When we last left off, we were discussing how the Israelites were demanding that Samuel give them a king patterned after the rulers of the Gentile nations.
This concerned Samuel, but God allowed it.
Now, here’s the key point a lot of homies overlook.
During this whole time, the Lord was preparing His Chosen People for a king.
He was training them to understand that without a king, they cannot thrive, let alone survive as a successful society.
The Lord further goes on to note that by asking for a king patterned after the Gentiles, the people have essentially rejected God.
This is another area where there’s a ton of misunderstanding.
Because of this statement, a lot of people assume God never wanted Israel ever to have a king in the first place.
They couldn’t be more wrong.
The truth is the EXACT OPPOSITE.
The Lord has always intended to install a king over His People.
The issue was never whether God wanted a King for Israel or not.
The issue was WHAT KIND of King.
If you’re American, this truth might rub hard against your democratic ideals.
But it is Scripture.
The problem with a gentile-style king is their mad desire for personal power, wealth, and to be served.
This is mankind’s typical view of a king.
However, God’s perspective is that a king is a shepherd and a provider.
He serves and saves.
The Lord knows His fallen creation has to go through the painful process of stumbling, falling flat on their faces, and picking themselves up over and over and over and over again before they ever learn.
So the first part of this learning process is giving the people what they’d been demanding: a king.
We all know this man was Saul.
And boy, did that turn out to be a disaster!
Saul reveals himself to be an anti-Godly ruler by doing the one thing all those who set themselves up against God do.
They break God’s Law.
This “lawlessness” was clearly demonstrated when God ordered Saul to destroy the Amalekites (every man, woman, and child) and leave no one alive.
Saul spared the Amalekite ruler and kept the best portion of their animals for himself.
This was a blatant disregard of the Law of Harem.
Harem is the Torah principle that says all spoils of a Holy War must be dedicated back to God.
Since God is a spirit and has no need for physical things, this dedication process means the destruction of the Holy War spoils unto the Lord.
Some Bible translations will use the phrase “devoted to destruction” when translating the term HAREM.
When Samuel called out Saul for his sin, Saul’s response was as ridiculous as it was anti-Torah.
He said he was hoping to present the spoils of war to the Lord as a holy sacrifice.
Samuel’s rebuke of Saul is a scathing indictment.
“To obey is better than sacrifice;
to give heed than the fat of rams.”
-1 Samuel 15:22
Interestingly, the Christian crowd will use this very same verse to promote their “Jesus did away with the Law” theology.
That’s a whole other level of theological idiocy I ain’t gonna get into right now.
Anyway, onward.
Samuel lets Saul know that the Lord has chosen another man to be king of Israel.
Saul begs for forgiveness and grabs Samuel’s cloak in desperation.
The cloth is torn.
This symbolizes Saul’s shattered kingdom and that the Lord has cut him off (Karet).
So what’s the takeaway for today?
Simple.
What is the chief characteristic of an anti-Godly ruler?
He is a person who breaks God’s Laws.
He is against the Law of Moses.
He preaches or teaches that the Law has been done away.
Ya feel me?
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Do not think that I came to abolish
the Law or the Prophets;
I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
Matthew 5:17
“For truly I say to you,
until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or stroke
shall pass from the Law
until all is accomplished.”
Matthew 5:18
“Whoever then annuls one
of the least of these commandments,
and teaches others to do the same,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:19
“If you love Me,
you will keep
My commandments.”
John 14:15
“He who has
My commandments
and keeps them is
the one who loves Me.”
John 14:21
“Why do you call Me,
‘Lord, Lord,’
and do not do what I say?”
Luke 6:46
“By this we know that we
have come to know Him,
if we keep His commandments.”
1 John 2:3
“The one who says,
‘I have come to know Him,’
and does not keep His commandments,
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
-1 John 2:4
“This is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments;
and His commandments
are not burdensome.”
-1 John 5:3
“Do we then nullify the
Law through faith?
May it never be!
On the contrary,
we establish the Law.”
-Romans 3:31
“It is not the hearers of the Law
who are just before God,
but the doers of the Law
will be justified.”
-Romans 2:13
“For the mystery of lawlessness
is already at work.”
-2 Thessalonians 2:7
“Everyone who practices sin
also practices lawlessness;
and sin is lawlessness.”
-1 John 3:4
“The one who says,
‘I know Him,’ and does not keep
His commandments is a liar.”
-1 John 2:4
“’Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
But he who does the will
of My Father in heaven.
Many will say to Me in that day,
‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in Your name, cast out demons in Your name,
and done many wonders in Your name?’
And then I will declare to them,
‘I never knew you;
depart from Me,
you who practice lawlessness!’“
-Matthew 7:21-23
At first I wasn’t sure I could agree because I always thought that God did not want a king over the people since he was our king, but then as I read further (which I recommend all people do when they read a message that has something they don’t agree with before they comment) I realized that you identified the difference between what God’s chosen king would do compared to what a human chosen king would do.
Yes, of course God had always planned that there would be a king, and from the start his choice has been (and will eventually be)… Messiah Yeshua.
When the people asked for a king- not a king like God but a king like the pagans surrounding them- they had the right idea but they went in the wrong direction.
What is interesting about Shaul is that God chose him but it ended up being the wrong choice, so how could a perfect God, who knows the heart, screw up like that?
Is this a topic you will be exploring during your lessons on this part of the Tanakh?
Interesting question you bring up. But I think I kind of answered it when I said…”The Lord knows His fallen creation has to go through the painful process of stumbling, falling flat on their faces, and picking themselves up over and over and over and over again before they ever learn. So the first part of this learning process was giving the people what they’d been demanding: a king.”