READ: 1 Samuel 9 and 10
Here we see Samuel as a
prophet. He speaks the word of the Lord and the word comes to pass just as the
Lord said it would. We see that Samuel hears God clearly and obeys Him
faithfully. He is a faithful leader, and in these chapters we see this leader
call up another leader, the young man, Saul.
Saul seems to be a prime
candidate for kingship. He is tall and handsome – the “hunk” of Israel. If you
know anything about the story of Saul, you know that a prideful downfall is
coming, yet we don’t see any of that pride here. The young man we meet is
good-natured and obedient; we find him searching out his father’s lost donkeys
without hint of annoyance or a rebellious heart, and then we see him sincerely
shocked to hear that God has chosen him to be king. When Samuel is seeking to
anoint him king before the tribes, Saul is hiding behind some luggage! If
anything, he seems meek and innocent! Saul truly was God’s choice for Israel’s
king. God was not waiting for him to fail; He was with Saul, calling him
specifically and empowering Him for the job. It was a rare thing for the Spirit
of the Lord to rush upon anyone (10:10) – this happened to some of the Judges, to
Saul here and later to David – but it was not normal. And when Saul is anointed
king, God specifically sets up friends for him – noble and courageous men who
stand in support of him when some others despise him.
Let’s take a step back for a
moment: what was God doing here? He had raised up His people – the Israelites –
from birth with the purpose of blessing the entire earth through them. But
these people are imperfect sinners, continually falling and getting back up
again. In rejection of their God, they have made pleas to be like the other
nations and have a king. God, in His sovereign, Fatherly wisdom is granting
their request. And though their request came from unsubmissive hearts, He is
still with them, working His plan of blessing. And so He seeks to give them a
good king who will lead them in His ways. This was His plan with Saul. And if
Saul would choose to be obedient, God would use him to lead the nation that
would be a blessing to the earth! What a privilege!
Our God is for us. He desires
to use us in His plan to bring blessing to others. He chooses us for His good purposes – He looks at us and has dreams to
place us within His plans. He knows our imperfections and our lack, yet He
still loves us. He knows how we will stumble and fall, but if we get up again
and turn our feet towards Him, He will joyfully continue his good work in us. He
has blessings for us: like Saul, many of us have been given godly friends who
have stood in support of us; He wants to equip us – give us what we lack – so
that we can do the things He has set for us to do. God is on a trajectory
towards His coming Kingdom. He wants us to enjoy the pleasure of His presence
in that Kingdom. So let us say “Yes!” to Him today. Like Saul (at least at this
point in his life), let’s allow God to use us, even if we think we are too
small, too weak, and too unknown for His business. He has made His business our
business – what an exciting opportunity!
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Ask
God if there is any area of your heart that is against Him and ask Him to
forgive you for this hard-heartedness. Ask Him to speak to you about His heart
for you – to show you how He is for
you. Thank Him for this.
2. What
is something God has called you to? If you don’t know, ask Him to show you
something He is calling you to for today. Will you say yes to Him? Tell Him so,
and ask Him to use you for His glory. Pray for specific people you will
encounter today and ask God to shine through you so that you may be a light to
them.
3. Make
a list of some of the things God has chosen for our church to do. Ask the Holy
Spirit how you can pray for the church and spend some time doing that.
