I Samuel 3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord I Samuel 7:15 And Samuel judged.

• I Samuel 3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord

• I Samuel 7:15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life

• I Samuel 2:18 But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod (7:9-10)

• Samuel judged righteously– I Samuel 7:3 And Samuel spake unto all

the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only…

• Samuel prophesied accurately– I Samuel 7:3b …and He will deliver you…

• Samuel interceded effectively– I Samuel 7:9 And Samuel took a

suckling lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him

– I Samuel 7:13-14—there was peace in Samuel’s day

• The motivation of the people:1) The unrighteousness of Samuel’s sons• I Samuel 8:3 And his sons walked not

in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment (8:5)

• Judges 8:22-23—was this God’s plan for judges?

2) The desire to be like the other nations• I Samuel 8:5 And said unto him, Behold,

thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations

• I Samuel 8:20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles

• The responses of God:1) They have rejected Me• I Samuel 8:7-8 And the Lord said unto

Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day…

2) This will be your king…• I Samuel 8:11-18:– He will send your sons to battle (11-12)– He will take your daughters for cooks

and servants (13)– He will take your land and property

(14-15, 17)– He will take your servants for himself

(16)

• Saul’s appearance:– I Samuel 9:1-2 Now there was a man of

Benjamin, whose name was Kish…a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people

• Saul’s attitude:– I Samuel 9:21 And Saul answered and said,

Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?

– I Samuel 10:21-22 …Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff

• Saul’s actions:– I Samuel 10:27 …and they despised him, and

brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

– I Samuel 11:4-11—Saul valiantly rallies Israel against the Ammonites

– I Samuel 11:12-13 …And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for today the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel

1) What motivates people to reject God?– The abuse of God by others (Matthew

23:15, 15:14)– The desire to be like everyone else

(James 4:4; Romans 12:1-2)

2) God’s way works:– Considering its success in the past (I

Corinthians 6:9-11)– Despite the seeming success of the

world (Hebrews 11:25; Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)

IS GOD YOUR KING?

Romans 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.