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From Sovereign God to Earthly Kings
After enjoying the unique incomparable privilege of having God as their King and leading them to victory innumerable times, Israel makes the worst, most appalling and irrecoverable mistake. They demand a king and as usual, reject God outright.
Before gasping in horror over their action, let us remember that Israel’s responses to God mirror the actions of a large number of churches and Christians today – in the current context. Rather than submitting to the Lordship of Christ, we choose earthly attractions, losing out on peace and security on a different level.
As Samuel is deeply distressed, God answers “it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king”– 1 Samuel 8:7. In His love, God warns of the consequences and even helps Israel to choose their king.
Saul is filled with the Holy Spirit and even prophecies (10:9,10). However, as power gets into his head, God has to reject him and tear the kingdom from him (13:12-14). In response, rather than repent, he only tries to save face by asking Samuel to please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel (1 Sam 15:30,31).
His soaring start with the Holy Spirit is contrasted to his flailing finish with an evil spirit as he seeks a medium’s guidance (28:7).
Well before Saul’s end, the next king, David, marked as “the man after God’s own heart” (13:14) is anointed. He also starts strong by being:
• Honored by God – by being the surprise choice above his older brothers in 1 Samuel 16.
• Honored by the King – when he was “so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army” (18:5).
• Honored by the people – as the women dance and sing after the soldiers victoriously return from battle (18:7).
His key success factors in his famous Goliath battle (ch 18) are:
• A single mind – he was highly focused, nothing could deter him.
• A single motive – v 46 “that the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."
Even today, God is looking for someone to anoint – perhaps not as physically visible as Saul and David, but spiritually. Someone whom the traditional leadership and population of Christianity may barely consider.
Does God’s opinion of us or man’s opinion of us disturb us more? What drives us? How focused are we to fulfill His purpose?
读经计划介绍
They walk through the sea, are led by fire and smoke, break defensive walls and defeat powerful enemies. Yet Israel demands a king, defying God, who gives in after warning them. Very few kings honour God, and the rest drive Israel into exile, slavery and fragmentation. The leadership typifies church leadership today. There exist very few through whom God is building His kingdom and penetrating the ends of the earth.
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