1 Samuel 10:1-27


Imagine what it must have been like for Saul to go from a man who was out looking for his father’s donkeys to being anointed by Samuel as the first king of Israel.  His head must have been spinning and I imagine that he had the strange sensation that he was dreaming and thought that he would wake up any second to find out that none of it was true.  However it was true and God had really called Saul to be the king that the people were seeking.  As we saw yesterday, he had many essential qualities for leadership.  Today we see the process by which God called Saul into this position.  The Lord is still separating people for service today.  We should not look at the experience of Saul and hold it up as a pattern that God will always follow.  This was simply Saul’s experience of how God worked in his life.  There are a few basic principles that we see taking place in this narrative the God commonly uses when He calls people into His service.

GOD INFORMS US AND CONFIRMS HIS CALLING TO US: God used Samuel to inform Saul that he would be then king of Israel.  He was anointed with oil and his head must have been spinning like a top.  However, there could be no doubt in Saul’s mind that God had set him apart for this position.  Even so, Samuel knew that as soon as Saul left he would begin to question if all of this was real, if God had truly spoken through Samuel or if at any minute someone would jump out and say: “smile your on Candid Camera!”  This questioning process is very common and these doubts often become discouraging so God provided clear confirmation that He was speaking through Samuel.  He was give three very clear signs that there was no way could have been know apart from God’s revelation.  This was meant to confirm in Saul’s mind that God was truly behind this and encourage him to go forward.  As I said before, we should not establish Saul’s experience here as a pattern.  We should not require some sort of supernatural revelation or a specific experience to confirm God’s calling in our lives.  God can certainly direct us in this way if He chooses, but we have been given a supernatural revelation in the form of God’s Word and we are all called to be obedient to that Word.  As we seek to apply His Word in our lives we usually have a confidence and peace within our hearts that we are being obedient to the Lord and that is all the confirmation we should need.

GOD TRANSFORMS US AND AFFIRMS HIS CALLING TO OTHERS: The most common question that comes to our minds when we are called by God into any type of service or leadership position is simply to ask “why me?”  We almost always feel completely under qualified for the work that we are being asked to do.  Imagine Saul’s thinking at this time: “I can’t even find my dad’s donkeys.  Who am I to lead a nation?”  However, one of the signs that Saul received was that He was given the gift of prophecy and Samuel clearly told him that from that time forward he would be transformed.  We can rest assured that God has all of the power that we will ever need to obey His will.  He makes that power available to us through the gifts that He gives us and by transforming our character.  Samuel then makes the appointment of Saul public and announces him to be king.  Almost all of the people cheer and accept him as king and vow that they will follow him and recognize his leadership.  One of the greatest ways that God affirms our leadership is through the people who follow us.  However, there are almost always those who will resist our leadership too.  We must learn to be thankful for these people as well and not be so proud that we refuse to acknowledge that there can be opposition.  We should expect opposition of some as a natural part of leadership, but we can also always find affirmation from those who gladly follow us.  Saul, once again, demonstrates the godly characteristic of humility by not becoming upset over the rejection of some.  He also demonstrates the fleshly tendency to avoid responsibility by hiding in the baggage.  God wants us to serve Him with confidence and humility as we trust Him to equip us for the tasks He has planned for us. 

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