The King's Order

both for leading us in prayer.

If we can turn back for the time that we have left

to the passage that we read in 1 Samuel.

We'll consider just for the time that we have

the God who ordains all things in our lives

and how he does so in this, as I said, this snippet.

Last time we looked at Israel gathered at Mizpah

and the Philistines had come upon them.

When they were recommitting themselves

and putting away the other gods,

the Philistines came upon them.

And we parallel that passage to 5th Catechism

that asks, are there more gods than one?

And there is, but only the one, the living and true God.

And we look at chapter 8 now.

And when we look at the people of Israel

in the passage here, we see and have that sense

that there are people that are struggling

to commit themselves to God,

commit themselves to this Lord.

And we've seen them as a people

from the beginning of the book of Samuel.

And they're not necessarily opposing God outright.

They're mindful of God, but they're never really grasping

who God is.

They're never really fully understanding the Lord, their God,

who should be their God,

who they should be relying upon as their one God.

And the best that we saw of Israel was,

if you remember, when the Ark of the Covenant

came back in to Israel.

And they stood there in awe.

Who can stand before this God?

This Lord, this holy God.

Who can stand before it?

They realized who God was,

and the power of his characteristics,

and the holiness of his being.

And another quality that we see in them,

a good quality, was last two weeks ago

when we saw them at Misma.

And they put away their other foreign gods.

And then they committed themselves to this one Lord.

And they had the Philistines come upon them.

They weren't prepared for battle.

They weren't ready to fight.

They were like sitting ducks,

ready to fail.

They had nothing to do but to cry out to God.

And asking Samuel not to cease to cry out for God for them.

And God proved him to his people.

God showed himself as one.

The one Lord that could be trusted.

God listened to their cry.

God listened to their prayer.

But we see them in the passage again here.

They're wanting to satisfy their own desire.

They're wanting to be like the other nations.

And to have over them a king.

Like the other nations.

And you watch them and

you can almost ask,

you know,

what's happening?

You're going in the wrong direction again.

But God grants their wishes.

And he employs the prophet Samuel

to send words of warning

against them having this king

and their desire to be like the other nations.

And he's saying to them,

you know,

this isn't going to be for your benefit.

But still,

there is a man put over them.

And when God spoke in verse,

in chapter nine at verse 16,

he says,

there will be a prince.

You shall anoint him to be a prince.

It's funny that God didn't title

this man as a king.

Maybe God didn't see this man as a king.

And we can look in this passage.

And as I said,

it's like they're getting it all wrong again.

They're going in the wrong direction.

We feel like saying to us,

you know,

look at what God has just done for you.

He set you free from the Philistines.

Is he not one that you should be trusting in

as your king?

Rather than fulfilling your desires

to have this worldly king over you.

And the overarching words,

in a sense of this section,

is in chapter eight and verse 22,

where God says to Samuel,

obey the voice of the people

and make for them a king.

God allows it to happen.

It was in his will.

It was his ultimate purpose

that this should happen and take place.

And when we see it now,

we know that,

you know,

it was for his glory.

It was for God's purposes.

And this ties into Catechism seven.

What are the decrees of God?

The decrees of God

at his eternal purpose,

according to the counsel of his will,

whereby for his own glory,

he has foreordained

whatever whatsoever comes to pass.

God's eternal purpose,

according to the counsel of his will,

whereby for his own glory,

he has foreordained

whatever comes to pass.

And paralleling,

it was never my intention

to do this,

but they seem to fit well

with what the chapters

are referring to

and what we can learn

from the chapter

to parallel them

with catechisms.

And, you know,

hopeful that when we read

through these chapters again,

we can go,

oh yeah,

when,

when they came

to miss parents,

Samuel told them

to return to the one God.

Because God is

the one and only true God.

And then you can

maybe think of this passage here

and see where Israel

went after,

wanted to fulfill their desires.

But God allowed it

because God had a purpose.

Because God

established this kingdom

where all other kings would fail.

and he would put in place

his king

that would

rule over them.

Just to help us

and to tie these doctrines

of teachings

into the passages

and we understand

clearly what they are.

And the scope of

God's eternal purpose

is far beyond this

chapter.

God's purposes

are from the beginning

to all eternity.

beyond what we can understand.

God's purpose,

God's will,

God's providence

in our lives

even tonight

as we sit here.

That we should be here.

And that he knew

that we would be here.

And that all

his ways are fulfilled

in every step

that we take

in our lives.

They are

his ways

and they are

for his glory

and we trust

in him.

Not that we

fully understand

his ways.

His ways

are mysterious.

And you can dig

so deep

in these

things of God

that's,

well,

you don't know

where to start.

God's

God's

provisions

God

working

things out

for his

own glory.

You know,

you can dig

so deep

but it's a

Wednesday night

and many of us

have been working

and many of us

don't have the

headspace

to go into

these things

so deep.

So I just

want to

use the

passage

that we

read

and just

skim

through

the snippet

of time

and see

how God

outworks

all things

for his

eternal

purpose

in the

people,

the different

people,

the people

of the

nation,

the prophet

Samuel

and the

prince.

And maybe

we can,

as we look

at these

things,

look back

in our

lives

and see

that they

are true

experiences

in our

Christian

life.

So we

look at

the people

and the

people

coming

for

four

and five

asking to

appoint a

king over

the nations

over their

nation to

be like

the other

nations.

Someone that

they can

look up

to.

Someone that

they could

look up

to and

admire.

Someone

they can

honor.

And

Samuel

was not

on board

with this.

You can

see that

in verse

six.

And he

comes to

God in

prayer and

God answers

him,

obey the

people.

They have

not rejected

you.

They have

rejected me

from being

king over

them.

Ever

since I

brought them

out of

Egypt,

they've

adopted

other

gods.

God

this time

I'll let

them have

their

way.

But you

Samuel must

warn the

people what

it will

mean to

have their

desires

fulfilled,

not to

have me

as their

king,

but to

have this

other

worldly

king over

them.

And

verse 10

down to

verse 18,

that's the

warnings about

having a

king over

them.

There's a

list there

of things

that this

king will

do.

He will

rob them

off so

much.

He will

take their

sons.

They will

have to

work for

him.

He will

take their

daughters.

He will

take their

food.

He will

take their

slaves.

He will

take their

livestock.

And it's

interesting that

of all

their produce

that they

had, it

was a

tenth that

would be

taken by

this worldly

king.

Now it

was always

a tenth

god I

asked for.

And why

maybe they

hadn't been

giving their

tithe to

God.

We don't

know why,

but it

was guaranteed

that it

would be

taken from

them and

so much

more would

be taken

from them

by adopting

this worldly

king.

Maybe it's a

thought for us

to consider

that if they

hadn't been

given their

tithe,

does God

take that

even from

the people

of God

by some

other means

if we

don't give

it.

Just a

thought,

maybe worth

discussion.

But at

the end of

this list,

God says

you're going

to cry out

because of

these things.

For this

king you have

chosen,

but the

Lord will

not answer

you in that

day when

you realise.

It's almost

like when you

realise what

you've done,

I won't

answer you.

And they

say to

themselves,

no,

to all

these warnings,

there will

be a king

over us.

It's

amazing.

They know

God,

they've

experienced

God,

God's

revealed

himself to

them,

shown how

he can be

trusted,

that he

would deliver

them from

the Philistines

and still

they're

refusing

Samuel's

words and

saying,

no,

I want

my desire

to be

fulfilled.

Because

we're

looking at

it and

going,

what are

you doing

Israel?

And it's

easy to

look at

them and

say it

when we

look at

ourselves.

It's so

tempting for

us to

fit in

with the

world.

We look

at the

world and

we want

to adopt

the things

that they

are doing.

They give

us all

sorts of

ideas.

attractive

ways,

but they

work.

And these

things can

infiltrate

into us

as people

and as

a nation

of God

in a

sense.

And

when these

swirly

things come

in,

we as

the people

of God

lose our

identity.

That's what

happened to

the people

here.

They adopted

what they

wanted as

a king

of a

nation,

a worldly

king,

but they

lost their

identity.

The

distinction

of the

people and

having the

Lord as

their king

was lost.

They started

to blend in

with the

world.

And when

we start

adopting the

things of

the world,

we'll blend

in.

We lose

our distinction,

we lose

our identity.

But we

need to look

at ourselves

as well.

And where

do I go

wrong?

As a

believer in

God.

We make

bad decisions.

And

you can put

it so

simply,

I just

thought when

I was a

wee bit

hungry,

in the

middle of

the afternoon,

I went

down to

the kitchen,

you'll all

fit in

with this

image that

I'm

giving.

I went

down to

the kitchen,

I was

feeling a

bit hungry,

there's a

bowl of

fruit there,

but there

was also

a cake.

And you

think,

well,

I've not

had any

fruit today,

I should

probably eat

the fruit.

But I

didn't,

you know,

the cake

was there.

And as

you think

about it,

the fruit

is good

for you.

It's good

for your

teeth.

It'll

benefit you,

it'll give

you more

energy.

It'll do

you good.

The cake,

it's bad

for you.

It's bad

for your

teeth,

bad for

your body.

But I

ate the

cake.

And I

think,

well,

why did

I do

that?

You

know,

I'm

attracted

to the

thing

that's

bad for

me.

And the

cake was

one of

the worst

things I

could have

had.

And the

fruit would

have been

one of

the best

things I

could have.

The cake

would have

had no

benefit for

me.

The fruit

would have

benefited.

And the

cake,

you know,

I'd pay for

it at some

point.

Maybe I'd

come in one

day with

a belly.

But,

you know,

you'll pay

for taking

the cake.

It's

funny how

you,

it's funny,

isn't it?

We know

what's good

for us,

but we

go for

the thing

that's not

the best,

the thing

that won't

benefit us,

the thing

that will

bring trouble

maybe later

on in our

lives.

we have

poor

preferences,

don't we?

We prefer

these things

and it's a

poor choice.

We have

poor

preferences

in our

lives.

We want

to read

the Bible,

but we pick

up our

phones.

We want

to pray,

or we

should pray,

and we'll

put out the

rubbish,

we'll clean

the house,

we'll find

something else

to do.

We can

go through

this cycle

where we

can enjoy

the good

things,

and we

can feel

the benefit

of the

good things,

but then

we can

slip into

adopting

the things

that have

no benefit

for us,

and we

know they

have no

benefit for

us,

we know

they are

bad for

us,

and it's

like in

a Christian

experience,

we eat

what's good

for us

in the

word of

God,

and we

consume

things that

we shouldn't,

and we

have this

peaks and

troughs of

our experience,

we trust

God with

one hand,

and we

refuse him

with the

other,

we consume

what we

like,

and we

don't

grow,

our

poor

preferences

doesn't

make us

grow,

we lose

out,

we suffer,

why are

we not

content,

with what

God has

given us,

we're

always

looking and

desiring

after other

things,

like the

people of

Israel,

but then,

even then,

God can

use us

in the

bad decisions

we make,

the bad

things we

desire,

the poor

preferences

of our

lives,

God can

use them

for his

glory,

and that

baffles us,

that he would,

and it's not

an excuse

for sin,

we should

always put

to death

the sin

that grows

within us,

we should

always exercise

self-control,

control,

we need to

be careful

in our

lives,

where our

desires

are,

and to

put these

poor

preferences

and turn

it to

good

preferences

in the

word of

God,

that's the

people,

and briefly

the prophet,

Samuel is

the prophet

of God,

revealing his

word to

the Israelites,

and you

can't help

it when you

read the

passage,

they want

a king,

Samuel is

saying,

God doesn't

want a

king,

and then

God's,

well,

Samuel is

saying this

isn't right,

and all

these warnings

are coming

from God,

and then

God grants

it anyway,

and was

Samuel confused

by this,

maybe he's

asking,

why is this

happening,

what is God

doing,

we can

imagine him

praying to

God,

this is not

right,

saying to

Israel,

this is not

good for

you,

this is

going to

cost you,

and though

he doesn't

agree that

he's

submissive to

the voice

of God

and to

his word,

and it

was actually

God's

plan that

a king

would be

set over

them,

you can

go back

to

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 17:14

17,

verse 14,

it says

that when

you come

into the

land of

Canaan,

there will

be a

king set

over you,

there will

be a

king of

his

choosing,

but they're

wanting this

king,

you know,

where is

Samuel

understanding this?

he's like the

man that's

eating the

good word

of God,

listening and

obeying to

the voice of

God,

even when it's

not what he

wants to hear,

even when he

thinks it's

wrong,

and it's an

interesting point

that God's

people are

going the

wrong way,

Samuel knows

that it is

not aligned

with the

favour of

God,

they want

this king,

but he

doesn't walk

away,

he doesn't

take

humbrage

to this,

he doesn't

take the

huff with

God,

he doesn't

take the

huff,

he doesn't

fall out

with the

people over

it,

he doesn't

go looking

for a

better

people,

he doesn't

refuse to

do the

job that

God had

given him

to do,

God

says to

tell the

people it

is wrong,

this is

your job,

tell the

people it

is wrong

and you

must tell

them,

but if

they want

their king,

I will

grant it

to them,

I know

that they

have rejected

me,

and Samuel

it's hard

for you to

understand,

but be

faithful to

him,

you don't

understand

what's going

on,

but be

faithful,

this is

part of

my

eternal

purpose,

to bring

this

kingdom

into

formation,

and to

set this

kingship,

this new

season of

kings in

my

eternal

purposes.

You know,

sometimes we

look at

ourselves and

we wonder

what's going

on,

and we

look around

and think

what's

happening?

We ask

God what's

going on

in this

world,

why are

you people

adopting

the world's

methods?

But then,

in all

honesty,

we ask

ourselves,

why am I

adopting

the world's

methods?

What am I

doing in

my life?

And like,

it's almost

as if we're

suffering through

our lives

against these

sins.

We look at

ourselves and

we say,

why was I

doing,

why have I

done that?

Why have I

not been

given my

time to

reading God's

word?

Why have I

not been

praying?

You know,

I thought I

would have

grown so

much more

if I had

been eating

the good

fruit,

if I had

been in

the word

of God,

feeding of

this

goodness.

that my

poor

preferences

has left

me

suffering

through

life

with

these

sins.

We

struggle

to

understand

ourselves,

we struggle

to understand

God's

times,

God's so

mysterious

to us.

And there's

many days

where we

ask,

you know,

what's

going on?

How can

this be

for your

good?

You know,

Samuel

would have

been

asking,

is

your

student

the wrong

thing?

And how

can this

be for

any

good?

And God

is the

God who

works all

things for

good.

No matter

where we

are,

however we

feel,

the best

place for

us is to

listen and

consume this

goodness of

God,

to listen to

God's

words.

And the

most beneficial

place to

us, the

most beneficial

thing for

us as

Christians,

is to

feed off

this

goodness

of God

that he

has given

us through

his word.

We'll never

be like

Samuel.

like a

prophet.

But we

must be

faithful to

him, not

understanding

what's

happening in

the times,

how he

has placed

these things

in my

life.

You know,

you look at

Job and

you wonder,

you know,

how did

he feel?

But he

held to

God, he

held to

his word.

We must

be obedient

to what

God asks

of us,

whatever

God asks

us,

whether

it's to

tell the

people that

they are

wrong,

whether

God uses

us in

whichever

way, we

listen to

him.

And if we

listen to

him, it

will be

within his

will.

And that

is the

best place

for us

to be.

We listen

to God

because he

is a God

worth trusting

and he is a

God worth

waiting upon

in our

lives.

and

briefly

the

prince,

and all

I want

to say

about the

prince is

that Samuel

came as

this man.

He was

going about

his daily

duty.

He was

looking for

donkeys.

And he

came to

this prophet,

this seer,

to ask that

they would

show him

the way

to find

the donkeys.

God's

eternal

purposes

surprise

us.

Maybe you

can look

back in

your life

and think,

you know,

I thought

this should

have happened

this way,

but God

changed it.

And it

was the

right time

then,

looking back,

that God

didn't allow

me to go

the way I

did.

It was

hard at

the time

and I

didn't

understand

it.

Maybe

God

sent

someone

in your

experience

and just

what you

needed at

that time.

And it

was a

complete

surprise

to you

that he

did it.

Maybe it

was someone

just talking

to you

and giving

you a

word in

season.

I

didn't

understand

it at

the time,

but it

was the

best,

most

beneficial

thing

for me.

How we

can go

about our

daily lives

and God

can use

us.

We

often feel

like we're

not doing

any good,

but God

God's

providence

over all

things,

God's

providence

over us

as his

created

beings,

how God

works out

his

providence

in our

lives.

We

struggle to

understand

it because

we don't

know the

big picture,

but we

must be

faithful to

him,

faithful

that he

is one

that will

put a

king over

us.

He will

be our

king.

put all

the

desires

to the

side.

We eat

the goodness

of the

word of

God and

trust in

this word

and trust

in the

king that

God

took

and placed

higher than

any other

king,

the king

over all

kings,

the Lord

Jesus

Christ,

a king

that is worth

trusting,

a king that is

worth waiting

upon, a

king that

will do

us good

if we

trust in

him, a

king that

we can

rely upon.

All the

other kings

of the

Bible

failed,

so all

failed,

but King

Jesus will

not fail

us.

He is

our mighty

king,

and he

is a

king that

can use

us for

his glory,

as

strange as

it is,

people that

are so

flawed,

and people

that struggle

with their

sins,

and choose

the wrong

thing,

but God

in his

eternal

purpose

will bless

it to

his glory.

So I

pray that

we know

God's hand

working in

our lives,

even when

we're confused

and don't

understand

what's going

on,

even when

we're going

the wrong

way,

even when

we're going

about our

daily

business,

we're

God

intervened,

and God

revealed to

us that

he is

our king,

and that he

is a king

that we can

trust in.

Amen.

May these

thoughts be

blessed to

us.

We will

sing in

conclusion in

Psalm 24,

the Scottish

Salter.