Sunday School Lesson for October 30, 2022 - David Anointed as King: Printed Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 NLT; Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 NLT; Devotional Reading: Acts 13:21-31 NLT

 

Unit 2: Out of Slavery to Nationhood

Key Verse:

1 Samuel 16:7b NLT

 

7b The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

 

God sees right through us!

 

 

What you need to know

 

 

1 Samuel 15:1-3 NLT

 

1 One day Samuel said to Saul, “It was the Lord who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the Lord! 2 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. 3 Now go and completely destroy[a] the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.”

 

There are times when God wants to make a point. He wants to use His servants to make a statement. In this case, God desired to judge the nation of Amalek for their treatment of Israel during their wilderness sojourn. Amalek, descendants of Esau should have been an oasis in the desert experience that Israel underwent. Instead, they stood against Israel, thus drawing God’s ire. God commanded that the Amalekites be wiped out completely. It was up to Saul to see that through.

 

 

1 Samuel 15:9 NLT

 

 9 Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.

 

However, Saul had other ideas. It seems that when Saul observed the quality of the livestock, he and his men decided to keep some of the choicest animals for themselves. Expressly contrary to what God had commanded. From that point forward, God was done with Saul. He would command Samuel to travel to Judah to reveal the next king of Israel.

 

 

The Lesson

  

Samuel 16:1 NLT

1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”

After the Lord determined to reject Saul, He commanded Saul to get up and move on. It was time to reveal a new king. Samuel did not have the luxury of dwelling on the hurt that he was experiencing over God’s rejection of Saul. After all, He, Samuel, was God’s man, the prophet and last judge of Israel. Even in mourning, it was necessary that he obey God.

There are times when the circumstances of life seem overwhelming. Somehow, we have to continue on. We have to move forward. God provides an answer: “fill your flask with olive oil…” In essence, God commands that we refresh ourselves in His Holy Spirit. We are to seek His face in order to find the strength that we need nearness of His Presence, in the intimacy of His embrace. 

Samuel was to put the affection that he had for Saul aside in order to elevate Israel to the next place God planned for them. “Go to Bethlehem and find Jesse”, God commanded. From Bethlehem, the “House of Bread”, God would select the next king of Israel from the ‘House of Jesse’, the grandson of Boaz and Ruth.

1 Samuel 16:2a NLT

2a But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

In fact, Samuel now feared that Saul, who was once his protege, would now seek to end his life. While Israel had been given a king, it still remained a somewhat loose confederation of tribes. Saul, a Benjamite, would not relinquish the monarchy without a fight. Additionally, the tribe of Benjamin was notorious for its war-like mentality. They would support Saul in his effort to remain on the throne. Samuel had lost a friend and gained an enemy.

1 Samuel 16:2b-3 NLT

2b “Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.”

God understood Samuel’s concern. Samuel, an Ephraimite would have to leave Ramah and travel through the territory of Benjamin in order to reach Bethlehem. He would need a valid reason for traveling through the region, one that did not involve wresting the monarchy from the tribe of Benjamin. God provided the answer. Samuel was to take a young heifer with him to sacrifice before the Lord. upon his arrival, God would reveal to Samuel the next king of Israel.

1 Samuel 16:4 NLT

4 So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?”

Be reminded that Samuel, the prophet, was the last judge of Israel. He was the vessel God had chosen and used to communicate His Word clearly to His people, Israel. An unannounced, unsolicited visit from God’s judge may have meant that sent him to announce God’s judgment for some misstep on the part of the people of the region. Why would Samuel have traveled so far otherwise? The elders of the town approached Samuel in fearful anticipation of what may have led to his unheralded arrival. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?”, they asked. What was coming next?

1 Samuel 16:5 NLT

5 “Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too.

Samuel immediately put their hearts at ease. He had simply come there for worship. This would be a time of refreshing before the Lord. If there were to be a ‘Word from the Lord’, Samuel assured them, it would be a Word of peace and encouragement. The people of Bethlehem were to purify themselves and…get ready for church! Additionally, Samuel specifically requested that Jesse and his sons attend the service. He took it upon himself to see to it that they were properly prepared to worship before the Lord.

Beloved, what happens here is no different than what should happen for each of us individually and collectively when we prepare for worship. Not only are we to prepare ourselves by our dress and appearance when are preparing for worship, we should prepare ourselves spiritually and emotionally as well, spending time in prayer and devotion to clear ourselves of the cares and distractions of life as best we can, or collecting those very distractions in our hearts so that we may unburden ourselves before God when we come into the sanctuary. Purification requires that we present ourselves before God in honesty and transparency before we enter His house.

1 Samuel 16:6 NLT

6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”

At first glance, Eliab must have fit all of Samuel’s requirements. Maybe, just maybe, he reminded Samuel of his previous protege, Samuel. We can assume that Eliab was the eldest of Jesse’s sons and therefore would have been the natural choice as the one who was to receive the blessing of the anointing of God.

1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Interestingly, Samuel takes no action based on his own perceptions. He waits. He waits for… a Word from the Lord! Beloved, how often are we moved by our desires, labeling them, “the will of God”, when they are but our own will ‘dressed up’ by some scriptural rhetoric that we’ve attached in order to convince ourselves that, “certainly, God wants me to have this!” How well do we discern the Spirit of God? We need to have spent enough time in His presence to discern His will. God does not judge by the outer appearance. He looks at the heart. God spoke to Samuel to prevent Samuel from speaking out of his own will.

1 Samuel 16:8-10 NLT

8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the Lord has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shimea,[a] but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.” 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 

Six times more, another son of Jesse was presented before Samuel. Six times more, the Lord was silent. God had not chosen any of them. Think about it. If Samuel had any uncertainty at first, his conviction became clearer with the rejection of each subsequent son of Jesse. God’s chosen was not among them.

1 Samuel 16:11a NLT

11a Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

And now the Spirit of the Lord moves upon Samuel to reveal what, as of yet, has not been revealed. It begins with a question: “Are these all the sons you have?” God doesn’t do anything by happenstance. He certainly sent Samuel there on a mission: to anoint the next king of Israel. God does not make mistakes.

Isaiah 55:11 NLT

11 

It is the same with my word.

    I send it out, and it always produces fruit.

It will accomplish all I want it to,

    and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

1 Samuel 16:11b NLT

11b “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”

And now we understand. Jesse has withheld his youngest son. Why? I can only make an educated guess. Beloved, it is not uncommon for the youngest or last remaining son not to be required to serve in the military during wartime, particularly if the older brothers are serving or have died in service. It was the policy of our government in times past that the last son would be allowed to skip service in order to preserve a family’s heritage. It may be that Israel practiced a similar custom for the same reason.

Additionally, it is the practice of many cultures around the world for the youngest son to remain at home during adulthood to act as the caretaker of the homestead and his aging parents. In many cases, the youngest son is pressured by the elders (parents) to remain at home, restricting their life and livelihood to the confines of the rural community they were raised in rather than pursuing the allure of big city life or far away adventures. At Jesses’s instruction, David remained in the fields tending the family's flocks. This may have been Jesse’s plan for David, but God had other plans.

1 Samuel 16:11c NLT

11c “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

David had not been present at the initial invitation of Samuel. That was to be corrected. Samuel instructed Jesse to send for David at once. They could not proceed without him. Who tended the flocks in David’s stead. We don’t know. What we do know is that God took care of it.

1 Samuel 16:12 NLT

12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes.

And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”

Finally, after seven consecutive ‘No’s’, God says, “Yes.” Samuel’s patience, trust, and faith in God are rewarded in the confirmation of God’s Word in the arrival of David. Like his brothers, David is handsome in appearance, with beautiful eyes. But, God is looking past his outer appearance. He knows David. He has known him for some time. More importantly, we will find out that David knows God. He has known God for some time. He has learned from God, to walk by faith, not by sight. We will see that demonstrated later on in David’s story. God has a plan for David, a plan that involves His eternal Kingdom and purpose. In fact, God’s plan will have eternal consequences for David, making his name among the greatest among men, deeming him to be both a descendant and an ancestor of our eternal King, Jesus Christ.

1 Samuel 16:13 NLT

13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

And so, Samuel anointed David in the presence of his brothers. At that same time, God confirmed Samuel’s actions by pouring His Holy Spirit down upon David. The Spirit of the Lord remained with David from that day forward, imbuing divine inspiration upon a young man who had already found favor with God. This is the beginning of David’s story. He will eventually consolidate the loose confederation of tribes that were called Israel into a mighty nation under his reign and the subsequent reign of his son, Solomon. He is today regarded by the modern nation of Israel as the greatest king of Israel. His feats are marveled at in churches worldwide. In David, God finally had the servant king He desired.

Selah,

wb

2 Timothy 2:8 NLT

8 Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach.

Sunday School Lesson for October 23, 2022 - Who is King?: Printed Text: 1 Samuel 8:4-7; 10:17-26 NLT; Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:1-9; 10:17-24 NLT; Devotional Reading: Psalm 93 NLT

 

Unit 2: Out of Slavery to Nationhood

Key Verse:

1 Samuel 10:19a NLT

 

19a But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’

 

Beloved, Trust God. He is always near…

 

 

What you need to know

 

 

1 Samuel 7:12 NLT

 

12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah.[a] He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”

 

I don’t know. There, I said it. I don’t know. From the beginning of the Book of Judges up to this point in the Book of 1 Samuel, there are several appearances of the Lord that I cannot explain. What I can tell you is that He fought on Israel’s behalf against the Philistines immediately prior to Samuel placing the Ebenezer stone as a monument to the victory that the Lord had given them. He acted on their behalf to bring a fierce storm, replete with lightning and thunder to frighten and confuse the Philistines, Subsequently, they were easily routed by the Israelites. The Lord will make another appearance in today’s lesson, leaving us to continue to wonder how the Theophany that is the pre-incarnate Christ is made manifest…

 

 

1 Samuel 7:15-17 NLT

 

15 Samuel continued as Israel’s judge for the rest of his life. 16 Each year he traveled around, setting up his court first at Bethel, then at Gilgal, and then at Mizpah. He judged the people of Israel at each of these places. 17 Then he would return to his home at Ramah, and he would hear cases there, too. And Samuel built an altar to the Lord at Ramah.

 

So, as we close in on the final years of Samuel, the final judge of Israel, we find that most of the promised land has now come under the control of a loose confederation of the Israeli tribes, with Samuel going from place to place holding court at God’s direction. But the people of Israel want more (as if you can have any more than God). 

 

 

The Lesson

  

Samuel 8:1-3 NLT

1 As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. 2 Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. 3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.

The people of Israel anticipated that they would soon need new leadership. Samuel was getting older. Additionally, his sons Joel and Abijah could not be trusted. The people of Israel did not want a repeat of what had occurred with the sons of Eli, who were killed by the Philistines because of their sins before God.

1 Samuel 8:4-5 NLT

4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

And so, the people requested a king to rule over them. Focus. A king is not a judge. The judges were inspired by the Spirit of God as the need arose. A king, not so much. But this loose confederation of tribes called Israel could look to other nations and see…empires. To the west, there was Egypt. To the east, there was Sumeria, the home of the Amorites. Both Empires were several millennia in age. Both were governed by leaders who considered themselves to be ‘sons of the gods’. Israel desired the longevity of those empires. They desired a king to bring cohesiveness to their fledgling confederation of tribes. They wanted to be … a nation.

1 Samuel 8:6-7 NLT

6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7 “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.

What the Israelites failed to recognize was that they already had a King. The Lord was their King. Samuel had only obeyed the voice of the Lord in the performance of his duties as Israel’s judge. God is King. God is our Lord. God is our Judge. We must always be cognizant of the fact that we have no King, save Jesus.

1 Samuel 8:17-18 NLT

17 Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you.

At Lord’s behest, Samuel called the people of Israel together at Mizpah. Mizpah was the place where Laban and Jacob had parted ways with the words, “May the Lord keep watch between me and thee…” In Israel’s eyes, this was literally the place where the Lord kept watch over His people. It is here, at Mizpah, where the Lord speaks through Samuel. The Lord reminds them that it was He who had delivered them from the hands of their oppressors in times past.  How could an elected king have done any more for them than God?

1 Samuel 8:19 NLT

19 But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.”

The Lord left off speaking by revealing to the congregation what He had revealed to Samuel: that they had rejected Him. He then commanded them to ordered them to present themselves before Him by tribe and by clan. He would choose, for them, a king.

1 Samuel 8:20-21a NLT

20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21a Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally, Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them.

And the future king would be chosen from the tribe of Benjamin, the least of the twelve. In the tribe of Benjamin, the lot would fall to the clan of Matri, whose name is only mentioned this one time in Scripture. Then finally, from the clan of Matri, Saul, the son of Kish was chosen. Israel would have themselves a king.

1 Samuel 8:21b-22 NLT

21a But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! 22 So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”

And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” 

Every now and then, a bit of levity, a bit of humor will enter into the Scriptural narrative. The exchange above is an example of such. Saul is chosen as king. This is a hallelujah moment, but for the fact that the new king is hiding. Hiding. That has to bring a smile, or maybe a smirk to your face. All of this fanfare about a king, and when one is selected, he hides. Surely, the Lord is sending a not-so-subliminal message to His children; “Is this really what you wanted?”

 

1 Samuel 8:23-24 NLT

 

23 So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.

24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”

And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

And so as to continue in this satirical moment in this narrative, it turns out that Saul is a mountain of a man, fully head and shoulders above every other man surrounding him in stature. Saul ‘looked like’ a king. Suddenly, everyone jumps on the bandwagon, and the Lord… is forgotten. It’s just a moment in time, but it is a transitional moment. It is a moment where the children of God settled. They settled for less than God’s best for them: the Lord God, Himself. 

 

1 Samuel 8:25 NLT

25 Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.

 

1 Samuel 8:10-18 NLT

10 So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. 12 Some will be generals and captains in his army,[a] some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. 13 The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14 He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. 16 He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle[b] and donkeys for his own use. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”

 

Samuel then reiterated to the children of Israel, soon to be a nation, the responsibilities and duties of a king, as well as the warnings he had posited before about what they would be subjected to if a king were to forget his place as a servant of the Lord. Not only did Samuel tell them, but he also wrote it down and had them sign the parchment, documenting that they were entering into a new covenant with God, a covenant whereby their advocate, their champion would be a mere man. Yet, in the end, God would prevail, in that, He revealed Himself to us as…a mere man in the person of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Even in seeming confusion, God’s purpose works in our favor.

 

Romans 8:28 NLT

 

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[m] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

 

__________________________

 

1 Samuel 8:26 NLT

 

26 When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

 

And then, as further evidence that God affirmed the people’s choice, God moved on the hearts of a contingent of men who would serve as Saul’s armor-bearers. Their dedication would be evidence of God’s presence amongst His people and with Saul. They would testify that Saul was God’s anointed. Much later on, David, Israel’s second chosen king would testify to that very same fact. Whatever else we may believe about the fault of Saul’s character, Saul was chosen and affirmed by God.

 

Selah,

 

wb

 

 

1 Samuel 24:5-8 NLT

 

5 But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” 7 So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.

After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way, 8 David came out and shouted after him, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him.

 

1 Samuel 26:8-11 NLT

8 “God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!” Abishai whispered to David. “Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike twice!”

9 “No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? 10 Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle. 11 The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let’s get out of here!”

 

2 Samuel 1:13-16 NLT

13 Then David said to the young man who had brought the news, “Where are you from?”

And he replied, “I am a foreigner, an Amalekite, who lives in your land.”

14 “Why were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s anointed one?” David asked.

15 Then David said to one of his men, “Kill him!” So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him. 16 “You have condemned yourself,” David said, “for you, yourself confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed one.”