Presented to 614 Warehouse afternoon service,
August 06, 2017 by Capt. M. Ramsay
Canada had its 150th celebration this
year. Quiz for you:
1. Who
was Canada's first official PM?
2. Who
was Canada's longest serving PM?
3. Who
is Canada's Head of State? Since when?
Saul was Israel's first official king.
He served as king for 42 years. That is twice as long as Canada's longest
serving head of government; Just as Queen Elizabeth is the only monarch many of
us remember, so Saul would be the only king that many of the Israelites
remembered. Remember too that Saul wasn't just a figurehead. He was the head of
government (such as it was then and there) and more importantly, he was not
only in charge of the armed forces but he actually led them into battle. Our
queen is 91 years old. Her husband, Prince Phillip, served in the armed forces
from 1939 until she was about to inherit the throne, in 1952. Though he just
retired from his royal duties this past Wednesday (he is in his 96), he hasn't
served in the military in 60 years. King Saul, on the other hand, is 72 years
old in our story today and he is actually fighting in the war and in the battle
himself. Anyone here in their 70s? Can
you imagine strapping on 100+ lbs of armour, picking up a spear that weighs
about as much and going off to fight in battle with 20 and 30 year olds? This
is Saul.
Just like one of the titles of our
monarch is 'Defender of the Faith', one of Saul's most important duties was
defender of the faith. Israel was
supposed to worship God alone - Saul for all his faults and struggles was faithful
enough to hold to the state religion; his job was to represent God and He did
in that regard (cf. Leviticus 19:31; 20:6-7; Deuteronomy 18:11). This was actually better than many of the
kings of Israel and Judah who would follow him; I think you will find as you
read your OT that the Israelites worshiped Baal and/or Ashtoreth at least as
much as they worshiped the Lord. Saul was defender of the faith. He was God's
anointed.
This
brings us to our story today. Saul is getting ready for battle. Saul is afraid.
God has done some great things through Saul. God has left him on the throne for
decades and also in that time Saul has done some bad things and made some
mistakes. Saul is still God's anointed but God's spirit has departed from him
and his downfall is predicted.
Saul
is seventy-two or so. I don't know if you, in your life, have ever uttered the
phrase, "I'm getting too old for this"? I imagine that he might being
feeling that way he is feeling as he is with his sons and his men looking over
the enemy or the reports of the enemy that is ready to attack him yet again.
Saul has been at war with the Philistines for what must feel like his whole
life and they are still there attacking him.[1]
They just won't go away. I don't know if you've ever felt that about anyone?
...wishing they would just leave finally.
Here
he is, this 72 year-old, strapping on his amour, seeing the foe and receiving
the reports. He is a little lost. He is overwhelmed. He is afraid. He doesn't
know what to do. He tries to hear from God. Like many of us, I imagine,
especially when life goes south, he is desperate to know what to do. Samuel,
the leader of Israel before Saul, even though Saul and he had more than little
disagreements, Samuel was one that Saul would approach for Godly advice; Samuel
was a prophet but Samuel, our text today says, is dead. Saul, doesn't know what
to do. He doesn't know where to turn to find out what God wants.
Have
you ever been there? Your life is in dire straits. You don't know where to
turn. You cry out to the Lord and you just can't hear what he is saying. You
wish he would just speak to you. You wish you knew what to do.
Saul's
enemies are ready to pounce on him. There is fear that the end near. He is
trying everything he can think of to ascertain what God wants. He wants to know
what to do. He can't ask Samuel because Samuel is dead. Saul maybe then has a
fleeting thought that he can go to a witch, a medium, and consult the dead
Samuel in a BCE séance of sorts but the text reminds us that Saul had cracked
down on the media. To Saul's credit here, he is not trying to just do things on
his own - maybe he learned his lessons from making that mistake previously. He
is desperate to know what God wants him to do. (Actually this is neat: does
anyone know what is the Hebrew word for 'to ask' , 'to inquire'? It is sa'al.
So the text here says that Saul "sauled" the Lord.)[2]
Saul
is afraid. Time is running out. Enemies are surrounding him. What can he do?
Our text says He inquired of the Lord and looked for answers in a number of
different ways. Samuel was dead so Saul sought out other prophets from whom he
could hear God's word. Prophets before Saul were often political or military
rulers themselves (Abraham, Moses, Samuel) and prophets after Saul were often
expected to be able to bring a word from God into a situation. Nathan is a
prophet who will be introduced in 2 Samuel. He brings the Word of the Lord to
King David and even rebukes him, reminiscent of how the now deceased Samuel
rebuked Saul (2 Samuel 12). Later, of course, there would be disputes if
prophets had different messages (cf. 1 Kings 13; 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18).[3]
Are some speaking for God? Are some not? How can you tell? Was Saul getting
conflicting messages or could Saul not even find a prophet in this situation?
For whatever reason here, Saul couldn't find out by prophets what God wanted
him to do.
Saul
is afraid. Time is running out. Enemies are surrounding him. What can he do? He
hoped for a response in a dream - this was a common way then and there to hear
from God. We remember Joseph from the book of Genesis. God told Joseph in
dreams or through interpreting others' dreams what He was going to do (Genesis
37,40,41): that Joseph's brothers would bow down to him, that one of Pharaoh's
servants would live but another would die, and that there would be a terrible
famine following years of plenty. Later God would speak to Daniel many times
through dreams. Once God not only gave Daniel the interpretation of
Nebuchadnezzar's dream but also knowledge of the dream itself (Daniel 2). God
was known to speak in dreams but - try as he might, want as he might, worry as
he might - Saul did not discern an answer in his predicament through dreams.
Saul
is afraid. Time is running out. Enemies are surrounding him. What can he do?
There is the Urim. You know what is the Urim? The Urim and the Thummim were
sacred lots that were cast to discern God's will. They were often kept in the
High Priest's breast plate, over his heart ( Exodus 28:30). They were a way to
figure out what God had ordained. One would ask God a question and the Lord
would answer through the casting of these lots. Saul had used these before to
inquire of God (1 Samuel 14:41). But the Lord did not answer him by Urim or
prophets or dreams today. The Lord, it appeared, was silent.
Do
we ever find ourselves in this spot where it seems like life is crashing in
around us and no matter where we turn we can't seem to see where God is
leading? Do we ever get to the point where we don't think we can even hear God
much less see to follow where He is leading? This is Saul's predicament.
Saul
is afraid. Time is running out. Enemies are surrounding him. What can he do? He
has tried prophets, dreams, and the Urim. If only Samuel were here, Samuel
would know what to do. Samuel and Saul didn't see eye to eye and in fact they
didn't see each other at all in the years before Samuel passed away. Now Saul
must think, 'if only Samuel were here'. And then he obviously thinks, 'I wonder
if I can contact him even now that he's dead'? He may even think, 'if only I
didn't expel all the witches, mediums, and spiritists then I could contact him
and find out what to do'. He then asks his people if any of them know of any
mediums who are still in the land. It is interesting that they do. It makes one
wonder why they didn't turn in the Witch of Endor when Saul was on an earlier
witch hunt but they didn't.
Saul
is afraid. Time is running out. Enemies are surrounding him. What can he do?
His men, at his behest, bring Saul to the witch at Endor. She is afraid. She is
suspicious of these people who have shown up in disguise at her door. She must
suspect that this is entrapment of some sort but she goes ahead and calls up
the ghost of Samuel as the incognito Saul has requested. She then becomes
terrified and screams as she reveals that she knows for sure that he is Saul.
There has been a media black-out of sorts. Saul has driven out the mediums but
here is a woman who has been caught live-streaming the dead.[4]
She is afraid but Saul convinces her this isn't a trap and he really wants to
hear what Samuel has to say.
So
she tells him. The end is nigh. God through Samuel and the witch at Endor give
King Saul one last rebuke.[5] 1
Samuel 28:15-18 again:
15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have
you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The
Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer
answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me
what to do.”
16 Samuel said, “Why do you
consult me, now that the LORD has departed from you and become your enemy? 17
The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom
out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. 18 Because
you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites,
the LORD has done this to you today.
This
is the final prediction of the impending tragic end of Saul and his reign.[6] The
Lord left Saul in a position of great responsibility for many years. One
assumes he had all that time to seek the Lord's leading and direction in his
life. But here he is condemned: like a tragic soul on a Halloween night,
standing before a witch and a ghost. Saul did not listen to the Lord (v.18).
Saul did not follow (obey) the Lord. He turned away to consult someone other
than our Lord.
The
question for us today is do we ever fall into the same trap as Saul? Do we ever
find ourselves in this spot where it seems like life is crashing in around us
and no matter where we turn we can't seem to see what to do? Do we ever get to
the point where we don't think we can even hear God much less see to follow
where He is leading? Have we ever been there? Do we turn to horoscopes, palm
readings, personality tests, conventional wisdom, celebrities, or even
'experts' or anything or anyone in the place of God?[7]
Our life is in dire straits, do we run off in strange chaotic directions or do
we wait on the Lord? It is said that God answers prayers in one of three ways:
'yes', 'no', or 'wait'. If we don't discern a 'yes' or a 'no' from Him what
should we do?
Our lives can sometimes seem out of
control. They can sometimes seem overwhelming. When they do, instead of running
around here and there in a panic and turning to anyone and anything around us, we
can trust and obey. God will never leave nor forsake us. Instead of rushing
around, Psalm 46:10: [God says] “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be
exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Because of this,
Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future." And as Jesus reminds us in his famous Sermon on the Mount,
Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who
seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." and in one of my favourite verses in the Bible to
which I often return when I am in my time of need, Matthew 6:33-34, "But
seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added
unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." If we seek and wait for
God, He will take care of us. He will, God loves us. He will never leave us nor
forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Therefore, we can keep on keeping on as they say. He
is faithful (Romans 3:3,4) and He will take care of us; so when life seems
overwhelming we don't need to run around in a panic, we can instead read our
scriptures, pray for one another and otherwise be still and know that He is
God. For He is able, more than able to take care of what concerns us today.
Let us pray.
ANSWERS TO QUIZ
1.Who was Canada's first official PM? (Sir John A MacDonald)
2. Who was Canada's longest serving PM? William Lyon Mackenzie King served 21 years over a period of 27 years. Sir John A. MacDonald served almost 19 yrs and Pierre Elliot Trudeau and Sir Wilfred Laurier served over 15 years each.
3.Who is Canada's Head of State? Since when? HRH Queen Elizabeth II, since 1952.
---
[1]
cf. Ronald F. Youngblood, The Expositor's
Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:1 and 2 Samuel/Exposition of First
Samuel/III. Establishment of Monarchy in Israel (16:1-31:13)/B. The End of the
Reign of Saul (28:3-31:13)/1. Saul and the medium at Endor (28:3-25), Book
Version: 4.0.2
[2] Bruce C. Birch, 'The First and Second Books of
Samuel' in New Interpreter’s Bible,
Vol. 2, ed. Leander E. Keck, et el. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998), 1118
[3]
cf. Captain Michael
Ramsay 1 Kings 13: Lion for Prophet
(Sheepspeak.com: Swift Current, SK: 25 Nov. 2012), on-line:
http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2012/11/1-kings-13-lion-for-prophet.html
[4]
cf. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop, 'Witchcraft', Africa
Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), 374 for a
discussion of witchcraft even in
contemporary African societies and even churches
[5] Cf.
for a discussion of whether or not the necromancer did actually contact
Samuel: Lewis, Cults of the Dead, p. 115 n. 39) and Hoffner, TDOT, 1:133-34; Haley, Alleged
Discrepancies, pp. 194-95; Archer, Encyclopedia
of Bible Difficulties, pp. 180-81; cited from The Expositor's Bible Commentary.
[6] This
tragedy will see his death, the death of so many of his soldiers, the death of
his sons, and the penultimate death of his kingdom's dynastic hopes (cf. 2
Samuel 4&9 for the ultimate death of dynastic hopes). Two chapters later
Saul and his sons are dead. This is a tragic end to a tragic hero.
[7]
Cf. Bruce C. Birch, 'The First and Second Books of Samuel' in New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 2, ed.
Leander E. Keck, et el. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998), 1185.
---
---
Further Questions
Psalm 46:10: “...Be
still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be
exalted in the earth.”
I. Life
1. 1. What
is something you noticed about God this week?
II.
Text
Re-read 1 Samuel 28
Leader's
note:
·
Dreams were a common way to try to
understand God will (ie. Joseph, Genesis 39ff, and Daniel).
·
Prophets were political, military
and religious leaders prior to King Saul; after Saul they often represented God
to the king and the people (cf. 2 Samuel 12, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles).
·
Urim was one of 2 sacred lots
kept in the High Priest breast plate (by his heart) that were used to seek
God's will.
1. What
happened in this story?
2. Who
was the prophet and previous leader of Israel that this passage mentions had
recently been 'promoted to Glory'? Why might King Saul want to consult with
him?
3. Why
did King Saul have to disguise himself to see the seer/witch (necromancer)? The
Bible mentions that it was right to get rid of the witches/mediums; why do you
think that is and why do you suppose he went to see one now?
4. Saul
was a senior (72) and in a difficult situation (still fighting in the army!)
and he was afraid. He wanted to know what to do; what were some of the things
he did to attempt to discern the correct course of action? [see leader's note]
5. Saul
gave up waiting for God and turned to a witch/medium/seer/necromancer; what are
some of the people or things we can be tempted to turn to (instead of or as
well as God) when we want to know what to do?
6. Saul
was in a difficult situation (still fighting in the army!) and he was afraid.
Are there times when our life is overwhelming and we don't know what to do?
what should we do then?
7. It
is said that God always gives one of three answers: 'yes', 'no', or 'wait'; if
we don't have a 'yes' or a 'no' from God, what should we do? St. Monica prayed
for years for salvation for her son, eventually the Lord saw that happen
and he became St. Augustine, one of the
most important names in the early Church. Give an example of when has the Lord
answered a prayer after you prayed that prayer many times over the years.
8.
Pray
for each other and this week thank the Lord for specific ways that he has
answered your prayers.
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