"Bootlegging Your Blessing”

I. Saul

A. Saul’s story is one that is often portrayed as the “pauper to the prince”. He is glamorized as the first King of Israel. He was no body, he had no “royal blood line” no one to fall back on to validate his worthiness as a King. He now has his name written in the history books as the first King of Israel, a title that should be looked upon as an honor, but in reality it was not.

1. As much as we would like to romanticize his story it is one of tragedy, yes he was the first physical King the nation of Israel had, but they already had a King, and His name was Jehovah. Ps 47:7 For God [is] the King of all the earth… Being appointed King over God does not sound that appealing to me. What could possible qualify you to be a better King over the one that created everything.

2. Up to this point God would use Judges to execute His executive orders. God always had someone that He would use to help govern the people to Himself. There was Moses and Joshua that were instrumental in training the children of Israel to be the children of God.

a. When these men died the people would fall apart and rebel. They would give in to sin and when all hell was breaking out they would turn to God to be rescued. Jud 2:18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge…

3. There were 12 judges over the course 325 years, but that was not enough. Samuel would become Israel’s last judge. In 1 Samuel 8, Samuel is now old and his son’s and not fit to judge because they are corrupt, so the people decide that they want to have a king to judge them.

B. As soon as Samuel heard this his feelings were hurt, but God said, “Give them what they want, they did not reject you; they rejected me.”

a. They wanted to be like everyone else, fit in with all the other nations. They were tired of the theocracy. They wanted a monarchy.

b. They wanted to mimic the nations that were enemies of God, nations like the Philistines, Moabites, Jebusites. "They all have kings and we want one too." They rejected God in order to be popular with men.

c. Let me say this if we are going to have a move of God in our churches we can’t look like everyone else, we can’t act like everyone else, we got to have a standard in our churches. We are to be a separate people; we are not to emulate the world but to transform it.

1. God would go on to say that the people have forgotten about where they came from and how He took care of them, and how they would rather sin than serve Him. But God being a loving father told Samuel the consequences of having a King in hopes that it would change their minds.

2. Samuel would go back to the people and tell them what God said, how if they choose a man to be their King that he would take the people and their children to be his servants, he would tax them, and take their land; he would become an oppressor to the people so much so that they would beg for God, but he would not hear them.

a. The people did not care they still insisted that we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. God was already doing that and much more but they would rather have a man than God.

C. That is the problem we have today we would rather ask God for what we don’t need rather than “His will be done”, the reason we in the mess we in cause we ask for things that disrupt His will for us. But because of his love for us He will give it to us. Now don’t go saying that’s not fair cause parents you know you do the same thing. Your child goes to jail and they call you, next thing you know you paying their bail, even though your gut says leave them in there because they will be back doing the same thing that got them in there again. But your love for them moves you to act despite the consequences.

1. Let me put this in today’s standards for us. We know that the Bible says, I am the LORD that healeth thee but we would rather instead God give us a pill rather than submit to Him and seek Him in the altar or prayer closet; instead of “seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”! Instead of praying the prayer of faith or calling forth the elders , and believing that by His strips we are healed. I guess popping a pill is easier than clasping our hands together and praying!