THE ANOINTING THAT BROUGHT TRANSFORMATION
When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office.
One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (shaking hands and kissing babies and meeting constituents) he arrived at a church barbecue.
It was late afternoon and Herter was famished.
As Herter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken.
She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line and said, “Next!”.
“Excuse me,” the hungry Governor Herter said as he eyed the mouth-watering food,
“Do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?”
“Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken only to each person.”
“But I’m starved,” the governor said.
“Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.”
Governor Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around.
“Do you know who I am, lady?” he said. “I am the governor of this state.”
“Do you know who I am, mister?” the woman promptly shot back and said.
“I’m the lady in charge of the chicken. So, Move along, mister.”
Lesson: We cannot win them all.
You just have to believe that there are times that people can just push us around even though we thought we are that important.
This is what we will learn today as we continue our study on the Book of I Samuel with the selection of Saul as the new king.
Samuel was the prophet of God and had served Israel for many years.
But because of his old age, they were trying to push him around by asking for a new king.
And so, out of obedience to God, we will learn that he anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel.
Saul was from the least of the tribe of Benjamin.
He was a good choice but he was never popular.
Samuel wanted to build him up so that he would be fully accepted by the people.
The abilities of Saul were not obvious, the support for him was not unanimous, and the start of his reign was not smooth.
But because of the support of Samuel and his public declaration of Saul at the end of the chapter, Saul still succeed even if others were critical of him.
Somehow, this anointing of oil has transformed him to be a better man fit for the job.
We are going to look at three things today from this chapter:
1. The sign following his anointing in verses 1-8.
2. The spiritual transformation of Saul after his anointing in verses 9-16.
3. The public declaration of Saul's kingship in verses 17-17.
1. THE SIGNS FOLLOWING SAUL'S ANOINTING vs. 1-8
1 Samuel 10: 1-8 (NIV) " Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance? 2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’
3 “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
5 “After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipesand harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is withyou.
8 “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”
Here in these verses, weread Samuel anointing Saul with oil.
Afterwards, there were several groups of people that he would meet:
The first group were two men near Rachel tomb.
The second group were three men carrying several things.
Then the last group were the procession of prophets with lyres, timbrels and pipes.
Let me first tell you a story.
There was a story of a martial arts student who was meeting with his master and teacher at a table, having tea.
The student said to his master, “I’ve learned all you have to teach me about defending myself.
I want to learn one thing more now.
Please teach me the ways of God.”
The master took the tea kettle and started pouring tea on the student’s cup.
Soon the cup was full and began to spill over onto the saucer.
But the master continued to pour the tea until it spilled over onto the saucer and then onto the floor.
The student finally said, “Master, stop, stop, the tea is spilling over. The cup can’t take any more.”
The master then looked at the student and said, “You are so full of yourself that there is no room in your life for God.
It is not possible for you to learn the ways of God until you learn to empty yourself.”
That means, if you want to know more about God, you must take away all selfishness in you and let him overflow in you.
(R. Curtis Fassell, Deadly Sins and Living Virtues, CSS Pub. Co., Inc, 1997)
That is what we can learn from the life of Saul.
In order for him to be used by God, he had to learn to empty himself so that he could be filled with God's presence.
That is why the first thing that Samuel did to Saul was to anoint him with oil.
Verse 1 says that Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying,
"Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?"
Samuel was setting him apart and commissioning him for a greater responsibility ahead.
He was also being anointed and prepared for service because he will be the first King of Israel.
That is his purpose.
And so, have you discovered your purpose in life?
You have to be anointed for that very purpose alone you were created.
I did some research with the anointing oil and I found out that the anointing oil is mentioned 20 times in the Scripture.
It was used in the Old Testament for pouring on the head of the high priest and his descendants.
It was also used to sprinkle at the tabernacle and the furnishings to mark them as holy and set apart to the Lord.
But there is no indication that the oil or the ingredients had any supernatural power.
There is nothing magical about the oil of anointing.
It was only a symbol of being made consecrated to God, being set apart and fully dedicated to serve God - to be endowed with the enabling gifts and grace for the ministry.
That is what we need to do.
That is why we practice this anointing of oil as a symbol and a reminder to all of us that we are now set apart for the Lord's work.
When we are anointed with oil, we must live holy lives and be serious in our daily walk with God.
And so, when Samuel anointed Saul with oil, it was as if he was saying, "Saul, you are now being set apart for the Lord's work.
"Someday, you will rule over all Israel - so shape up and be your best because people are looking at your life."
After his anointing, there were several people that he met along the way that confirmed his new role as king.
First, in verse 2, we find him meeting two men telling him that the donkeys have been found.
It was a reminder that the past problem has been settled completely.
No need for him to bring back the worries of the past.
It has been done and settled.
He must now look forward for something great ahead in his life.
Then, in verse 3, we find him meeting three men going up to worship God at Bethel.
One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine.
They will greet him and offer him three loaves of bread which he would accept.
It was a sign of abundant blessings ahead in his new role as royalty.
Then, in verse 5, he will meet a procession of prophets coming down with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps.
It was said in verse 6 that they will prophesy and the Spirit of God will come upon Saul as well and will prophesy with them.
It was a sign of his new spiritual connection with God that will change his life forever.
In the same manner, in order for us to be used by God, we must be anointed by the Holy Spirit for the work of service.
We must be endowed with power from the Holy Spirit.
Then, we will be abundantly blessed as we serve Him for the rest of our lives.
Cindy Jacob in her article to Charisma magazine talked about the anointing of the Holy Spirit as: "It is joy, passion, power, glory, confidence, boldness and authority. It makes you cry. It makes you laugh. It gives you righteous indignation. It is the power to preach, sing, witness, testify and do spiritual warfare. It is peace. It comes suddenly, and it takes time. It is meek, and it is strong. The anointing will come to get you through the death of a loved one, the rebellion of a child, the midnight of a divorce, the challenge of a special-needs child or the pain of a suffering parent or loved one."
My prayer is that you will all be anointed by the Holy Spirit in your life today.
This will lead us to the first lesson:
1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV) " 16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?"
When you receive Christ as your Lord and Savior, and after you repent from your sins, then, the Holy Spirit comes upon you with such power.
We become the living temple of the Holy Spirit.
He literally and spiritually dwells in our midst.
That means He takes up permanent residence in our bodies.
You need to believe that with all your heart.
You see, just the consciousness that the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts will bring godly results in us.
We will experience spiritual growth because of the Holy Spirit.
We will dislike to commit sin and we will always learn to submit to God's leading because of the Holy Spirit's anointing in us.
And so, let me ask you a question.
Have you received Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Have you repented from your sins?
Do you have the Holy Spirit in your life?
Have you been anointed by His power?
2. THE SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION OF SAUL.
1 Samuel 10: 9-16 (NIV) 9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
14 Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”
“Looking for the donkeys,” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
Here we find in these verses the spiritual transformation of Saul after his anointing of oil by Samuel.
His heart was completely changed.
The text says that a procession of prophets met him.
Then, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him.
Afterwards, he joined them in prophesying.
People looked at him and were amazed at the change in his life.
Saul was initially the shy, awkward, and unpolished person who knew nothing about God.
But after he was anointed and the Holy Spirit came upon him, he became different.
Saul was a new man now because God gave him a new heart and a great future.
And when you commit your life to Christ, He will give you a new heart and a great future as well.
Somebody said, "The choicest food does not make a man, the finest bed does not make a man, and the highest compliments do not make a man."
It is only Christ who can make a man.
It’s also been said, “The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.”
And that is why our hearts must be given and fully surrendered to Christ.
And if you give your heart to Christ, He will change you as well.
One of the most improbable transformation in a person’s life is the turnaround of boxer George Foreman from a surly, scowling boxer to a teddy bear.
He called himself before the most destructive heavyweight champion ever.
Anger and hunger shaped his youth as he grew up.
Foreman said he was a mugger whose only goal in life was to go to jail and come out with a scar to impress others.
Foreman beat Joe Frazier for the title in 1973 but lost it to Muhammad Ali the next year.
In 1977, Foreman thought of quitting and dying after another defeat, when nothing short of a miracle changed him.
He explained his conversion: “I saw the whole world crumble behind me, and all I had was nothing. I had to leave all of it in the world. I couldn’t even tell my mother ’bye,’ I was dead! I was dead! And I started crying saying ’Lord I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die, I can still box, I can still box!’ God said ’I don’t want your money, I want you!’“
He testified, “(Before,) God took me all over the country fighting, and I was just trying to exalt George Foreman. Now I’m going all over to try and tell them about Jesus”
The world was equally shocked when Foreman regained the heavyweight title in 1995, at the age of 45.
Today Foreman is an ordained minister, a prolific salesman, and a boxing icon.
In the word of promoter Bob Arum, the boxer had gone from “one who was so miserable to be around to a person everybody wants to be around."
That is what spiritual is all about that the world cannot understand but only Christ can offer.
And I say it again.
Christ can also transform you just like Foreman.
Regardless of your very bad and horrendous past.
Regardless of your past failures and sin.
Let Christ take over and cleanse you from all your sins.
That word transformation means to be "changed or to be renewed" from an old life of sin to the one that pleases God.
This is accompanied by the renewing of our minds, an inward transformation that will manifest itself in outward actions.
This outward action includes bearing fruit in every good works and growing in the knowledge of God.
God wants us to draw near to Him so that by His blood, we can be cleansed and be renewed in our hearts.
As the Lord transforms us, we reflect His likeness and His glory.
This leads us to the next lesson.
1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV) : 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
The world cannot understand the message of Christ's salvation.
They call it foolishness.
They call it absurd. Crazy. Nonsense.
But for us Christians, we call it God's power. God's greatness. God's genius. God's brilliance.
The power of transformation comes from one source only - Christ.
When we receive the message of Christ, we are transformed from the life of sin into a life of holy living.
And so, don't reject the message.
Receive it. Embrace it. Acknowledge it.
Let the message of Christ transform you and save you.
3. THE PUBLIC DECLARATION OF SAUL'S KINGSHIP.
1 Samuel 10: 17-27 (NIV) 17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah 18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”
20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.22 So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”
And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”
23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one likehim among all the people.”
Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant menwhose hearts God had touched. 27 But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
Here we find all the people of Israel gathered together before Samuel can publicly declare Saul as the new king of Israel.
And on this day, their king would be chosen from amongst them.
And so Samuel, the prophet and priest of God brings forth the tribes.
The tribe of Benjamin is first chosen.
Then, he brings forth the clans, one by one.
The clan of Matri is chosen.
He brings forth the families within this clan and the family of Kish is chosen.
And then from the family of Kish, Saul is chosen as king.
Then, they looked for Saul.
He was missing. Nowhere to be found.
Where is he?
Could anyone tell me where Saul is?
An so, they inquired of the Lord and the Lord revealed where Saul is hiding.
"He has hidden himself among the supplies or in other translation, "baggage."
Why did Saul hid himself?
Probably in order to avoid this task that God gave him.
He wanted to escape the big responsibility given to him, but Jonah did worst by running away from it.
He wanted to ward off or sidestep God's call for his life just like many people nowadays.
These are the people who have been Christians for a long time but instead of serving the Lord, they are hiding among the baggage.
They are running out of sight from the task ahead.
They are trying to conceal their identity as Christians, trying to ignore the call of God for their lives.
Are you one of them?
You see, we have been chosen, equipped and empowered by God to serve Him.
We have been anointed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to proclaim His salvation to this community.
But are we doing this? Or are we like Saul, hiding among the baggage when the Lord called him?
That word "baggage" in Hebrew means a number of things.
It includes implements, weapons, clothing, carriages, furniture.
It includes the things we carry around with us, the things we possess.
It is not easy to carry baggages or luggages around with us.
When we went to the Philippines last week, we had to carry big luggages which were hard to carry along when we travel from one place to another.
Imagine, carrying all those big luggages every where we go in Metro Manila with all the traffic.
But praise God, my wife was so smart that we were able to leave our big baggages to her brother's house when we went to Bacolod and travel light.
Then, we had to get back our heavy baggages when we came back to LAX.
But the baggage I want to talk about is not this kind of baggage.
Just like the real baggage that Saul was hiding among was not the baggage that hid him among the people but rather the baggage that he carried around within him.
Baggage that would make him hesitate to take and accept the task God had given him and which would hinder him from effectively carrying his task.
He has been anointed with oil.
He has been changed and transformed.
Yet, Saul was still carrying some baggages in his heart.
What is included in this baggage?
He felt inadequate to be king because he could not trust God fully.
Instead he trusted in his own strength and power.
When we rely on our strength rather than trust in God, we are hiding among the baggage of faithlessness.
Of not being willing to serve God because we fail to trust that His power is sufficient to enable us to serve Him.
One of our corporate sins is the sin of self-negativism.
Of seeing ourselves as weak, unworthy and insignificant.
Of putting ourselves down.
Thinking that we can or will make little difference in this community.
This brings us to the next life lesson.
Prov 29:25 (NIV) "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe."
Don't be snared by the fear of men.
Don't hide among the baggage because you fear men.
Trust God. You are safe in His hands. Serve God.
If they rejected you, they are rejecting God and not you.
So, cheer up.
Verses 23 and 24 says that "They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one likehim among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
When Saul overcame the baggage in his life, he was publicly declared as king of Israel.
I believe God wants to do much through us.
That He wants us to worship Him more with all our heart and soul.
To be released from the baggage that restrains our worship.
I believe God wants us more active in our community.
To show people we care because God cares.
To do this we need to get out from the baggage.
To step out in boldness.
To take authority in the name and love of Christ.
It means I have baggage to shed.
To get rid of. And so do you.
I am very comfortable here, many of us are.
But our comfort must be in the Lord not in traditions and not in a lack of fervour in serving God.
Let us get out from amongst the baggage.
Let us give our baggage to the Lord.
To be freed from the burden of carrying them.
To serve Him and to proclaim Him regardless of the cost.
Let us pray....
END...
