Samuel Crowns Saul

Thank you, Kristen. If you your Bible, 1 Samuel chapter 11 and 1 Samuel chapter 12, we're going to pick it up in verse 12 of chapter 11 and read all of chapter 12 to help you see and understand the coron. The king, that is the coronation of King Saul. Tonight, Samuel is going to crown him king, first king of Israel.

Last week, we saw where the king was chosen. He was chosen providentially. He was chosen privately. He was chosen publicly. But tonight is his coronation. Tonight is his inauguration as we understand what Samuel is going to do in the life of Samuel. Saul. They need Samuel. They might not want Samuel, but they need Samuel. They need him to lead them. They don't want him to lead them, but they need him. They need a spiritual man, not a physical man, but yet they want. Saul to be their king, and yet they need Samuel.

They don't understand that, they don't recognize that. You'll see a little bit tonight about how it is they recognize their need for Samuel, but in spite of that, They still want a king to rule over them. So let me read to you the narrative and then we'll spend some time looking at it together this evening.

1 Samuel chapter 11, verse number 12. Then the people said to Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? Bring them in, that we may put them to death. But Saul said, Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplished deliverance in Israel. Then Samuel said to the people, Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there. So all the people went to Gilgal. And there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. And there they also offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord.

And there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. Then Samuel said to all Israel, Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I have appointed a king over you. Now here is the king walking before you. But I am old and gray, and behold, my sons are with you, and I have walked before you from my youth even to this day. Here I am. Bear witness against me before the Lord and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded?

Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you. They said, You have not defrauded us, or oppressed us, or taken anything from any man's hand. He said to them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have found nothing in my hand. And they said, He is witness. Then Samuel said to the people, It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. So now take your stand, that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which he did for you and your fathers.

When Jacob went into Egypt and your fathers cried out to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt, and settled them in this place. But they forgot the LORD their God. So he sold them into the hand of Sis, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. They cried out to the Lord and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the As.

But now deliver us from your hands. Or from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you. Then the Lord sent Jerubbab, and Bedan, and Jep, and Samuel. And delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around so that you live in security. When you saw that Naash, the king of the sons of Ammon Came against you, you said to me, No, but a king shall reign over us, although the Lord your God was your king. Now, therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen. Whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you.

If you will fear the Lord and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not rebel against the command of the Lord. Then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. If you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers. Even now take your stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes. Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord that he may send thunder and rain.

Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, by asking for yourselves a king. So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. Then all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a king. Samuel said to the people, Do not fear, you have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.

You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things, which can profit, cannot profit or deliver, because they are futile. For the Lord will not abandon his people on account of his great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for him. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. But I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth, with all your heart, for consider what great things he has done for you.

But If you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept a. Three things you need to see. The first is the summons for the coronation.

Then we'll look at the sermon at the coronation and then the storm after. The coronation. Okay? First of all, the summons.

What is it that prompted them to come together at Gilgal? Well, earlier in 1 Samuel chapter 11, there was a war. Between the Ammon and the Israelites, between King Naash and Saul. And Saul won the battle. The Lord came upon him. He fought greatly. And King Naash and the Ammonites were destroyed. And so that pro Saul in the minds of the people. It gave him popularity. It gave him prominence. After all, they'd asked earlier in 1 Samuel 10 for a king that would fight for them. Well, Saul fought for them, and he won the battle.

So what prompted this summons of the people to gather together at Gilgal was the fact that now Saul By the power of the Lord, had been raised to a level of prominence. Very important. Because God gave Saul everything he needed to be the man God wanted him to be. Remember back in chapter 10, we read these words in verse 6. Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. It shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, for God is with you.

And you shall go down before me to Gilgal, and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offer, and sacrifices, peace off. And you shall wait seven days until I come to you, and show you what you shall do. Then it happened, when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart. And all those signs came about on that day. And when they came to the hill, there, behold, a group of prophets met him. And the Spirit of God came upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them. God gave Saul everything he needed to accomplish God's purposes.

And when he fought against King Naash, God's Spirit came upon him mightily, and God used him in a mighty way. So you ask the question, what changes? You will note that the story begins in verse 12. The people said to Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? Bring them in, that we may put them to death. They had just won the victory. Okay? And we're not studying that because that's about Saul and not about Samuel. I'm just giving you a little background here. So they win the victory.

And remember back in chapter 10, verse number 27, but certain worthless men, sons of Belial. How can this one deliver us? That's what they said. And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But Saul kept silent. There were these individuals who weren in support of Saul. Well, now that he's won the victory, people are saying, Now, remember those guys back a little while ago said we weren going to support this guy? Bring him here. Let's put them to death. And Saul says, Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplished deliverance in Israel.

Isn't that great? Saul has recognized that God has brought deliverance in Israel. And Saul says, You know what? We're not going to do anything to these guys. Let them alone. A great man, but this is the last of his greatness. Oh, quickly he rises, and quickly he falls. This is it. There's nothing else good about Saul from this point forward. Did you know that? This is it. And the Spirit of the Lord would come upon him mightily, and God would change his heart, and God would turn him around because God had to do that.

Because Saul had no idea who Samuel was. We saw that last week. Saul had no idea about spiritual things. He was into material things. So God had to change him in order to use him. To be king over Israel because the people wanted a king. But Saul would rebel against the Lord. Saul would reject the words of the Lord. He would become impatient. He would become jealous. He would become angry. He would become depressed. He would become everything he shouldn't be. sim because he would operate in the energy of the flesh and not in the energy of the sp.

You see, in the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord would come upon men to do great and mighty things, like Samson. Remember Samson? The Spirit of the Lord would come upon that man as he would judge Israel. God used him in a mighty way, but he had issues with women. And it cost him greatly at the end. And the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, but he didn't even know it. Remember that? Judges chapter 16, status verse in all the Bible. Spirit of the Lord departed from him, and Samson didn't even know it because he was so engrossed in the flesh.

And like every individual in the Old Testament, that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, he'd have to be used by God. He'd have to depend upon the Lord, like David. And that's why he prayed, Lord, take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of my salvation. Remember that? When he had sinned against Bathsheba and he repented of his sin, he was afraid that God's Spirit would depart from him. In the New Testament, things have changed. God's Spirit comes in us at the point of salvation and it dwells us permanently.

Forever. And yet, like Saul, David, men of the Old Testament, we can operate in the energy of the flesh, not dependent upon the Spirit of God. It'll cost us greatly. This week, Saul is crowned king. Next week, Saul is confronted because of his sin. And then the next week, Saul is condemned because of his further sin, and God rejects him. And then David is commissioned king of Israel. How quickly he falls sim because Given all the opportunity to follow the Lord, he would choose to operate in the energy of the flesh.

So sad. Yet on this day, it was a day of rejoicing. And it says in verse number 15 that the people gathered together at Gilgal. And there are three there's in the verse, telling you about the inauguration, the veneration, and the jubilation. So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. Okay? That is the inauguration of King Saul. So, what happened last week when they publicly recognized him? It's like what we do today, we elect the president in November, but when's he inaugurated?

In January. Okay? He was recognized as king in chapter 10. All right. He was publicly put before the people in chapter 10. And now is his inauguration in chapter 11. And so his inauguration, and then the veneration, the worship of the Lord. It says they also there offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord. They would worship, and Samuel would lead them in that because that's what Samuel did. He would lead them in the ways of the Lord. And they would worship the Lord. And I wish to say that their worship was pure and true and holy, but most of it was just ritualistic for most of the people.

They didn't really care about that. And then thirdly, there, the third there, there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

That's the jubilation. There was great joy. Great joy in this day. Great gladness. But in the next chapter, glad is turned to sadness. Delight is turned to despair. Jubilation is turned to trepidation. How quickly things change when the leader Doesn't follow what the word of the Lord says. Isn't that true across the board in churches? In Christian circles and families, when the leader doesn't follow the Lord, how quickly Gladness is turned to sadness. It goes by very quick. That's why it's so important to do what the word of the Lord says.

That's why Samuel gives the sermon he gives. By the way, why would they gather at Gilgal? Oh, it's a great place. Remember when Israel first crossed over the Jordan?

They crossed over at Gilgal. And there, there, they set up 12 memorial stones, celebrating the fact that God had brought them out of Egypt, and now they were in the land that God had promised. It was there that the men of Israel were circumcised, and it was there that the men of Israel or the people of Israel celebrated the first Passover.

In the promised land. This was a great memorial. This was a great place, but this place of coronation soon became a place of compromise, as you will see next week. How quickly things change in the life of Saul, the man, and in the life of Israel. The n. And so Samuel summons the people together. That 's point number one.

Now, point number two: the sermon at the coronation. You gather that many people together, you to preach a sermon, right? So Samuel's going to preach, but he doesn't say what you and I might say. He says it kind of differently. He pinpoints Israel's sin in the sermon. This is his last public sermon. Think about it. You have one last sermon to preach. What are you going to say? Know what Samuel does? He hits them right between the eyes with their sin. That's what he does. The thing about Samuel is that he never tiptoed around issues.

Rule of thumb, to tipt is always a no-no. You can mark that down. If you want to quote me, you can. To tipt is always a no-no. You can never tipt around issues. Thinking then hoping they'll go away because they never do, they get worse. Maybe you're a parent and you want to tipt around issues in your family with your children. Yeah, you tipt around them. It's a no-no. Why? It's going to come back to bite you big time. You must always deal with things quickly. Decisively, if need be, harshly, but always biblically.

Mark it down. That's how you deal with issues. Quickly, decisively, if need be, harshly, but always biblically, you got to deal with them. You tiptoe around your children. You tipt around your family. You tipt around those at church. You tipt, mmm, bad no-no. It will always come back to bite you big time. You must always deal with issues. That's what made Samuel so great. That's what made him great. In fact, read through the scriptures. Every great leader never tiptoed around issues. Never did. Always dealt with them.

Had to deal with them. Why? Because the purity of the people is at stake. The name of God is at st. The testimony of God is at stake. So you have to deal with things. If not, they just sit and they fester, they get worse, they never just go away, and they never get better. So that's what Samuel does. He hits Israel right between the eyes and confronts them on their sin for want a king. He confronts them about why this is so. And he takes them back into Israel's history because Israel's history was always the same.

There was disobedience. Then there was discipline, and then there was deliverance. God would deliver them. And then they would disobey. And then God would discipline them again. And then they would cry out to God, and God would deliver them again. And then things would be okay for a while, and then again they would disobey. And then there would be discipline, and then there would be deliverance. That is Israel's history all throughout the Old Testament. All you have to do is read the narrative. And that's exactly what Samuel points out in the people of Israel to show them their sin.

And so, this is what he does. He goes right at the heart of the king. And this is during the coronation of the king. This is Saul's coronation. And nothing is really said about Saul. Saul has already been told by Samuel what to do privately, how it's all going to happen for him, what he needs to do, and how God's going to come up on him and use him mightily. He's already been told those things by Samuel. But at the coronation, he deals with the people. Because the people had sinned again the Lord.

So he begins. He says this. Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I've appointed a king over you. I've done what you've asked. The reason he does that is because he's humbly obedient to his God, who said, Samuel, give them what they want. So he says, I've listened. And I've given you your king. Here is the king walking before you. Behold, I am old and gray. As if to point the fact that, remember, Saul was a handsome man and he was heads and shoulders above all the other men in Israel, he was a big man.

And in Samuel points out the difference between the two: I am old and I am gray, behold your king. Exactly what you wanted. You wanted a bigger man, you got a bigger man. Did you want the best man? No, didn't want the best man. You just wanted a bigger man. What you want? That's what you get. So he says, and I have walked before you from my youth even to this day. Remember when I was young? Remember, three years old, he was dropped off at the temple? With a tabernacle given under the direction of Eli.

S says, I've been here since I was just knee-high to grasshopper. And you've seen me. I've walked before you to this very day. Let me ask you a question: Have I ever, ever defrauded one of you?

Have I ever oppressed one of you? Have I taken anything from you? If so, let me know now. I will restore it to you. Why did he say that? Because he told them, when you get a king, he's going to take, take, take, take, take. So he wants to say, Now, have I taken anything from you? I told you that when you get a king, he's going to take your sons, he's going to take your daughters, he's going take your servants, he's going to take your m And he's going to take your property. Remember all that? He says, have I taken anything from you?

Have I oppressed you, defrauded you? Oh, no, no, they say. All in yours and no, you haven't done anything. You've got all the nation there. You've never done anything like that. You see, because Samuel was a man of integrity, but Saul was a man of hypocrisy and duplicity. There was a stark difference between the two, and quickly the people would see it. It would just take a few verses in the Bible, a few days in their lives, but they would see it. It had been 500 years of judges. It's a long time.

500 years in which the judges ruled in Israel. All that's coming to an end now. Now they're going to the monarchy. The time for the kings. Samuel's that last judge. He's transitioning them into the mon. And he wants to make sure, make sure that he has done not that would compromise his integrity in the lives of the people. And all in unison, they all agree. He says, The Lord is your witness. The King, whom he anointed, is your witness. Let them be our witness. You have not done anything like that.

Okay. We can move on then. So he says, The Lord is witness Then Samuel said to the people. Is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt? Remember, he's going to point out everybody God appointed, and none of them were kings. Moses. Aaron, Jerubbab, Samuel, individuals that got it appointed. Because God always had the right man to lead Israel at the right time. So he wants to show them that none of these men were kings, but they were all used by God.

They were spiritual men who would be used by God to move you in the right direction. He says, Who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt, verse 7? So now take your stand or pay attention. Don't move around. Stay close. If it was today, he'd say, Okay, stay off your phones, stay off your iPhone, get off your iPad, put all your electronic devices. Away, put them in your pocket, pay close attention. That's what he'd say if he was here today. I don't want you to move it around. I want you to pay all eyes fixed on me.

You guys need to listen to what I'm going to tell you. It's important. So he says these words that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which he did for you and your fathers. You need to pay attention to what I'm going to say because God has done great things for you and for all those who came before you. When Jacob went into Egypt, your fathers cried out to the Lord. Then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

Remember that? Of course, all Israel remembers that because they celebrate the Passover every year. But, verse 9, they for the Lord their God. They forgot. Oh, they were warned by Moses. Deuteronomy chapter 6, Deuteronomy chapter 4, all through the book of Deuteronomy. When you get into the land, the promised land, and you live in houses you did not build. And you draw water from cisterns you did not dig. Be careful. Be careful that you don't forget the Lord. As you worship and serve other gods, be very, very careful.

Do not forget, do not forget, do not forget, do not forget. He tells them, do not forget. But what do they do? They forget. Why? Because they were able to receive the blessings of the promised land. You know, see, prosperity has a built-in curse. I know every one of you wish if you had a little bit more money or a little bit bigger house or a little bit better car, things would be a lot better off. Prosperity has a built-in curse. What's the curse? It causes you to for. And it causes you to lean on that which you have instead of leaning on the Lord Himself.

That's a bad place to be. It's not a good place to be. It's a bad place to be. But they were warned. The S tells them, he reminds me, you forgot. You forgot the Lord. Your God. So he sold him into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, into the hand of the king of Moab. They fought against them and they cried out to the Lord and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord. Oh, yeah, they cried out. Now they realize, amidst all their Difficulty that they had forsaken the Lord, and we went after Baal and As, and we served other gods.

But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you, they said. That's always the cry of the person who's not really truly repentant. Oh, deliver us, and we will serve you, Lord. And God delivered them, and they served him for a day or two, or a week or three, but then they went back and doing their own thing again. And they would fall back into the same trap. And God would come and deliver them because of their disobedience after He disciplined them. Because he would cry out to him, and the Lord would be kind to them.

He says, The Lord said, Jer, Bad, Jephthah, Samuel, delivered you from the hands of your enemies, and today you are secure. Today, you are secure. Israel, Israel didn't need a king to deliver them. Because they had the eternal king who fought their wars for them. But it wasn't good enough. So he says. When you saw that Naash, the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, No, but a king shall reign over us. Although the Lord your God was your king. You still wanted an earthly king, even though you had a heavenly king.

You still wanted someone to fight for you, so you got a king. Here is the king whom you have chosen. Whom you've asked for, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you. Here he is. And the problem with that is that he's already won a battle. He's already fought a war and won a battle. And they're, whoa, man, this guy is, yeah, there's our guy. Big, tall, handsome, strong, manly. And Sammy, you're old and decrepit and gray. So Samuel says, If you will fear the Lord and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God.

Here's the blessing. Man, you got to fear the Lord. You got to serve Him. You've got to love Him with all your heart. And you've got to follow the Lord. You don't do that. I don't care who your earthly king is. You're in a whole heap of trouble. It says in verse 15, if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you as it was against your fathers. Wow. You just don't want the hand of the Lord against you. You don't want that.

How do you not get the hand of the Lord against you? You fear Him, you serve Him, you love Him, you honor Him, you glorify Him, you listen to His voice, you listen to what He says. You don't listen.

The hand of the Lord will be against you as it was your father's. But Samuel knew he had to somehow get the point across because It's like coming to church on Sunday. The pastor preaches a sermon and you say, oh, yeah, we should do that. That sounds really good. We should take the pastor's advice. We should do what the word of the Lord says. And you leave and you go to lunch and you forget everything the pastor said. Then you come back next week and say, oh, that's right, I forgot. That's right, I was going to do that, and I didn't do that.

So you're reminded once again, but then you go to lunch again, and then after lunch, you go home and take a nap, and you forget exactly what you're supposed to do. So I'm thinking about doing what Samuel does to drive the point home. He calls for a severe thunderstorm. Now, I can't do that. I wish I could. I can't. Samuel could. So he's going to drive the point home. And so, this is the storm at the coronation. Look what happens. Even now, take your stand. Pay attention. Listen carefully. See this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes.

Verse 16. Is it not the wheat harvest today? Right? Mid-May to mid-June wheat harvest. You ever been in Israel? Mid-May, mid-June? Pure blue skies, hot, hot weather, not a cloud in the sky. And so that's the harvest time. It's a very dry time. So he says, I will call the Lord that he may send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord by asking for yourselves a king. He's just going to hit it one more time. Just so you know that what you did was so wicked because you rejected God as your king, just so that you know that what you did was severely sinful.

I'm going to call upon the Lord. He's going to send thunder and rain. You think, okay, thunder and rain, no big deal. Let me tell you something.

When God brings the thunder, when God brings the rain, How do you know it's bad? Because when it comes, it says the people in verse 18 greatly feared. Now, I don't think that during the storm they went anywhere. They were right there during the storm. And so, as the thunder. began to rumble, and the lightning began to flash, and the gr and the clouds began to gather, and the rain began to fall as ferociously as it did. They didn't go anywhere. Where are they going to go? The whole nation's gathered together at Gilgal.

Where are they going to go? They're in the middle of a dry land. No one was thinking it was going to rain. No one had their umbrella with them. So they weren thinking it was going to rain. And the thunderstorm came. And so Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. It would have been really good for them right at this and say, you what? You're right, Sav. We don need a king. You're the man. They didn't do that. But he wants to drive home a point.

And this thunderstorm was so fierce that the people were greatly afraid. That means the lightning had to be flashing, the thunder had to be loud, the rain had to come down h. And where are they going to go? They're trapped right there with Samuel. Then all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants of the Lord your God, so that we may not die. That's how bad it was. You see, this isn't a thunderstorm like you and I think of a thunderstorm. They were so afraid they were going to die because of the severity of the storm.

Pray for us that we will see. They needed Samuel. They wanted Saul. They needed Samuel. They weren't crying out to Saul. King, save us! Where's the king that's going to fight your armies? Your enemies. What good is he going to do you now when you have the man of God, the spiritual man? That you so desperately need. You need the spiritual man with spiritual stature. That's what you need. So they cry out to Samuel because they fear him now and they fear the Lord. They don't want to die. For we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a king.

We're wrong, oh Samuel, you're right. We should have never asked for a king. Pray that we do not die. Now, remember, this isn't really a true repentant spirit. This is the fox confession. They're in the midst of thinking they're going to die. And so they have a foxhole confession that they really don't think they've sinned that bad. But because the storm is so severe, they need help. So they're crying for help. See, a true repentant spirit would have repented to the point, you're right. Samuel, what do you want us to do?

Because a true repentant spirit has no agenda and makes no demands, right? It's always how you know someone's truly repented. They don't say anything. They have no agenda. And they never make a demand. I'm sorry, but.

That's not really a sorry. That's not a repentant spirit. Whenever you put but into the sentence, there's a problem. And so these people, they wanted to be relieved from death. They didn't want to change their lives. It's going to have very easy said, Samuel, you're right. We were wrong. What do you want us to do? What would God have us do? Where do we go from here? You tell us what to do. We have no agenda. Whatever you say, we'll do. We'll keep our mouths shut. Just tell us. They just didn't want to die.

That's all. They wanted to be spared. Because the physical was more important to them than the spiritual. Samuel said to the people, Do not fear. You have committed all this evil. I love that. Yep, you're right. You are evil. Evil to the bone. He says, Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord. But serve the Lord with all your heart. That's what you got to do. You must not turn aside, for then you would go after feudal things which cannot profit or deliver because they are futile. For the Lord will not abandon his people on account of his great name.

See that? God's not going to abandon you. Because of what you said and what you've done. God's not going to ab you because of who He is. That's why God is going to keep you safe. It's not about your semblance of repentance, your casual cry for help. No, it's all about the name of God. That's why you're going to be spared. He says, Because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for him. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. Oh, I'm going to pray for you.

I'm not going to sin against my God and not pray for you because Samuel was a man of prayer. That's the one thing we know about Samuel. He learned from his mother that he was a man of great prayer. But I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Isn't that precious? You see, Samuel was of great value to Israel. They just didn't see it. They needed it. I will instruct you in the right way. I will teach you the right way to go. I will make sure you know the path. I can't put you on the path, but I'm going to make sure you know the path.

I can't keep you in the path, but I've got to make sure you know the consequences if you step off the path. But I'm going teach you the right way. I'm going to pray for you. I'm going to teach you and instruct you in the way that you need to go. That's what Israel needed. That's the value of a great man of God, right there. I'm going to pray for you, and I'm going to teach you which way to go. I'm going to show you what God says.

And then look at this. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. Don't complain. Don't gripe. Don't belly ache. Just consider. On Sunday, we'll see the Write of Hebrews says, cons. Jesus, because you need to sit down and ponder all that He has done The writers of Scripture always get us to go back and to think through what God has already done. Sam says, cons what great things He has done for you. And then he ends with this: But, but, if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.

Just so that you realize that. As your crops right now are being swept away. And you can see all your prosperity just being washed down the valley. See that? It's pouring down rain. Beautiful object lesson. As it's pouring down rain, it's getting worse and worse and worse. And thunder is roaring, and lightning is striking, and everybody's fearing for their lives. And he said, I'm going to pray for you, I'm going to instruct you in the way you should go. The Lord, you serve the Lord, but just in case you forget, as you see all your blessings being swept away right before your eyes.

Little logic lesson there. So too will you be swept away if you do not do what the Lord has said. He got those words, I believe, from Moses. When Moses said back in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verse number 36. The Lord will bring you and your king, whom you set over you. Wow. He's speaking into the future. Moses is. The king you set over you, because they're going to cry for a king. The Lord will bring you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone.

And it happened at the Babylonian captivity exactly as Moses had forecasted. Samuel picks up on that and says, just in case you forgot what Moses said way back to your forefathers, that you and your king will be swept away, you will be. And all the blessings you thought you were going to receive will all be washed away. Wow. That's at the coronation of the king. That's Samuel's last sermon. He ends on a negative note. No, you go to preaching school today, and they tell you, never end on a negative, always end on a positive.

Except that's not the way Jesus did it, it's not the way Samuel did it. It's not the way hardly any of the preachers of the Bible did it. They always ended on negative notes to make sure you got it. Make sure you got it. Read the Serm on the Mount, Matthew 5, 6, and 7. Read what Jesus said to the Pharisees. They were negative sermons. Samuel ends on the negative note. But let me end on a positive note for you.

And that's this. How is it that you and I are truly able To understand the conditions by which God wants to bless us based on this text. Because Samuel does tell us. Samuel does want the people to be blessed. He doesn want them to experience the blessings of God. Let me give them to you briefly.

First one is this: Request the mercy of God. Request the mercy of God. People said to Samuel, verse 19, pr that we might not die. For we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a king. Now, granted, I'm not sure that their cry for help was very sincere because they really did not follow the Lord very fully nor totally. But always begins by requesting the mercy of God. Why? Remember in Luke chapter 18 when that publican would beat upon his breast, oh God, be merciful unto me, a sinner?

You know, a true repentant heart needs the mercy of God. It can't function in and of itself. It needs God's mercy. If you want God to bless your life, you go to Him and you request His mercy. Lord, you need to be merciful unto me, a sinner. I've sinned against you. I've turned my back on you, Lord. I'm wrong. Request the mercy of God. And then, number two, return to following the Lord with all your heart.

Now, how do you know that your request for mercy was genuine? You know because you truly returned to the Lord to following Him with all your heart. And that's why Samuel says to them: Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. If you're truly sincere, if you're truly crying out to God for mercy, then you need to return to the Lord and serve Him with all your heart. That's a true repentant spirit, right? A true repentant spirit doesn't say, you know, Lord, I was wrong, please forgive me, then go back to doing what it's always done.

That's not repentance, right? And so you request the mercy of God, and then you return to follow the Lord with all your heart. Because repentance isn't turning around, right? It's going one way, and it's about face to go back the other way. That's the change of heart, the change of mind, the change of life. It's a change. And so, if you have requested God's mercy, it means because you truly are repentant. And how do you know you're truly repentant? You turn around and you return to follow what the Lord has said.

That's a true repentance spirit. Then number three, refuse to go after feudal things. Isn't that good? Listen to what Samuel says. You must not turn aside, for then you will go after futile things which cannot profit or deliver because they are futile. You ever gone after feudal things, empty things, vain things? Israel always did. Remember what God said to Israel in the book of Jeremiah? Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord, What injustice did your fathers find in me, that they went far from me and walked after emptiness?

And it became empty. What is it? What is it about me that caused your fathers to turn around and pursue feudal things? To pursue empty things, things that just don't matter. Why would somebody ever do that? And the Lord says, They didn't say, Where is the Lord? Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, because they had forgotten their God. Through a land of deserts and pits, and through the land of drought and of deep darkness, through a land that no one crossed, where no man dwelt, I brought you into the fruitful land to eat of its fruits and good things, but you came and defiled my land, and my inheritance you made an abomination.

Because you went after feudal things. The priests, the leaders, they didn't say, Where is the Lord? And so verse 11, God says, Has a nation changed gods when they were not gods?

But my people have changed their glory for that which is not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils. Here are the two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold the water. Here are the two evils. They have forsaken me. They sought joy. Outside of me. Whenever you seek joy outside of the Lord, you seek futile, empty things. Whenever you seek joy outside the Lord, whenever you seek joy through in a relationship, Or seek joy through a job, or seek joy through your income, or seek joy in any capacity, you have gone after feudal things.

You've dug for yourself a cistern that can hold nothing but dry dirt. You get nothing. And so the conditions for blessing are simply you must refuse to go after that which is empty and futile. Because there is no joy there. There just isn't. Israel's joy was in a king. But soon their joy will be turned to great tragedy. Because they thought that that would fulfill them. But it didn't. So request the mercy of God. Return to following the Lord and serving Him with all your heart. Refuse to go after futile things.

And in verse 22, rely upon the faithfulness of God. He says in verse 22, The Lord will not abandon his people. Why? Because of his people? Oh no. Oh no. God's not going to ab you because of his name's sake. He is a faithful God. He is a true God. He is true to His word. He is faithful and true. And so you need to make sure you rely on the God who is faithful because you're not. And nobody else is, but God is. He is true to his wor. And lastly, remember what he has done and praise him immense. For he says these things, cons what great things he has done for you.

That's in verse number 24. You can never forget what God has done. Why do you think we keep trying to compel you to come back in the middle of the week? Do you think we need to have you be in church? Not necessarily. But we need to keep you refocused and refueled. Why? You can't afford to forget. Because you forget. We all do. So we need that constant reminder, that constant prodding, that constant test, that constant compulsion that drives me to the word. You need to hear what God's word says. Consider what great things He has done for you.

There's not a person in the room that can't give testimony to the greatness of God in their lives. If he has saved your soul, there is nothing greater in all the world than to be reconciled to the true living God. That you're at peace with Him. And that peace is that which governs your decision-making every single day. So many things that God has done for us. Is was so ungrateful, so ungrateful, so forget, and it cost them dearly. So much so that they would go after those things that did not matter.

Empty things, thinking that they were going to bring joy to their lives. Never does. Evil is defined in Jeremiah 2 by anything you do By which you seek joy outside of God. That's evil in the sight of God. That is absolute evil in God's eyes. It's almost as if He says, How dare you look for joy outside of me? Because all you're going to find are broken sisters that hold nothing for you. We pray with you. Father, we thank you for tonight. Chance to be in your word once again. What a joy to be reminded to fear the Lord, to serve him only, to follow only him.

Samuel Serm, fantastic. May we adhere to all that you have said. In Jesus' name, amen.