Read: 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15; John 6:43-71; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 15:1-3
Samuel anointed Saul’s head with oil and told him he was to be the leader over God’s inheritance then he told him specific things that would happen on his way home. These things would be signs to him that what Samuel said about the kingship was true. He would be given two loaves of bread from three men who were on their way to sacrifice at Bethel. He was to eat them. Then he would meet a procession of prophets coming down from Gibeah and they would be praising God and prophesying. He would be changed into a new man and prophesy right with them. Last of all, he was to wait 7 days and come to Gilgal where Samuel would tell him what to do from there.
All this happened just as Samuel said it would and when Saul got home, his father was so happy to see him. Saul didn’t tell him anything about what Samuel told him about the kingship. Samuel called a meeting at Mizpeh and called out Saul from all the tribes. He was found hiding in the baggage. Saul looked like a king. He was the epitome of what the people wanted. Samuel explained to the regulations of the king they were wanting and wrote them down on a scroll. Many of the people brought Saul gifts but some were not pleased with God’s choice.
It didn’t take long for them to need a leader. The Ammonites come up against Jabesh Gilead and threatened to kill them if they didn’t gouge out their right eyes and become their slaves. When Saul found out he summoned 330,000 Israelites and fought them. He divided them into three divisions and they attacked the Ammonite camp at night and slaughtered them.
Now, even the naysayers were on Saul’s side and Samuel reaffirmed Saul as the king.
God knows how to exalt the one he is anointing to lead. He doesn’t pick as man picks or he would have been from the tribe of Judah. Instead, God chose the tribe that was the smallest. The emphasis is not the person but the one who sent them. The mission is the Lord’s and he will make sure it gets done.
In John, Jesus culled out the crowd when he started talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Jesus knew this would be a stumbling block to so many of them, but he wasn’t after the crowd - he was after the remnant. The ones left when the smoke cleared were his true disciples. God always offends our flesh to speak to our spirit. We cannot understand God through carnal reasoning, we have to have spiritual eyes. God’s ways are not our ways nor his thoughts our thoughts. But the closer we get to him the more we have the mind of Christ and we understand his thoughts.
Lord, help us to stop trying to figure things out with our minds and trust in your spirit.
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