two kings two thrones part 6

This Sunday, we continued the “Two Kings, Two Thrones” series. In it we have been examining the contrasts between the kingdoms of Saul and David. Saul was a type and picture of rule by law and David a type and picture of rule by grace.  In this part we looked at the anointing of David to be the king following Saul. Previously, Saul had been told that God’s anointing on him had lifted and that God was bringing up another king “better than him.” In the same way, the new covenant is better than the old covenant. The old covenant was powerless to bring righteousness. Saul, for all his efforts, never truly accomplished what God told him his purpose was – to destroy the Philistines. He battled against them and had moments of success, but he never found true victory. Law will never defeat sin, only grace can defeat sin at its heart.

In 1 Samuel 16:4, it says that the elders of Bethlehem trembled in fear at the sight of Samuel the priest. They asked if he was coming in peace. The people had been under oppressive law under Saul. Saul had actually gotten to the point that the rules he was handing down did not come from God, but he was using God’s wrath as the threat of not keeping them. This was much like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, as well as legalist believers today: religious rules take precedence over the true principles of God, and those who do not keep them all are made to feel condemned.  Such a feeling causes you to tremble at the sight of “the priest” (Jesus)—1 John 4:17. According to what Jesus has done for us, we are supposed to boldly approach, full of confidence, not cowering in fear of punishment. The way these Bethlehem elders reacted to seeing Saul is a perfect picture of what law does to our relationship with Jesus. He does come in peace. He is the Prince of Peace.

When Samuel arrives in Bethlehem, he has Jesse and his sons consecrate themselves – or purify themselves – to be prepared for one of the sons to be selected as the next king. God had told Samuel that one of Jesse’s sons was to be anointed king, and that He would show Samuel which one.  One by one, all of the sons come before Samuel, and God rejects all of them. The first is Eliab, who is tall and handsome. God says that Eliab is not the one because man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. This does not mean the outside is of NO importance. In fact, when David is first described, he is said to be handsome, and later it says that he was a good speaker.

So many people have misunderstood this passage and use it to claim God only looks for people who the world would reject, or that are just plain oddballs. Sometimes it becomes an excuse to BE an oddball. It has been used to place law on people about being concerned with how they look.  There are two parts to the statement. Yes, the heart is what is most important to God. It is of upmost importance. We are also called to influence man, so that pure heart is also going to need to be at least somewhat appealing to “man” if we are going to influence and reach people.

I believe that the statement might well mean something completely different. All of the first seven brothers who were rejected had gone through the ceremonial cleansing required by law in order to be qualified to be in the presence of the priest and to be chosen to be king. None of those seven (which is the Biblical number of completion or perfection) were perfect. The law could not make them perfect.  Finally, after all seven are rejected by God, Samuel is perplexed. He knew God said it was to be one of Jesse’s sons, and he believed God had rejected all of them. He then asks Jesse if there are any other sons. He responds that David, the youngest, is not there. He is out tending the sheep.

 Hold on, he was what? He was tending sheep! How appropriate. Jesus is our good shepherd. Remember, when Saul was chosen by God he was trying to herd donkeys. I think that is quite telling. Herding donkeys is going to require fences and lots of restriction because they are stubborn and will do whatever they please. God does not want His people to be donkeys. He wants sheep, and a strict, legalist donkey herder is not the right one to lead His sheep.  John 21 illustrates this as Jesus restores Peter asking Him to tend and feed and care for His sheep.

David is a sheep herder. He knows that sheep roam free but know the sound of their shepherd’s voice and respond to it. That is what living under grace is supposed to be. The law is written on our hearts and not on stone tablets. We are allowed to “freely eat” in this world, but we know the voice of our shepherd (which for us comes in the form of the voice of the Holy Spirit), and we follow His direction. What a great picture.

They go out and call David in, and the Lord shows Samuel that this is the one He has chosen. Now, where was David when all the purification required by the law was taking place? Not there. He was not doing the law’s works, but was out working. By the law, David was not supposed to be able to come into the priest without cleansing himself.. David was anointed in the presence of his brothers (those who were rejected).  God was not ceremonially prepared, but he was the one that had been prepared in his heart for his calling.  The heart that will respond to the call is far more important to God.    When God calls us, He is not requiring us to get clean before we answer.  Don’t ignore His calling in your life because you don’t think you are qualified to answer. God Himself qualifies those whom He calls – not the law.

We also noted that Saul had God’s anointing lifted and became troubled.  The only thing that will soothe him as music.  He hears that David is a great musician (Saul does not know David has been anointed to be the next king).  David comes and gives him great comfort.  There is this transition time, a picture of Jesus’ time on earth living while law was still ruling. 

I ended with 3 keys to David’s success (and to ours):

1.      Skill

2.      Preparation

3.      Competent Action when the opportunity arises

Success is when preparation and opportunity meet.

 

 

 To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/media.php.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.

two kings two thrones part 5 b

Last week, we continued the “Two Kings, Two Thrones” series examining the differences between Kings Saul and David and how they are types or pictures of rule by law and rule by grace respectively.  In 1 Samuel 15, Saul finally acts in a way that results in God deciding that it will be time for a new king. As a picture of law, it shows how the rulership of law had run its course, and that God was preparing the way for rulership by grace as King David will illustrate.

At the beginning of the chapter, Samuel, the priest, instructs Saul as to what God wanted him to do. His instructions are very clear: attack the Amlakites, and completely destroy them. Saul was told not to spare anything or anyone.

The Amalekites are the people of Amalek, who was the grandson of Esau. God was exacting justice on them for how they attacked the Israelites when they had been set free from Egypt and were on their way to the Promised Land. They were trying to keep them out. God, back then, had sworn that He’d not let their actions go unanswered. This was the answer.

Saul does attack as God commanded, and he utterly defeats them. Afterward, however, he spares the life of their king, Agag, and the best of their livestock. The best were spared and the weak and despised were destroyed. Nothing is despised in and of itself. Someone must choose to despise something. Law chooses who and what will be acceptable and what will not.  An important thing to know about what Saul did is that it was what the law would have demanded – that the best of the spoils of battle belonged to God. They would be sarcrificed to worship God for victory. He was doing what the law would have demanded.

The only problem is that God had given Him specific instructions NOT to bring those offerings. They belonged to Him, so He could choose to do something else with them. Law has a hard time hearing the voice of God. It becomes so dependent on the stone tablets that it cannot hear God’s voice. I think that Saul may not have even heard what Samuel told him because it didn’t fit the law.

 Living by law is actually a lazy version of Christianity. Sure, it is work to try and do what you are supposed to do and avoid doing what you’re not supposed to do, but it never requires you to hear from God on a daily, hourly, or minute-by-minute basis. That is a shame because He is always speaking to us. We miss out on His best when we make a habit of just relying on the rules instead of His voice.

God reveals to Samuel what has happened, and Samuel goes to confront Saul. When he arrives where Saul should be, he is told that Saul made a monument to himself and went on to Gilgal.   Law living is focused on self-righteousness. It essentially builds an altar to self. Self-righteousness is all about what you did and did not do (and what others are doing and not doing). It fails to appreciate the blood of Jesus. It puts works above His blood.  Gilgal is also important. It is where Saul was anointed, where he was told that his kingdom would not be a dynasty, and where he is about to be told that God is going to replace him with a better king (David / grace).

Gilgal is important because of what it represents. In Joshua 5, God has all the people of Israel who had been born since Egyptian captivity circumcised at Gilgal before they enter Canaan. Circumcision is a picture of partnership with God. It is a reminder that God and man would “produce” together. Saul was supposed to partner with God to rule the people, but he becomes more and more about himself and ruling the people himself without obedience to God.   When you read carefully you find that, throughout this chapter, Saul refers to God as “your God” and not “my God.” Again, law makes “self” god and rules apart from God’s direct input.

Saul argues before Samuel that he was obedient – to the law perhaps, but not God’s voice. Samuel makes the well-known statement that obedience is better than sacrifice. In its context, this verse seems to mean exactly the opposite of what it is generally used to beat people over the head with. The obedience Samuel is talking about is the direct voice of God, and the sacrifice is what the law had required.  This is how I would paraphrase that verse – Listen to my constant voice instead of lazily relying on a list of rules to try to please me.

Samuel then tells Saul that one “better than him” will be chosen king. God is not a respecter of persons. No person is truly better than another. However, there are things about one person that might be better. David is going to be better because he lives a life of grace before God. He makes mistakes and sins (badly), but always runs to God when he sins and he listens to the daily instruction of God. David will be better than Saul in the same way that the new covenant is a new and better covenant than the old.

 The chapter finishes with Samuel completing the work Saul failed in. He slays Agag. The King James version actually says he chopped him into pieces before the Lord. Wow?!?

The last thing it says is that Samuel never visited Saul again. He grieved for him, but never returned to see him. Remember that Saul is a type of the law and Samuel is the priest. Jesus is our high priest and the mediator of this new, better covenant. He does not visit the law any more. He remembers our sins no more. Praise God!

 To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/media.php.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.

Two Kings Two Thrones Part 5

This week, we continued on our series by starting in 1 Samuel 14:29.  This is the section where Jonathan had eaten honey and unknowingly violated a fast declared by Saul.  When Jonathan speaks, the words see and tasted in Hebrew have only one other verse that uses them in the Bible, Psalm34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”  This verse speaks of using our 5 senses to see God’s goodness and to rely on God instead of ourselves, exactly what Saul was not doing.  The phrase “freely eaten” was the same used in Genesis 2:16 regarding Adam and Eve and the garden.  Law had told the Israelites they could not eat the milk and honey God had promised as part of the Promised Land, so they were unable to obtain God’s full blessing.  In verse 39, “must die” or “must surely die” is the same word used in Genesis about eating of the tree of good and evil. 

 We continued to 1 Samuel 16:1 and following.  Saul is told to destroy the Amalekites and destroy everything.  The army spared Agog, and all the best flocks and other good things that were there.  They destroyed only the weak things.  When we don’t do what God says, we don’t get His results.  It is what the sinful act produces that is offensive to God.  Saul also set up a monument to himself.  Samuel comes to him, and Saul declares that he has done everything he was supposed to and declares he was saving them as a sacrifice to the Lord.  When Saul describes what he did, it was for “your God.”  So it wasn’t his God any more in his mind.  Samuel goes on to tell Saul his kingship is no longer approved by God.  He goes on and kills Agog.  Samuel never saw Saul again.  Jesus doesn’t revisit law.  He grieves for those who live under law, but He doesn’t go there.

 

 

 To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/media.php.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.

Two Kings Two Thrones Part 4

This week, we continued the “Two Kings, Two Thrones” series. We have been looking at the contrast in Kings Saul and David and how King Saul was a picture of the law and King David a picture of grace.  In this part, we examined a story from 1 Samuel 14. Beginning in verse 24, Saul declares a fast for his fighting men as they are about to battle the Philistines. What is striking about this demand is that he says it is to be until “I avenge MYSELF against MY enemies.” Saul has made this all about himself. Secondly, we must notice that God is not the one who demanded the fast or the Priest, Samuel, who recommended it. This was all Saul.

Legalism will continue to keep adding more rules and more restrictions to try to get the desired result. If law sees sin, it thinks the solution is more law. Saul wanted victory, so he demanded something unreasonable from his men. His men are about to go into battle, and he demands that they do not eat. He didn’t say it was because he wanted them to be more in tune with the spirit or to prepare them spiritually. It was just a power play. Law enjoys ruling over people.

What this demand did was create an unnecessary disadvantage for his men – who did go on to win anyway, by the grace and mercy of God. Legalism does that in our lives. It creates and unnecessary disadvantage in accomplishing the plans and purposes of God. Now, I am not talking about living by Godly principles or living a moral life. I am NOT saying God’s instructions are creating an unnecessary disadvantage. It is legalism that does so. Remember, Saul’s command did not come from God.

I remember when I was in a band and we were doing our first overseas trip, the organizers declared that we should fast before our trip.  We were to go to California, attend a church service, and then break the fast.  Because we had not heard from God to do it, though we obeyed, we did not have the best attitude about it.  When we got there, to top it off, we got to the church service, after which we were to break the fast, and the organizers were eating chicken wings.  We did not have time to get food at that point, so we had to wait through a long church service to break our fast.  This was a similar situation.

There are many examples that I could give that fit this description that have been thrust upon believers in the name of holiness. First of all being holy, like righteousness, is not something you achieve, but something you are. The definition of holiness is “set apart for the plans and purposes of God.” What does that have to do with our works? Nothing.

Just like truly knowing that the blood of Jesus has made you righteous will change you at the heart level into one who appears more righteous, the same is true for holiness (remember grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness – Titus 2:11-12). When you truly understand that YOU are set apart for the plans and purposes of God – meaning you are holy – you will begin to act in accordance with that belief. If you only believe you are holy when you have acted as such, you will be hard pressed to truly change the outward actions to ones that many would identify as less than holy.

Legalism has made holiness something you attain by adhering to a list of rules and guidelines for holy living. Many of those rules may seem good but have little to no grounding in scripture. Many others appear to be based on scripture until we learn more about the true context and meaning of the verses used to establish them.

 A great example is 1 Peter 3:1-5 that appears to be saying that women are not allowed to wear makeup, jewelry or nice clothing. The first thing to know when you read this passage is that Peter was not giving a definition of holiness. He says not to rely on outward beauty – like clothing, jewelry and makeup -- to keep your man, but inner beauty. That is very true, but what most translations leave out of that statement is one word that is very important to the message Peter was trying to communicate. I only find this word when I look at the original Greek or in an Amplified Bible. That word is “merely.” He said to let not your beauty be based MERELY on those outward things. He was not banning them!

Additionally, Peter was giving marriage advice. If you want to have a long marriage, you better be more to him than a pretty face (my paraphrase J). If that is all the attraction he has to you, there will always be a younger, newer, prettier face that will come along. Legalism looked in the Bible and found something it thought it could use to make a law out of – one that is an unnecessary disadvantage in life.

A second example that also relates to women is in 1 Corinthians 11. It appears on the surface that Paul (who we thought was all about grace) is saying that a woman cannot cut her hair if she wants to pray or prophesy. To understand Paul’s words more clearly we must zoom out a little and get some context. Just a few verses earlier at the end of chapter 10, Paul talks about how all things are permissible, but not necessarily beneficial and that no one should be condemned for eating anything, but, in exercising our freedom, don’t cause someone else to stumble. I may be free to have a beer in God’s eyes (though I never would because I think it tastes horrible), but if someone in my congregation saw me drinking a beer, it could be a stumbling block for them. They may not be able to receive the Word from me, or maybe they would see my action as a form of approving such behavior for them. If they have alcoholic tendencies, that could be catastrophic.

So why this stark about-face now when we’re talking about a woman’s hair length? It seems a little strange, doesn’t it? More context is needed. The next few verses after this so-called rule bring some light to Paul’s heart. He goes on to point out that men and women are not different before God. He does not have separate rules for righteousness for men and women. But this all still seems a little contradictory. The key is in that “don’t cause someone else to stumble” statement. What Paul is saying is that to the people in these churches, the length of hair means something and it is important to them. It doesn’t matter that it may not really be important. Don’t let your opinion be an offense to them. You don’t have to call them out. It really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme. He says in verse 16 to not be contentious about it.

There was another statement he made just previous to this in chapter 10. He says that we should not be ruled by someone else’s conscience. Remember that we have been cleansed of a guilty conscience. Don’t allow what someone else’s conscience says is right and wrong rule over you (or vice-versa). If they want length of hair to be important – so be it. Don’t argue with them about it, but also, don’t allow them to force that on you.

Finally, we headed back to 1 Samuel 14. After Saul’s demand for a fast, his son Jonathan, unaware of his father’s decree, sees a honeycomb oozing honey and takes some. The other men see him do this and inform him of his father’s command and that any who ate would be killed. Jonathan remarks that his father was foolish sending men to battle without food. He says that they could have had a resounding victory against the Philistines with food, not just a slight win.  Saul is notified that someone ate. At this point he does not know it was his son. He demands the “sinner” be brought forward and killed, even if it is his son. When it is discovered that it was indeed his son, he sticks to his guns and demands Jonathan’s life. The other men say, “no way.” Jonathan had just been a war hero, and he is the king’s son, and Saul would have him killed for breaking HIS rule (remember it was not God’s).  This is what legalism does. It will entirely disqualify a minister who is doing great things to expand the kingdom because he doesn’t line up with one of their legalist rules. We want to be ruled by God, not rules and legalism.

To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/media.php.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.

2 kings 2 thrones part 3

This week, we continued in the series, “Two Kings, Two Thrones.” In this series we’ve been looking at how the kingdoms of David and Saul are pictures of rule by grace and law.  In 1 Samuel 13, shortly after Saul was pronounced king, the Philistines are camping and preparing to attack Israel. The men are in fear and hide in caves and cisterns. Some even went back over the Jordan River –out of the land of Canaan.

 

Fear will cause us to run and hide. It will cause us to give up on the promises of God and go back to the wilderness.  Note that the Israelites hid in “easy” areas to hide and separated themselves, and hid in the “natural” areas they would go in. Some even went back over the Jordan out of the Promised Land.  So they forsook the promises of God to go back to the easier wilderness way of living without the giants to fight.

Samuel had told Saul to go to Gilgal and wait seven days for him to arrive. Then Samuel, the priest, would offer sacrifices. Saul, on the seventh day (but before it was over) gets impatient and thinks Samuel isn’t coming. The men are getting restless, and he decides to make the offerings himself. The offerings he sets out to do are the Burnt Offering an the Fellowship Offering. Both of these offerings had portions that are performed by the individual making the offering and a part done by the priest.

Saul completes the Burnt Offering, and Samuel arrives furious at Saul. The moment of his arrival is based on the mercy of God because if Saul had completed the Fellowship Offering, he would have brought curse and banishment on himself as well as all the men who participated. The Fellowship Offering as laid out on Leviticus 7 states that anyone who is not ceremonially purified cannot touch the meat from the offering. If he does, he is to be cut off from the people – meaning cursed and banished.  Samuel stops Saul from making a grave mistake. When he questions Saul, we find that Saul was very focused on himself and his feelings. He says “I saw” the enemy approaching, “you did not come” (though the seventh days was not yet over), “I thought”, “I  had not done” and “I felt compelled.”  He acted on the fear he and his people had.

We have probably acted like Saul before. We get impatient waiting on God because we want the answer NOW.  God will come through when it is needed and when He promised. What Saul, in his fear and impatience, does is what law does – makes it about works. Saul believed the work of doing the offerings would deliver him from the Philistines.  A major point here is that Saul was doing something that was not his to do. It was the work of the priest. Jesus is our high priest. He made all the sacrifices for us. We do not need to do works to obtain God’s favor in our situations.  Samuel rebukes Saul for not obeying the command of the Lord. He was not saying commands (plural). This was not about adherence to the Law. It was about not obeying the command to wait seven days for Samuel to come and complete the offerings. It was because he went into works instead of trust.

In the rebuke, Samuel states that because of this Saul will not rule forever. His kingdom will end, and he will be replaced by one “after God’s own heart.” We know that to be David. David was actually called a man after God’s own heart. It was not because he fully obeyed the law either. David was an adulterer and murderer. He had committed numerous offenses that were punishable by death under the law. He never suffered those consequences because, as a picture of grace, he understood what law does not. He knew to always run TO God when he sinned. Law makes you run away from Him when you sin. It condemns you and drives you away from God. Grace compels you to run to Him for forgiveness and overcoming power.  This rebuke emphasizes the fact that God’s eternal kingdom is not built on law and works.

 

In 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, Paul defines this difference in rule by law and rule by grace. He begins by stating that we are only sufficient in Christ. Many have said that we cannot be successful in life without reliance on Christ. The world around us says otherwise. There are MANY who are quite sufficient in this world – successful and more than able to support themselves and their families – who never acknowledge God. This is not the sufficiency that Paul is talking about. When we look at the context of this passage we find he is talking about sufficiency in righteousness. No one is righteous apart from Christ.

He continues by stating that we’ve been made sufficient ministers of the New Covenant. We could never be sufficient ministers of the Old Covenant because it required perfection that we cannot attain. In Christ, we are qualified ministers (or workers in) of this New Covenant.  He points out that the law kills and that the spirit (by grace) brings life. Many have said that when Paul talks about the passing away of the law, he is only referring to the ceremonial requirements and the sacrifices. Obviously, we cannot all go to Jerusalem to a temple that no longer exists and make our offerings required by the law, yet, it is said by some that we must still keep the 10 commandments if we are to be accepted by God.

If we go to the very next verse, he says that the law that killed was written on stone tablets. The ONLY part of the law that was written on stone tablets was the 10 commandments! I didn’t say it; Paul did! Now, no one is saying the 10 commandments are bad and should be ignored, but defining righteousness by even just those rules is death! You will always fail and fall short.

As that passage in 2 Corinthians 3 goes on, Paul describes how the law puts a veil on your heart that separates you from God. Grace takes that veil away. When Moses came down of Mount Sinai, he had a veil over his face to conceal the glow that came on him from being in God’s presence (not face to face, but his back to him, mind you). They thought people might be freaked out by his glow. There was also concern that, as that glow faded, people might think that meant God’s presence was lifting as well.

In this New Covenant, since sin cannot separate us from God, we can always be in His presence. The glow of His glory does not fade but instead is ever increasing. Our life should reflect the glory of God’s presence in ever increasing ways, but that will not happen when we allow law to replace the veil and turn us away from God.

 

 To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/media.php.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.

2 kings 2 thrones part 2

This week, we continued the “Two Kings, Two Thrones” series examining the contrasts between Kings Saul and David in the Old Testament and what the related symbolism means to us.  Remember that God did not want Israel to have a king.  He does pick Saul to be the first king, but only because the people asked for it.  It was not His will to have them ruled by anyone but Him. He had always ruled His people and provided for His people, but the Israelites seemed to forget how good they had it. They were concerned with being just like all the other nations around them who had kings.

 

In this second part, we looked at the anointing of Saul as Israel’s first king. The person whom God chooses for this important role is Saul, Son of Kish.  He is from the smallest of the Israelite tribes.  We find in 1 Samuel 9:1-2 that he is from a wealthy and influential family in the tribe of Dan (the Amplified Bible specifically points out these traits). We are also told that Saul was tall (the Bible says he was a head taller, but one definition says greater than others from the shoulders up which could also indicate a certain heart attitude) and handsome.  He is exactly the type of person man would choose for a king.  Most political scientists agree that people are psychologically drawn to a candidate that is noticeably taller and more handsome than their opponent (assuming the candidate is male, of course).

 

There is an interesting thing we find when we read the next few verses about Saul’s background that I think illustrate a little bit of God’s sense of humor. Remember that the whole reason Israel has a king is that the people were stubborn and demand a king. When we first meet Saul, he is chasing after his father’s missing donkeys. God’s people were being stubborn “donkeys,” so He sends them someone who herds donkeys to lead them!

Now, the main premise of this series is that Saul is a picture of the law and that David is a picture of grace. This first appearance of Saul fits the narrative. He is out trying to save his father’s donkeys but is not successful. God ends up saving them himself.  Some of God’s children are “donkeys.” They are stubborn and will not follow Him as their good shepherd. The law was sent, but it was not successful in delivering those donkeys. Law does not change the hardened heart; that requires grace.

In the story, God speaks to the prophet Samuel about the man who will come to see him the following day. He tells Samuel that this man is the one to be anointed king. When Saul arrives in search of information from Samuel on finding the donkeys, Saul tells him of God’s plans for him. In this meeting, Samuel has the cooks prepare a special piece of meat for Saul. Something that gets lost in this part of the story unless you look at the original Hebrew is that the piece of meat he has prepared for Saul is that which is usually reserved for the priest.  I believe this is symbolic of a part of the authority of God being passed to man, by man’s request.

Saul then leaves and follows some specific instructions from Samuel. He meets up with some prophets. When he does, he begins to prophesy as they do. People who know him see this happen and are confounded. We are told that the Spirit came upon Saul.  I know, with Saul being a picture of the law, it may seem like we are beating up on him. We should not forget that God is choosing him. He is anointed by God for a specific purpose, and stepping into that anointing brings a change to his life. We are actually told that he became a different man after the Spirit came upon him.

We are actually told what Saul’s purpose is – that is to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the Philistines. His call is very specific. He is not going to be the redeemer of God’s people. That was not the purpose of Saul, and it was not the purpose of the law. Notice that Saul’s response, like many people when God calls them, is that he wonders whether God got the right person.  Just like Moses and Gideon, he was sure that he was not the best choice for the position.

The Philistines were an enemy of Israel that was dwelling in the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. They were to be driven out, but instead persisted and persecuted the Israelites. As I teach frequently, the Promised Land is our heart after we are born again. We are to take that territory and drive out the enemies in our hearts in order to experience the peace and rest of God and to enjoy the fruit of the land (a heart in communion with God).

When Saul is to be presented, he is found to be hiding.  Isn’t that like us too?  We are confident at first and then we are afraid of our purpose and what it might mean for us.  Once Saul is officially presented he immediately has “haters.” Two verses after he is officially made king he has detractors – those who question his right and ability to lead. Whenever you step into your purpose you will have haters. Don’t listen to them. Keep charging forward. Let them be accountable to God for what they’ve done with their lives, and you focus on making the most of yours!

Saul’s first acts are to instill fear into his people in order to get them to follow him.  Law condemns out of fear of punishment but never brings complete victory over the internal enemies.  While Saul’s purpose was to overcome these Promised Land trespassers, he was ultimately unsuccessful. This furthers the symbolism of his rulership representing the law. The law cannot bring victory in Canaan. Law does not succeed in the Promised Land. Moses, a picture of the law, could not enter into Canaan. Neither can law. 

What we see in Saul’s kingship is a back and forth of success and retreat against the Philistines, the same thing that we will experience if we try to use law to overcome the issues of the heart. We commit to “never do that again” and think we’ve won a victory only to have that same sin creep up again and again. So we buckle down with more law, but is it equally unsuccessful. We end up either becoming more and more legalistic in our approach to sin, or we end up giving up and allowing sin to win, allowing the Philistines to rob us of what is truly ours in Christ.

The only enemies Saul had true success against are those who dwelt east of the Jordan river, outside of Canaan. The first one is the Ammonites. Law can seem effective on the outside, but cannot change the heart. Saul could defeat outward enemies but struggled against inward ones. 

This helps us understand what the law is capable of, and where it falls short.  This is important for understanding the role of grace in our lives.

 

 To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/media.php.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.

Two Kings Two Thrones part 1

I began a new series this week called “Two Kings, Two Thrones.” In this series, we are examining the contrasts between Kings Saul and David. One was a picture of rule by the law and the other rule by grace.  In this first part, we looked at the similarities between the Israelites’ request for a king in I Samuel 8 and the agreement by them to receive the Law in Exodus 19.

In 1 Samuel 8, God’s people decided they wanted to have a physical king – in essence, to be like the kingdoms and peoples around them. Up to this point, they had been ruled directly by God. Samuel was the voice God used to speak to His people, but Samuel was aging and had sons who were corrupt and did not serve God.

We can make the same mistake of thinking that God’s ways seems backwards in relation to the world around us. The Israelites had the dreaded “grass is greener” syndrome. God assures Samuel that it is not him that the people are rejecting, but God. He tells Samuel to do as the people wish but first warn them of what the unintended consequences of their decision would be.

When Samuel describes for the people what a king will do to them, it is the exact description of what happens any time men rule men. God never intended for men to rule men. He wants us to be ruled by Him. When men rule men, corruption will always occur. One of the things he warns against is that a king will take a tenth of all your stuff. In other words, man will try to take what belongs to God.

One of the important things to gather when looking at this story is what God does NOT say. He never says this is His will. He allows the people to have what they asked for. The same is true for us. We may like to think that God just does whatever He wants in our lives and we have no choice. He does have a perfect will for us and He wants us to desire it and live in it, but we can choose our own ways and suffer the consequences.

We paralleled this story with the account of what happened right before the Law was given at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19. God instructed Moses to tell the people that they had essentially made the decision not to trust Him in the same way their forefathers had (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and that He was going to send a law covenant that, if they fully obeyed, they would be blessed.

This type of covenant would never have been given to Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. They simply believed God and were seen as righteous. There were no rules or laws to declare them unrighteous by. Evidently, that same trust in God was not passed down to the descendants of Jacob. They had come to a place of no longer having that same belief in God. Their covenant was now going to be based on works, which is apparently just what they wanted.  When Moses relays God’s message to the Israelites they say “we will do whatever He requires.” The Hebrew word used here, asah, indicates a self-reliance. They were saying they would make their own way. If they did all God required, He would be obligated to bless them.

God was angry with them because they forgot all He had done for them in delivering them from 400 years of captivity, parting the Red Sea, and feeding them miraculously every day, to name a few. They thought God was mistreating them and by doing all He required, he would have to take better care of them (my paraphrase). Notice too that man had to agree to law before it was given. They found out quickly how impossible it was to do all it actually takes to be right before God. They weren’t able to fully obey (just as none of us can).

In both these stories, man makes the decision to do things in his own way, apart from God’s perfect plan, with dire consequences. In one instance, God’s physical kingship of His people was replaced with a natural king in order for His people to feel like they fit in with the world. In the other, His people chose laws written on stone over the direct voice of God.  God wants to rule your life. He wants a personal relationship with you. Will you allow Him or will you choose your own way?

  To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/media.php.  To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.