but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do

1 Samuel 9:18-10:8

Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”

So the cook took up the thigh with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined with Samuel that day.

Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.”

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?  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?”’

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. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

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.”

Why?

Everything happened as Samuel told Saul, that the Lord had arranged it. Only one thing asked Saul to wait for Samuel seven days until Samuel came to you and tell him what Saul to do.

The Lord gives us power, ability, and freedom, but more important is to listen to the word of the Lord, such as Saul had to listen to the word of Samuel, but he didn't later.

Saul was full of the Holy Spirit and prophesied with others, then Saul was changed into a different person, the God is with Saul.

How?

When God is with us we may be full of the Holy Spirit. And the right of the Holy Spirit is in the hands of the Lord

Somehow we will make decisions on our own ideas, even if it is not a bad idea but more important is to trust in the Lord and obey his command with our heart and mind.

About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel

1 Samuel 9:1-17

Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.

When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”

But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”

Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?” The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel[a] of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.”

“Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.”

Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?” “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart.

Why?

Saul came to look for his father's dokey, but the Lord arranged for Saul to be a leader of Israel through Samuel.

Saul knew to ask the seer to give guidance and prepare a gift for the seer. Saul was polite and gentle.

From the view of a human being, Saul is a wonderful candidate to be a leader, handsome, tall, and living in a rich home.

How?

The Lord prepared everyone who trusts in the Lord to go on the way that God prepared, so we don't worry and don't ask the Lord why!

 

The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king

1 Samuel 8:10-22

Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king.

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

Why?

Even the Lord knew his people did not respect Him and wanted a man to be their king, the same as this world, The Lord accepted them but asked Samuel to follow their request. For the Lord has his way and his chosen man.

The Lord warned them what would happen and that there is a burden to them if they had a king over them, But most people didn't listen.

Usually, we will make a decision and not ask the Lord, if it pleases the Lord, our God will bless us, if it is not good to us the Lord will help us, but we have to suffer much difficulty and trouble. If before the action we pray to the Lord and listen to the answer of the Lord we may escape from suffering and trouble.

How?

Give praise to the Lord, God is good and we have to be humble under the Lord!

You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us

1 Samuel 8:1-9

Samuel appointed his sons as judges for Israel. But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

Why?

The sons of Samuel were not good like their father, but Samuel was older, so the elders of Israel asked Samuel to appoint a king to lead them.

Actually, the Lord is their king, since they came from Egypt, but Israel always forgets the Lord is their king.

Human beings have their king people have to serve the king and king's family, and all the king needs. Compare kings and the Lord, the plan and the way of the Lord are absolutely higher than human beings.

If the king follows the way of the Lord, his people will be saved, but if the king does not follow the way of the Lord will be a disaster for his country.

How?

The Lord understands the request of the leader of Israel so let them do it but warn them.

Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life

1 Samuel 7:3-17

So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life. From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

Why?

Because the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines, the territory of Israel may have peace.

This is the grace of the Lord through Samuel came upon Israelites.

Because the leader of Israel honors the name of the Lord, so the Lord blesses the land of Isreal.  A good leader is to obey the word of the Lord and follow God's commands.

How?

One who is the leader and goes with the Lord will be peaceful and strong in his country.

He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

1 Samuel 6:13-7:12

These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all.

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

Why?

 The people of Israel turned back to the Lord

This is the key point: Actions are to get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only.

Samuel cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf, and the Lord answered him. Help Israelites defeat their enemies, the Philistines.

Kiriath Jearim： It was initially inhabited by the Gibeonites, who, in deceit, forged a bond of peace with the Israelites so that they would not be eradicated by the Israelites on their path of destruction throughout the Land of Promise. When the boundaries of the tribes of Israel were set, Kiriath-jearim was on the border of Benjamin, Dan and Judah.

How?

How great is the Lord Almighty! Do our duty to serve the Lord and the Lord will help us in his time and way.

Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did?

! Samuel 6:1-12

They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.”

They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?

Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”

Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

Why?

People of Philistin proved that their diseases and disaster were caused by the Lord by the two cows straight up toward Beth Shemesh, the territory of Isreal.

The priests and the diviners gave the leader of Philistin a good suggestion, let the Ark of the Lord return to Israel with honor.

Who can bear the punishment of the Lord? No one. Actually, the Philistines did not know the consequence of keeping the Ark of the Lord as their property.

How?

Our God is full of love and righteousness. my God gives good to us and punishes us when we do wrong.