're going somewhere when you leave here. Not the body. That's of no use. Any more? But what's inside?
The heart where God was looking. Yeah, you can either take that as bad news or good news.
So If I was younger again. I would be asking, God, what do you want me to do? I hear these older saints telling me. all these things. What do you want me to do?
And that would be the beginning. It might take a little time for God to Give it to you. He may give it to you in doses because you can't handle but so much. And part of that experience is your development.
Well He was intended to be a king, like I said, and he became obsessed. With David's death. And what started that? Saul is killed as thousands. David is ten thousands.
Jealousy. or envy. He wanted to be the center of everything. Life was supposed to revolve around him. And his little, you know Heart was, his little feelings were hurt.
Somebody was better than him at something. He hated David so much for this, he spent the rest of his kingship. Chasing David. Neglecting the Philistines, whom we just heard God say, My people's calling out, I'm giving them the king to deliver them. He Neglected that.
Sent whole regiments after David. Until finally the Philistines got strong enough, they cornered him and they killed him and his sons.
So many lessons about being distracted in this case, being distracted, being pulled away, being seduced away is some devil. luring you away, into something you're not supposed to be doing. And that is the story of Saul. to the point where he became an enemy of everything that was righteous. Verse 18, Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Please tell me where is the seer's house?
So out of touch. With who Samuel was. You say, well, how's he supposed to know?
Well, God could have alerted him, but there's just nothing in really in this man. His spiritual disregard became legendary by the time he dies on Mount Gilboa. These are the early hints about his shallow character.
So the first time Saul is shown speaking to Samuel, he doesn't even know who he is. And By the time this chapter is over, and Samuel's going to be such a host, such a kind person to him. We're not even going to hear Saul say thank you. In fact, we'll just have to wait till we get there to see it come off pages for itself. Knowing what we know again, what's coming, we are ready for Saul's inability.
to see God in the godly. You can't even, is there anyone here that cannot point out someone else who is godly? I don't mean a family member you just love and think the world of. I don't mean a sports figure or somebody. I mean somebody who you think that this is a person that is just trying to serve God.
with everything they've got. And you have no charges against them. Can you pick somebody out like that? because Saul couldn't. In verse 19, Samuel answered Saul and said, I am the seer.
Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will. let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. But as for your donkeys, that were lost three days ago. Do not be anxious about them. They have been found.
and on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you? And on your father's house.
Well, Samuel has just gave himself a pretty strong introduction. He's telling him things that he, how could he possibly know? You'd think Saul would pick up on this. It's just like, again, someone coming to a solid church and getting a solid Bible study and not even knowing what they're getting. Hearing scripture verses quoted, not even knowing a scripture, and not even caring to know.
not even moved by them. Thief on the cross, you know, the two outlaws on the cross. One was deeply moved at one point, and the other one was never got it.
So we don't get the feeling that the honor of being with Samuel has registered. Even at this miraculous moment, you would think, right? You would just say. How'd you know that, Samuel? Yeah, what happened when Philip The Lord told him before, I saw you, I saw you, Philip.
And he's still b you know. Philip was so taken by it. And Jesus said, Oh, because I saw you and said these things to you, are you ready to believe? Are you? but not with Saul a lack of spiritual sensitivity.
puts him in the same class with these characters. There's Lot, Is Laban There's Ishmael. Esau and a cast of thousands. These men were like goats. They just, you know, just totally and just would eat anything.
is a whole different character than the sheep. He probably questioned the the attention he was getting. And it doesn't appear he would question anything else. The Bible is very careful. That when someone shows evidence of moving towards God, it points it out.
Like with Ruth. Naomi didn't catch it. She moved on, but Ruth got it, and the Bible takes the time to point it out.
So here he is found in the presence of Saul. The subtle alarms are going off. This introduction to Saul, meeting Saul, saturated with his shallowness.
So let's contrast again Saul and David's beginnings. Both men began, when we meet them, on an errand for their father. Saul is searching for his father's donkey, and he ends up finding a. The crown. comes the king.
What will he do with it?
Well, we know what he's going to do with it. David started out bringing supplies to his father's sons, David's brothers. Of course, he ends up killing a giant. There he begins to find his crown also. Because that was his introduction to the king's court.
And what did he do with it? Both started looking for someone else's Things. one for donkeys, one for sons. Both received high honours. One trampled the honor.
The other struggled through it. I'm interested in the one that struggled through it because it tells me it's doable. See, I can identify with David.
Sometimes it's a little difficult to identify with a guy like Joseph. Or Daniel. or Paul, because they're such dynamos. But David I can easily, yeah, David's a guided. Just messed up.
And was still this person in love with God, being used by God, he was used by God until his death. And That gives so much hope to the sinner. No sinner can say, I'm just so awful, God can't use me. I mean, look at David, what he did with Uriah. I mean, it's just.
God says, I'm going to put this story in print because people are going to. As a young Christian, when I became a young Christian, I was just so impressed with King David. In fact, When I was called my first calling to ministry, Was around the book by Alan Redpath, The Making of a Man of God, which is the life of David. And I was a new Christian. I knew, you know, I read through the Bible, I knew the basics.
And then it started taking me out of the basics. And the character of David is just something to fall back on so many times. Verse 21. And Saul answered and said, Am I not a Benjamite of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?
Well, the Benjamites We were almost obliterated. We read about that in Judges 19 and 20 because of this heinous sin that was committed in Gieah, where Saul is from. They were the eleventh in size of tribes when they came out of Egypt. And then in the wilderness, by the time they're ready to cross into the promised land, their seventh. But after that Awful sin.
that so that brought civil war. They were almost reduced to 300 men. And so that when he says, you know, we're the smallest of the tribes, yeah, because of your sin. The way of the transgressor is hard. And that's why you're the smallest stripe.
So you say to yourself, well, is he being humble here? Is he just facing facts?
Well, he has a capacity for humility. had never left him. He just never did anything with it. Oh, David, you're just more noble than me. You're more righteous than me.
Oh, David, you caught me again. He was just the kind of guy that you catch doing wrong. He goes okay, you got me. And then he goes do wrong again and again and again. He never had an intention of really fixing it.
He just manipulated people. And maybe you've met somebody like this in your life. We would not suspect as we read this ninth chapter, we would not suspect that this man is a psychopath. that he's going to turn out to be a homicidal maniac. Bloodthirsty for the innocent.
Even Samuel feared him at one point. He's going to kill me if I, you know, just this monster. And so we read this and we say, be careful. He did not turn out to be something more, he turned out to be something less.
So I asked myself often, and after all these years, am I lord am Am I missing something? Am I missing something? Am I abusing something? Because anything I'm fighting, I'm fighting it.
Well, of course, that makes sense to you, but I'm in my own head. I'm just not saying to myself. You know, if I'm driving in, for example, and you know, you just feel frustrated with other drivers. Yeah. You never get comfortable with.
I'm good with this attitude I've got towards other drivers. As a Christian, you want to be perfect. And you can feel it coming in, as just two people driving at the same speed. Side by side so nobody can pass.
So when I put that pistol out the window That car in front of me moved. No one? I did not. I didn't do anything like that. But I could feel it.
I'm saying to myself, I'm not going to say this. And here I am. But I could feel it rising up in me. It's like, you know, it's just inconsiderate, rude people. Why can't one just slow down or the other one just speed up and get?
Why do they have to just roadblock? Oh, I'm in the pulpit.
Sorry. I kind of like went to another place.
So after that episode, I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't tailgate, I didn't make any faces, I don't think. Because they come kind of naturally, don't they? Just kind of peek over. I knew it was that kind of person driving.
It's home. I just said, Lord, I'm getting better, right? My point. Is that the things you struggle with? What one of the marks of the Christian is you struggle with him to your death.
And you just never are happy with sin. It never decides, okay, it's really not a big deal. I remember, yeah, when I was giving a Bible study years ago, it was a prayer meeting, Bible study. And it was There was one lady there, and she was telling me about an interview she had, and she lied. She said, but it was a little lie.
And I said, well, it's still a lie. And we're getting into it now. She's defending her lie and I'm not budging. And that's how it ended, pretty much. I was right, she was wrong.
And I just want everybody to know that. I don't really want everybody to know that, but I do want to say. It's those kind of things that bother us. A group Christian would say, Yeah, I lied. I wish I didn't do that.
I did. I cracked under the pressure. I wish I didn't. But what we won't do is, oh, but it's okay to lie sometimes. Anyway, verse 22.
I didn't mean to go down that trail. Verse 22: Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and had them sit in the place of honor. Among those who were invited, there were about 30 persons. As we read this, you get the feeling Saul has this kind of a You know, the athlete's mentality, where I'm a star on the field or in the game, and so this treatment of honor that I get wherever I go is to be expected. And that is how many athletes begin to think.
They are kind of bothered when you don't recognize that they are who they are. Do I say that? Because he's being treated As though he's, you know, he's a nobody. He's lost. He can't even find his donkeys.
And he comes into town, and Samuel's just treating him with honor, and it's just not, it doesn't read as though it's registering with him. And he's saying, thank you, Samuel.
So nice of you. I mean, we just met today. And you just you know, you're treating me like we we go way back. No, it's almost as though, yeah, you know, let's Fine, what are we going to eat? Verse 23, and Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, set it apart.
So Samuel was ready.
So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul, and Samuel said, Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat, for until this time it has been kept for you since I said I invited the people.
So Saul ate with Samuel that day. There it is. What's missing? What is missing from verse 24? What?
I can't believe this. Thank you, Samuel. I mean Why are you treating me so nice? This is amazing. A man of God like you doing this for me.
I don't deserve this. None of that. All you can see is the top of his head and his elbows up as he's just eating, just indifferent to everybody else. And every now and then he looks up and he goes, moo, and he goes back to eating.
So, the choice part of the animal was reserved for the priest according to the law.
Now either s Saul Saul did not know that or did not even care to know it. But Samuel, you gotta say, he's probably looking at him just warm-heartedly and not looking at him like, what a dope. And he's not doing that, I would do that. But he is just kind of like he's going to be the king. God has put him on my heart.
Dan Samuel's in a whole nother level. But somebody should be pointing it out. Verse 25. When he had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the top of the house.
Now again, it's not an A-frame house. They're up there like something out of Mary Poppins. The flat roof, of course. Nice breeze up there. It's a choice place to sleep when the weather is right.
Verse 26: They arose early, and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul. On the top of the house, saying, Get up. that I may send you on your way. And Saul arose. And both of them went outside He and Samuel.
Uh I don't know about you. But Samuel gives him a wake-up call. And it just bothers me. That Samuel was up. And there's Saul just, you know.
I was just snoring away. I'm very sensitive to all that's happening in this chapter. I believe the Holy Spirit is just saying it. I'm just again saturating the story. with the shortcomings of a man Who has no excuse to have these shortcomings that are being pointed out?
I would have been too excited to sleep at such a man like this. Had brought me to his house. But Saul acts like, you know, I deserve this. Just like anything. What time's breakfast?
Verse 27. And they were going down on the outskirts of the city. Samuel said to Saul, Tell the servant to go ahead of us. And he went on. But you stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God.
Now the anointing is going to be private. And it's going to happen in chapter 10, which we won't get. He's not going to be installed as king until later in chapter 10, so more time is going to go by.
So it happens in phases. But here, Samuel is this gracious host throughout the story. He's behaving like a man of God, like a seasoned minister. like a decent person. And Saul is just receiving it all.
Ignorance is no excuse. This basic politeness. You know, again, is it not irritating if you're talking, say you're talking to someone, and a person walks up. Isn't it kind of rude not to greet that person? Isn't it just to keep talking or ignore them?
Just little basic, little tiny things like that mean something. And yet Saul would be that kind of guy. not even acknowledging the other person. You feel a temptation to do to not acknowledge the other person? Fight it.
So he invites Saul to his dinner, gives him the best portion. provided him with a nice sleeping Arrangement up on the roof, wakes them up in the morning, you get them to go. back home. He's going to give them a lot of detailed instructions. We'll get that in chapter 10 also.
And again, we never hear Saul say thank you, Samuel. Noticeably, it's missing from the story.
So, just going back over this chapter, we look at this: this is Israel's first king. Nothing stately about him. He's handsome, he's tall, he's wealthy. But he is It's nothing spiritual. Not one thing comes away from this spiritual.
So imagine you go to church. You then, after church used to be, people actually went to meet with other people.
Now they go online. Anyway. Anyway, so you leave church. and you go online. And your interactions with other people, whether it's texting or whatever it is, emails.
Is there any hint? That you were just ministered to by the Holy Spirit. Is there any comment? I just came from church. Outstanding sermon.
As always. Or something like that. Is there anything ever that Registers with you when you leave the house of God. Or you just like salt. You just expect you know, this kind of treatment.
and it just never rings a bell in your head or your heart or anywhere else. I hope not. And if if that has been the case, may you take steps to correct it. May we all be sensitive to these things. Um Thanks for joining us for today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio.
This is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Rick is in the book of 1 Samuel. If you'd like to listen again to this or other messages or share it with someone you know, please visit Crossreference Radio.com. Here, you can also listen to interviews with Pastor Rick to learn more about his life and ministry. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never miss another edition.
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