1 SAMUEL 9-10 GOD SETS YOU UP TO FINISH WELL2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Samuel 9-10 God Sets You Up To Finish Well

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017. Here in 1 Samuel chapter 9, and then work our way into chapter 10 as well, Lord willing.

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But God told Samuel, let's go ahead and do it, that this is the direction they want to go. We're going to let them go this direction. And now we're going to get introduced to the king that God is going to provide for the nation of Israel, the first king of Israel, and his name is Saul. And so we'll begin this introduction to Saul here in 1 Samuel 9. And let's look at verses 1 through 4, and then we'll get into what God has for us this evening.

Verse 1 says,

Let's pray. Lord, this evening we thank you

For your word and the great instruction and insight you have for us, I pray that you would speak to us through your word this evening, that you would minister to our hearts, Lord, that you would help us to draw near to you and to walk with you to pursue your heart in the way that you've called us to. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Well, as we begin to look at King Saul, I titled the message this evening, God Sets You Up to Finish Well.

And I think that's important to consider as we begin to talk about Saul because, well, I don't know about you, but I tend to have a very negative view of Saul.

Because I know the end of his life and the tragedy that it is and the disobedience that is there. And also, you know, how God makes the contrast as we've been talking about pursuing the heart of God. And God tells Saul, you've been disobedient, but I found a man after my own heart who will do my will, speaking of David. And so we know that we're looking forward to David and David is the man after God's own heart. And so it's easy to kind of have

you know, kind of a negative impression of King Saul. But as we begin to talk about King Saul, I think it's important to recognize that God set Saul up

He set him up not to fail, but to finish well. That he really had a lot of advantages, a lot of things going for him, and God made sure to give him every opportunity to be a king after God's own heart, to be a good king, and to be a godly king, and to be able to lead the children of Israel well. Amen.

And so we can see that established here in chapter 9 and a little bit into chapter 10 as well. We'll see that God was setting Saul up.

to finish well, even though Saul had a choice and chose to be disobedient and to not finish well. And as we look at that this evening, I want to encourage you through this, even though there's a lot that we learn what not to do from Saul's example, we also learn a lot of things about God and his nature and character, such as he sets you up to finish well.

Now, that doesn't take away from you the responsibility to make good decisions and to live out a life that is godly, but to recognize that God doesn't, sometimes it feels like God sets you up to fail, right? Have you ever felt, I'm sure you've felt that way. It's like, you know, you're in a no-win situation, that everything is stacked against you, and sometimes we kind of overemphasize the attacks of the enemy or the strength of the enemy, and we think, we feel like we're set up to fail.

But I would like you to be encouraged this evening as we look at the example of Saul. God sets you up to finish well. He sets you up to give you opportunity and victory and for success that he wants to accomplish in your life. And so we can reflect on that as we work our way through these accounts here in 1 Samuel 9. The first point to consider is found in verse 1 and 2, and that is that God creates you uniquely for your role.

Here in verse 1 and 2, we get the first introduction to Saul and what he was like. So it says in verse 1,

There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abel, the son of Zerui, the son of Bekrith, the son of Ephiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. Now, we don't care about all those names. They don't mean a whole lot to us. But for an Israelite, their heritage was very important. And that's why all of these names are listed. He came from a particular family in the land of Benjamin, from the tribe of Benjamin. And it's noted that his dad is a mighty man of power.

And so he comes from a family that is powerful. He comes from a family whose dad, his father Kish, is an influential man. He's a strong man. He's a wealthy man. He's a prominent man within the tribe of Benjamin. And now it describes Saul in verse 2.

Saul is described as a choice and handsome son. At first, when I read verse two, I thought it was talking about Harvey, but then I realized it wasn't. Choice and handsome, this is a very good-looking young man, and he's got a lot of good qualities. He's got a lot of good things to his nature and to his character, and so that's the idea of choice, that he's top of the line as far as sons come, as far as young men come.

Now, I call him young man, but probably he was in his 30s as this is happening. But he was a handsome son. And it also tells us that he was head and shoulders above everybody else. So, you know, maybe, you know, standing to Richard, he was elbows and up higher than everybody else. But you get the point that he's really tall.

And, you know, on top of that, you know, his head and shoulders sticks up above everybody else, and he's nice to look at. So it's nice that he sticks up above everybody else because he's a good-looking guy. And so he's set up here for...

Victory for success in the idea of being a king, you know, that he's good looking. He's got great qualities. He comes from a good family. He has got everything going for him as far as being a king. We'll see this later as well when God sends Samuel to anoint the next king, David, who

Samuel goes to anoint one of the sons of Jesse and the first son of Jesse comes in and he's really tall and he's good looking. You know, what the people would expect of a king, that's what Saul was. Now, that's not the most important thing to God. God looks at the heart. You know, he makes that clear.

But the point is, as you look at this, he has everything going for him. You know, he's not someone who the people would despise and run away from. And so, you know, he's never going to be a good king because, you know, people won't listen to him. But he would get the people's attention. They would pay attention to him. They would look to him. They would want to hear from him because he was from a good family, tall, good looking, had great qualities. He's set up.

created uniquely for this role. Now, there's many other qualities that we could consider, but again, just looking at a couple things here in verse one and two, I would remind you that you and I as believers in the body of Christ also are created uniquely to have a part, a place in the kingdom of God, a place in the body of Christ and in the work of eternity that

And Paul tells us that God has composed the body of Christ in such a way that every part is important and valuable and necessary. And each one of us has different qualities and personalities and giftings so that we all fit and have a place within the body of Christ. And so God sets us up for life.

a good finish by, first of all, crafting us. Now, maybe we're not all heads and shoulders above everybody else, or maybe, you know, not choice and handsome young men or women or whatever qualities we might want to consider, but whatever qualities we have and whoever we are, that the person that you are is mastercrafted by God for his particular plan. And so, you know, we often...

are not too happy with some of the things about us. And some of that is right because some of it is sinful. But there's many things that are just God's design. And it's part of who he's created us to be that we could finish well in his kingdom in the role that he has given to us. Well, moving on, we have a lot of verses to cover, so I'm going to be kind of moving a little bit fast this evening. Moving on now, verses 3 through 14, we have point number 2.

And that is that God gives you leaders to help you. In verse 3, it says, And so now there's a, not really a crisis, but there's an incident. The donkeys are missing.

And so Kish sends out Saul, hey, go try to find the donkeys that are missing. And God's going to use this whole situation to bring Saul into connection with Samuel the prophet and then to anoint him as king. And he's using this situation to accomplish the next step in Saul's life in becoming the king of Israel. I like what Charles Spurgeon had to say about this.

He says, it's important for us to learn that the smallest trifles are as much arranged by the God of providence as the most startling events. He who counts the stars has also numbered the hairs of our heads. You can look at the stars and think, you know, that's a big thing that God has done and arranged, but then he also knows the number of hairs upon our heads. Spurgeon reminds us that the little things that happen in our lives are

Losing the donkeys, losing the car keys, losing, you know, this or that, or, you know, going on random wild goose chases, we might think of those errands or those situations as that. Those things oftentimes can be some of the things that God is using for something really important and prominent in our lives. And God is able to orchestrate those things just as much as what we might consider the big things. Now,

You know, we could take it too far and to try to make everything a major, you know, work of God in our lives. And, you know, that maybe is not what God is intending with every situation. But it's appropriate to stop and think and to consider before we grumble and complain and curse about it that...

That perhaps this flat tire is something that God is doing and using for something that he wants to accomplish in our lives. Perhaps, you know, this issue in this situation is something that he's orchestrating for us to take the next step and for us to be in the next place and for us to be able to be connected to somebody that God wants to connect us to. Verse 4 says,

So he passed through the mountains of Ephraim, through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them. Verse five. When they had come to the land of Ziph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, come, let us return, lest my father cease caring about the donkeys and become worried about us. And so they go all over. They can't find the donkeys. Saul's ready to give up.

I think it's interesting as you look at this account, the servant here is the one who has hope and has all the good ideas. In verse six, he, the servant said to him, look now, there is in this city a man of God and he is an honorable man.

All that he says surely comes to pass, so let us go there. Perhaps he can show us the way that we should go. Then Saul said to his servant, But look, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessels is all gone, and there is no present to bring the man of God. What do we have? And the servant answered Saul again and said, Look, I have here at hand one-fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God to tell us our way.

Verse 9, it gives a little bit of insight there. Formally in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus, come let us go to the seer, for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer. So the role of a prophet, the title has kind of changed over the years. Initially called a seer, like one who sees, one who hears from God. Then later on called a prophet. Just a little detail that the author gives us.

But they're ready to give up. Saul's ready to give up. The servant says, let's go talk to the man of God. And Saul kind of tries to shoot down that idea. Oh, we don't have anything to give him. Never mind, you know, let's go home. And the servant says, no, no, I have a little bit of a shekel of silver, a quarter of a shekel of silver. And so we can give that to him. And so now they're going to go connect with Saul. Verse 10, then Saul said to his servant, well said, come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was. And as they went up,

Verse 1.

Notice the timing of God in all of this. The donkeys are lost. Saul goes out to find them. He searches around, around, around, comes to the point where, okay, we might as well give up. We run out of food. My dad's going to start worrying about us.

And it's at that time that they decide, okay, let's go visit the prophet. And it's at that time that the prophet happens to be right there, you know, going out to the sacrifice. The time of day is perfect. You know, it's the exact right timing where God has brought this together in order to connect Saul and Samuel together. And so right there as they're coming into the city, there was Samuel, it says in verse 14.

And Samuel's going to have a big part in Saul's life. Samuel was the prophet to the nation of Israel. He's going to be instrumental in establishing the role of the king and the direction of the king and still being involved in interacting between the king and God and having that role with him. And so Saul now is introduced to this leader that God has provided for him. God set him up for Israel.

to finish well. He gives him a good leader. We've been talking about Samuel and I've been sharing Samuel as, you know,

The greatest man of God that was alive in that day, that he was one of the greatest men of God who ever lived. And he is Saul's mentor, Saul's leader, Saul's spiritual advisor. And God connects him in this way. He orchestrates this situation so that he's able to have Samuel as this leader in his life.

And we would recognize as we consider this, you know, for our own lives that God gives us leaders as well. Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 4 that Jesus gave us some to be apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

And that this was something that the Lord did until we all come to unity so that it's ongoing, that God still provides leaders for us to help us to finish well. And, you know, whatever...

method or whatever means that God uses to connect us with those leaders that he's placed in our life, those people of authority, those people of spiritual mentorship that God has placed there. He's given them to us for our sake to help us, to lead us, to guide us, to direct us, to give us insight, to help us to hear from God. Now, it doesn't take away our need to be connected to God.

But leaders are a great assistant for us to build us up, to train us and prepare us for the work that God has called us to do. And you know, sometimes I think in our culture, we're so focused on being independent that we forget about the leaders that God has placed in our lives. And I would just like to encourage you and remind you that God sets you up to finish well.

And he's given you godly, there's many godly men and women around you that you can look to for help, for support, for counsel.

And it's appropriate and important that you engage with those leaders as you're going forward in different directions in life and making decisions, that it's important for you to interact and receive from those leaders that God has placed in your life. It's something that is real. There's real spiritual authority and real value to those leaders that God has given to you.

And that is further demonstrated in the next verses, verses 15 through 27, as we see point number three, and that is God prepares your leaders to help you. Not only does he orchestrate things to bring you in contact with the people who can help you and build you up and train you and equip you for the next things that he has for you, but he's also working in the life of those leaders to

to help you and prepare them to help you and minister to you in the way that is needed. In verse 15, it tells us, now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came saying, tomorrow about this time, I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin and you shall anoint him commander over my people Israel that he may save my people from the hand of the Philistines for I have looked upon my people because their cry has come to me.

And so all of this is being orchestrated by God as Saul's out looking for the donkeys. But the day before they actually meet, God speaks to Samuel, spoke to him in his ear, gave him a personal message saying, tomorrow you're going to meet the king that I have appointed for my people. He speaks to Samuel and begins to prepare Samuel to be able to minister to

Verse 17. So when Samuel saw Saul, Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, there he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over my people. Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate and said, please tell me, where is the seer's house? Samuel answered Saul and said, I am the seer.

Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today. And tomorrow I will let you go and tell you all that is in your heart. But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father's house? And Saul answered and said, Am I not a Benjamite of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?

So this feast is happening, and as Samuel is headed there, he connects with Saul. And God tells Samuel...

Remember how I told you yesterday about the king that you're going to meet? That's the guy right there. And so now the confirmation is there for Samuel. He sees Saul. God says, that's the one. And now he brings him to this feast and he begins to prepare him.

for this role that he is to have. In verse 20, he says, on whom is the desire of all Israel. He's saying, look, Israel has been asking for a king, and here is the response. Here's the answer to their prayers, to their requests for a king. It's on you and your father's house. And Saul says, I don't know. We're a small tribe. You know, there's not much to us. I don't know what you mean by that. But Samuel says, go have a seat.

Let's enjoy this feast. And he gives them this place of honor among those who were invited at the feast. Now,

For them and their culture, they would have specific places to sit. Remember Jesus gave in the instruction, hey, when you're invited to a party, don't take the seat of honor, but take the lowest seat. And they had a specific hierarchy to the seating places around the tables, around the mats and stuff. And so Samuel had reserved places.

the place of honor in this case, for this one that he would meet. Now he knows it's Saul and his servant. Now get this place of honor at the feast. Verse 23. And Samuel said to the cook, bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, set it apart. So the cook took up a thigh, the thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you, eat.

Verse 27. Verse 27.

Samuel was prepared by the Lord. He knew he was going to meet Saul. He didn't know his name was Saul, but he knew he was going to meet the king. And so he had things prepared. He had a place prepared at the feast. He had a special portion prepared.

of food prepared, set aside, reserved for the one that God was going to show him. And now that he's here, he's able to give him the place that was reserved and give him the food that was reserved. And he takes them up on top of the house. Their roofs were flat, and so it was kind of like hanging out on the patio in those days to hang out in the evening on top of the house. And so they're just spending some time together.

spending some time together in the way that God has prepared Samuel for Saul. And then the next day when it's time for them to go, he says, okay, send your servant ahead a little bit and I'm going to announce to you the word of God. I have some insight, Saul, about your life, about your calling. I have a word for you from God and I want to share that with you. And so all of this had been given to Samuel. God had prepared Samuel for

To help Saul, to give him the word of the Lord, to give him the direction that was needed because, well, he was the one that God had placed in Saul's life as a leader, as a mentor, as one who would be able to have authority and help him to finish well, to give him every opportunity and the best chance to be successful in his life ever.

and his ministry. And again, I would encourage you to consider that in your own life this evening as well, that God sets you up to finish well. And just like God brought Saul into connection with Samuel, that he could have a godly leader to be able to hear from and receive from, God prepares both sides, not just the one who needs to hear and the one who needs to learn, but he's also working with

in the lives of your leaders. And again, it's why you should be looking to those authorities in your life and looking for insight from the Lord and allowing them to speak into your life. Because whether you know it or not, and even I would say whether that leader knows it or not, God is preparing them for what is needed in

To be able to give you the best opportunity to succeed in the life that God has called you to. It's kind of a strange example, I know, but I want to give you the example from John chapter 11 of Caiaphas, the high priest. And it's interesting because we know Caiaphas, the high priest, you know, in the gospel of John, he was against Jesus. And yet in his role as high priest, he had actually some problems.

things that were done as a result of his role that was actually from God, even though he was actively working against God. In verse 49 of John chapter 11, it says, The religious leaders were arguing about what to do with Jesus.

And Caiaphas speaks up and says, you guys are fools. And says, it's important or it's expedient, it's efficient for one man to die for the people and not for the whole nation to perish. This is a work of God, Caiaphas is saying, even though he doesn't fully recognize what he's saying. And John explains that to us in the next verses. In John 11, verse 51, it says, now this he did not say on his own authority, but

And so John points out, Caiaphas here had a word from the Lord, even though he was actively fighting against God. But notice it says...

It wasn't because his own spiritual nature, his own goodness, or his own connection to God. It was the role that he had. Because he was the high priest, he prophesied. Because he was in that position, God used him in that position for his own purposes and to bring forth this right word from God.

And I would suggest to you, again, I know it's a little bit of a strange example because it's Caiaphas, the high priest, who was against God. But I would suggest to you that that is something that God does, that he really does give people positions of authority. He prepares them for power.

Those that, you know, he's called to have that authority and he prepares those who are in authority to minister to those who he's entrusted to them, whether it's something they're conscious of or not, but that God works through that. It's part of his design. And again, many times in our ministry,

culture, we're so focused on our independence. And hey, we don't need to hear from anybody else, or we don't need insight from somebody else, that it's just me and Jesus and all of that. But the idea that God has called you to be part of something bigger than just, we always talk about that personal relationship with the Lord, and I wouldn't take that away, right? That's important. But

But you're also part of something bigger than just you and Jesus. You're part of the body of Christ. And as part of the body of Christ, God has established some authorities in your life and placed in you, in your life, those who have that authority and he's prepared them to be able to minister to you and to speak prophetically and to bring forth words from the Lord. And that is part of the design that he has created. And so I just want to encourage you to be prepared.

engaged with those who are in authority that God has given to you because, well, he prepares them. Whether you know it or not, whether they know it or not, they're being prepared to help you be able to succeed in the role that God has given to you. Well, moving on now into chapter 10, verses 1 through 9, we have point number 4, and that is God confirms his word to you.

Now, all that being said about, you know, spiritual leaders and those in authority, they're there to help you. But again, it doesn't take away that personal relationship with God. And so God gives along with those authorities, the confirmations that the things that are, you know, given to you are actually from the Lord. And so we see that fulfilled here in Samuel in these verses. In verse one, it says, then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and

So Samuel now anoints him as king and actually pours oil over him. This is the first time that's happened for a king because there was no king in Israel before this. They anointed the priest for service. And now the picture here is being painted of the Holy Spirit coming upon Samuel.

Saul to enable him and equip him for the role of king that he's going to have. And so we'll see that in just a moment. But to confirm the things that Samuel is speaking to him, he gives him some indications in verse 2. When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel's tomb in the

And they will say to you, the donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, what shall I do about my son? Then you shall go down or shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There are three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three goats, another carrying three loaves of bread and another carrying a skin of wine. And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands.

After that, you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is, and it will happen when you have come there to the city that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them, and they will be prophesying. Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be when these signs come to you that you do as the occasion demands, for God is with you.

So Saul, or Samuel gives Saul now some signs, and very specific. I mean, this is very, very specific stuff. There's going to be this number of guys. They're going to say this message to you. And then you're going to go on from there. You're going to encounter this number of guys. And they're going to be carrying these number of things, and have this kind of things in their bags. And, you know, like all of these details. And so there's three occasions here with all kinds of details in these occasions, and

that Samuel tells Saul, you're going to encounter these things tomorrow.

And these are the confirmations now that what I'm telling you and this being anointed as king, it's for real. This really is what God is doing in your life. And so God doesn't just give this instruction and this massive change of life. And, you know, he doesn't just give it and just expect him to blindly take it, you know, by faith. But God gives him confirmation. He gives him some assurance that this really is a work of

of God. And God does the same thing in our lives as he gives us instruction, especially as we're talking about things that are life-changing. You know, so now if Richard and Janine are supposed to move to Okinawa, there's going to be some confirmation, right? It's not just going to be like a whim, you know, just a random thing.

But if God's going to lead them that way, and I just made that up and Janine freaked out a little bit, but that's okay. I'm just making stuff up, right? But if God wants to do that, then there's going to be some confirmation that you want to look for God to solidify those things that he is speaking to you. Pastor David Guzik says, we need to trust in God's confirmation along the way.

God did not want Saul to doubt his calling later, so he gave him a lot of confirmation. And I've found the same to be true in my life, that God gives me those things. I've referred to them before. I've shared not too long ago about, you know, some of those things I call anchors, you know, those things that I hold on to that I know. I am called to pastor here, even though it's challenging sometimes, even though there's difficulties, and even though there's tensions and pulling in different directions. But

but I have this anchor. I have this reminder. I have this confirmation from the Lord that this is what I'm called to. And similarly, I would encourage you to be looking for those confirmations. So not just taking a leader's word for it. Again, that's important. We need to have that leadership and that insight and that, you know, that allowance for other people to speak into our lives and

But then that is backed up with confirmation from the Lord about what he wants to do and how he wants to work. Well, finally, in verses 6 through 13, we have point number 5, and that is God equips you for your role. Verse 6, it says, Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be when these signs come to you that you do as the occasion demands, for God is with you.

Here, Samuel tells him, the Holy Spirit's going to come upon you. You're going to see all these things. You're going to encounter all these things. And then you're going to experience the Holy Spirit coming upon you. And he says, you'll be turned into another man. There's going to be a transformation that takes place. There's going to be a change that takes place as God pours out his Holy Spirit upon you and equips you for this role to be the king of Israel.

And so the anointing of oil that was happening to Saul was a picture of what the Holy Spirit was going to do. I don't think I turned off my mic. I apologize. Coughing on all of your faces right now. It's a good thing the microphone doesn't magnify the germs, right?

But so he's anointed with oil, and it's a picture. The actual oil doesn't do anything, but it's symbolic of what is actually going to take place as the Holy Spirit is going to come upon Saul to enable him to be a king for the nation of Israel. In verse 8,

He says,

All the confirmations that Samuel told him about, they came to pass. Exactly what God said was going to happen through Samuel, that's what happened. And as he turned away from Samuel to begin to walk down that path and experience those things, I think it's interesting. It says that God gave him another heart. God did not set up Saul to fail.

He wasn't just upset with Israel and they asked for a king and it wasn't a good decision. It wasn't what God ultimately wanted at that point. And so he punished them and gave them a bad king. He gave them a king who had every opportunity to be a good and faithful king, a king who was a man after God's own heart. He changed Saul's heart. He transformed him just like Samuel said that he would. He

He prepared him. He's going to give him the Holy Spirit to equip him for the role. He gave him every opportunity to be the king that Israel really needed. Verse 10. Verse 10.

And the people said to one another, what is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? Then a man from there answered and said, but who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb. Is Saul also among the prophets? Verse 13. And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.

Saul has this kind of crazy cool experience. There's this group of people prophesying, and as he's journeying by, the Holy Spirit comes upon him, and he joins in and begins to prophesy. He's just praising God. He's just speaking out the word from the Lord as the Holy Spirit empowers him. It was not that now Saul is a prophet and that he's always going to be in the role of a prophet.

But it caused people to ask the question, is he one of the prophets? Because look, he's now in this group of people empowered by the Holy Spirit and he is prophesying. That wasn't his role, but it was a further confirmation, first of all, that the Holy Spirit was upon him and that what Samuel told him was true, that he was called to be the king of Israel. We're going to see next week as we continue on how when it comes time for him to be king of

He begins to make some bad choices. But again, he's given every opportunity to be the king that Israel needed. Excuse me. My voice is still pretty weak. I apologize. The point is, again, God equips you for your role. As we look at the example of Saul, we see God set him up to finish well.

He was created uniquely for that role. He was set up to be a good king. He was good looking. People liked him. People wanted to hear. People wanted him to lead. He was set up and created by God uniquely for this position.

God brought him in connection with Samuel to help him. He prepared Samuel so that he could lead him and give him instruction and be prepared for the work that was needed in Saul's life. And then God confirmed the word of Samuel. As Saul went away, God equipped him, gave him the Holy Spirit, gave him everything that he needed to be the king that the people needed and that God needed him to be. Now, I want to finish up in verse 7 here of 1 Samuel 10-11.

where Samuel makes a very important point. He says, And let it be when these signs come to you that you do as the occasion demands for God is with you. And so here's the reality I'd like to just leave us with this evening. Just like Saul, God sets you up to finish well. He's created you uniquely for your place in the kingdom of God.

He's given you gifts and crafted your personality and crafted your nature to fit perfectly in his plan and what he wants to do.

He's placed in your life leaders who can help you, and he's prepared those leaders to help you become the man of God, the woman of God that he's called you to be. And he'll give confirmation along with that as you seek to follow the Lord and walk with him. He's going to be confirming his word and the direction and your calling and all of those things and equipping you for your role and empowering you with the Holy Spirit and

God set you up for great success in the kingdom of God. You have every opportunity to be the man or woman that God has called you to be. You're not set up for failure. You're set up to finish well. But that doesn't take away our personal responsibility. And so here's the key in verse 7. This is where it all falls apart for salt.

Because Samuel tells him, let it be when these signs come to you that you do as the occasion demands. Saul, you are called to be king. So now as the occasion demands, be the king that Israel needs. Be the king that God has called you to be. God is with you. But you know how it is. Many times when the occasion demands, that's when we freak out.

that's when we get wishy-washy. We can be really bold when there's no demanding occasion. But when the occasion demands, well, that's when we need to go forward with boldness, trusting God that he has equipped us for the work at hand, for what he's called us to do. And so you and I have this responsibility. God set us up to finish well. He's given us everything that we need. Now what he calls us to do is

is to be faithful as the occasion demands, to be faithful, to fulfill the role, to obey the commands, to do the things. And so whether that's as a mom or a dad, whether that's as a disciple with, you know, having been given the great commission, whether that's being a prayer warrior, you know, for people who ask you to pray, whether that's being a pastor, whether that's being some type of leader, minister, whatever, you've been set up to finish well.

So do as the occasion demands. God's with you. And you might think you don't have the answers and you don't have what you need, but God has given you everything you need. So never be afraid to do what God's called you to do. As it's often been said, God's calling is also his enabling. God is with you to help you to finish well. You just got to get in there and do what the occasion demands. Let's pray.

God, I pray that you would help us to recognize those things that are set before us, that are from you, that you've called us to. And Lord, it's easy for us to shy away from those things, to back away. And many times those things are intimidating and scary. There's steps of faith that are required. And I pray, God, that you would give us boldness.

to take those steps, to rely upon the resources that you've provided and the leaders that you've given to us and the words and the confirmation that you've provided. I pray that you would help us to trust you in all of those things that we might go forward and fulfill the role that you've called us to, that we would play our part in your kingdom and accomplishing your purposes here in this world. So lead us, Lord, empower us with your Holy Spirit, I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.