Crown Series

Crown

I Samuel 8

2 part sermon on Saul and David during the times of the Kings.

Both parts are here: http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/Crown.html

Pt.1-Saul

Israel decided they wanted to be a monarchy, not a theocracy. They wanted a king, not to be led by God. They wanted a visible leader. Fearful of the aggressive nations around them they sought to unify as other nations did under a visible leader.

vv. 1-3 Sad verses. Samuel is very Godly but his sons were not. We see this a lot in Scripture. Sometimes the Bible says it’s the father’s fault, but many times it’s just an example of the free will each person possesses. We can all choose our own path. Regardless of what we do right or wrong, our children will eventually decide which way they are going to go. Even God the Father spent time w/ his kids, Adam and Eve, but they chose to go their own way.

v. 4-7 Samuel was a judge over Israel, but the people said they didn’t want a judge, but a king. Samuel wasn’t being rejected, but God. And when you witness to someone and they want none of it, it’s not YOU they are rejecting...but God. Don’t take it personally.

v. 8-9 It continues and Samuel explains why they shouldn’t want a king. But they get what they insist upon. Never insist with God. Why? He may give you what you want! [and not His best]

Psalms 106:15

And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.

v. 19-22 Saul is chosen as Israel’s first king. Then later we’ll see David was Israel’s finest king. And Solomon was Israel’s fabulous king.

The selection of Saul.

There is disagreement about whether Saul was even saved. Some believe he was, for he was chosen by God, not by man. It was miraculous the way God brought Saul to this position. He used a couple of lost donkeys! But I’m not fully convinced.

10:9 Was this a conversion experience? Unsure.

9:21 Tribe of Benjamin? Is that where the king is to come from?

Genesis 49:10

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Actually Jesse, alive at that time, and the future father of David, would have been the best choice for king, if it was God’s timing for the kingdom. He was of the tribe of Judah.

Ruth 4:18-22

18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

Why did God overlook Jesse? Gen. 38 and Deut. 23 show a soap opera like dysfunctional family drama that is the answer to this question.

In short, Pharez, above, was the son of Judah, who had 3 sons. He wasn’t one of the 3, he was the illegitimate son of Judah and his daughter in law! The first son, above, married Tamar, he died, and his little brother married her, and he died. She then should have gone to the next brother, but he didn’t want her [as you could understand, she was bad luck!] so she disguised herself as a prostitute, enticed her father in law Judah, and they had relations and an illegitimate son.

Deuteronomy 23:2

A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

When you count the generations of Judah, in Ruth, Jesse is the 9th generation, just one generation too early. The tribe of Judah was ceremonially unclean until David’s generation came along.

Amazing the little nuggets you can find in the Word that further prove its accuracy! And also how seriously God takes sin.

Saul is the first king: He may not have ended well in his kingdom, but he was humble in his early days as king. But power, wealth, and success turned him over the years.

The rejection of Saul.

God rejected him for several reasons:

a. Because he presumed the office of priest.

Samuel was the priest, but Saul decided to offer the sacrifice himself, though he was king, and not priest, and not even from the tribe of Levi.

13:8-14 The separation of church and state is actually a Biblical concept. Not keeping the church out of the state, but the other way around.

b. Because he ordered the death of his own son.

I Sam. 14—Saul orders no one to eat until the Philistines are defeated in a several day battle. He is flexing his muscles like a jerk, and his own son, who didn’t hear that instruction, finds some honey and eats it. Incredibly, Saul says he has to be punished by death. But the people said over OUR dead bodies.