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Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
As we begin a new week together and the intensity of the global discussion grows by the hour, regarding who the next president of the United States should be, I feel led to lead us on a journey over the next few days of looking at what God says about national leadership.
You may recall Israel is unique in world history. No other nation of people came into existence by the direct and miraculous work of God. God told Abraham to leave his land which is modern day Iraq, and settle in a new region to which God would direct him, and then build a family which would become a new nation there. This remarkable beginning of the nation of Israel is found in Genesis, beginning in chapter 12. May I draw your attention to three things God promised HE would do through Abraham?
First, all peoples on earth would be blessed by God THROUGH Abraham and his descendants, a unique people of God. That has been fulfilled both by the Jewish people who have been a remarkable blessing to the world through 4 millennia, but also through Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, who was born into the Jewish lineage of king David, with a traceable heritage all the way back to Abraham. (Matt. 1 lineage).
Second, God would bless childless Abraham and Sarah with a son in their very old age, and from him would come descendants as numerous as the stars! (Gen. 15:5) That miraculous promise was fulfilled through Isaac and his son Jacob and his 12 sons and their millions of descendants, the Jewish people, Israel. That name Israel, by the way, was given by God to Jacob, as God re-affirmed His covenant promises with Abraham. (Gen. 35:9-13)
Third, God would bless Abraham and the huge nation of his descendants with a land of which God Himself defined the borders. That land was known in ancient times as Israel, and miraculously since 1948, is known by the same name, although today’s land size is not the same as that which God promised to Abraham. To that place over the centuries, especially to Jerusalem, have come Jewish and Christian pilgrims by the millions, to visit the land of the Bible! To that land have returned Jews from around the world, to resettle in their ancient land, in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, specifically Ezekiel 36:24. From that land has come great blessing, peace and even prosperity for the peoples of the world.
God’s design was that HE would be Sovereign, the supreme leader over His people, Israel, providing for them, protecting them, guiding them, blessing them and as needed disciplining them. Moses reminded the people of this amazing reality in Deut. 4:32 “Has anything so great as this ever happened…? Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? Has any god ever tried to take for Himself one nation out of another nation by miraculous signs and wonders… by great and awesome deeds, like the things the LORD God did for you in Egypt?”
For hundreds of years God led His people, the nation of Israel, through His prophets, Judges and spiritual leaders like Moses, Joshua, Samuel and others. But then came the day the people said to Samuel “…appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” (1 Samuel 8:4) Oh how that broke the heart of old Samuel and when he asked God what he should do, God’s response is also heartbreaking: “And the LORD said to Samuel, ‘listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they are rejecting, but they have rejected ME as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods. Now listen to them, but warn them solemnly and let them know what the human king who will reign over them will do.” (1 Samuel 8:7-9)
Samuel assembled the leaders of Israel and tried to warn them about the danger of pushing God aside as the ultimate leader of the nation and replacing God with a human king. Here is how Samuel recorded the response of the people… it is a historical, defining moment: “the people refused to listen to Samuel, ‘No!’ they said, ‘We want a human king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to lead us and go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19,20)
Right there, on that dreadful day, the history of the nation of Israel changed forever, and their independence, away from God and God’s leadership over His people, began and has continued, as you can see, to this day. I find there are very important national leadership lessons to be gained as we look at what happened in Israel as they turned from God leadership to human leadership. Will you join me in this journey over these next days? While America is NOT Israel, still the lessons are powerful and very applicable to this moment in American history.
Saul was the first king of Israel, chosen by God Himself! That story is in 1 Samuel 9. It seems Saul was chosen by God primarily because he was a big, tall man who was already viewed as a leader, ‘a man of standing’ in the eyes of the people who knew him and his family. Listen to Samuel’s description: “Saul was an impressive young man, without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others.” (1 Sam. 9:1,2) We know nothing of his education, his vocational training, or his past accomplishments. Do you notice something here friends? People tend to look at outward appearance and how a person ‘carries themselves’ when selecting leaders, do you agree? I see no evidence God selected Saul for his spiritual maturity, or his intellect, or his tender heart, or his integrity or his education or training. God selected a man he knew the others would look up to and follow. Why? Because the people themselves had set the qualifications, remember? ‘we want a king to lead us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
So, in October 2020, what are the qualifications you think are needed to be President of the United States, perhaps the most powerful, most influential man in the world?
Did you know God anointed Saul with His Holy Spirit when Samuel anointed him to be Israel’s first king? Look closely at 1 Samuel 10:6. Samuel said to Saul “The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power…and you will be changed into a different person…for God is with you.” Wow! What a remarkable promise. Do you see how similar that is to what Jesus promised His disciples in Acts 1:8? “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” And friends, when you read the rest of 1 Samuel 10, sure enough, it happened. The Holy Spirit of God came upon Saul as he became the first human king of Israel.
1 Samuel 11 & 12 give us the story of Saul’s inauguration as king over Israel, and Samuel’s farewell, as he handed the leadership of Israel over to king Saul. Sadly, it took only a very short while for Saul to become prideful and disregard Samuel’s counsel of him.
In 1 Samuel 15 the old prophet Samuel is sent by God to king Saul, this time to confront him with his failure as king. God had found Saul unreliable, unfaithful and deceitful regarding the responsibilities of king, primarily because he turned away from following God’s guidance. Samuel said to Saul “To obey is better than sacrifice…for rebellion is like the sin of divination and arrogance like the sin of idolatry. Because you, Saul, have rejected the word of the LORD, God has rejected you as king…the LORD has torn the kingdom away from you today and will give it to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind.” (1 Samuel 15:22-29)
In a final sentence of summary about this first king, Samuel wrote: “Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD was grieved that He had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35)
Now again I say, the USA is not Israel, but America has been greatly blessed of God since its founding. No other nation has founding documents which declare allegiance and honor to God as America. No other nation prints “In God We Trust” on its currency. No other nation has stood with Israel as America has.
No human role in the world is more significant at this time in history, than the role of President of the USA. The president is not selected by God, rather this person is selected by the people, and God watches elections very, very closely for they clearly evidence the heart, the values, the priorities of every voting person. Yesterday I gave you several key issues which call for a response, a decision in the ballot box, by every voting person. I urge you to pray earnestly over these next several days. These are critical days of selecting the right national leader. What do we learn from Saul?
Oh Lord Jesus, we ask that you would teach us, guide us, help us, the people of God, as we try to discern the right path which most honors you, in this moment of great decision.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Click to read today’s chapter: 1 Samuel 15:10-34. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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