1 SAMUEL 10:6-27 DO AS THE OCCASION DEMANDS2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Samuel 10:6-27 Do As The Occasion Demands

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.

We're going to be here in 1 Samuel chapter 10. We started chapter 10 last week and we'll be finishing it up this week. But I'm going to kind of rewind a little bit and start in verse 6 here in 1 Samuel chapter 10. And let's begin our time by looking at verses 6 through 13 here at 1 Samuel chapter 10. Here's what it says in verse 6. 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. You shall go down before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait till I come to you and show you what you should do. So it was when he had turned his back to go from Samuel that God gave him another heart. And all those signs came to pass that day.

Verse 11. Verse 12.

Therefore it became a proverb, is Saul also among the prophets? And when they had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.

Here as we look at 1 Samuel chapter 10, we're continuing to look at the beginning of the monarchy in the nation of Israel. This is the introduction really to Saul, the first king of Israel, and we're beginning to see that calling, that ordination, and that beginning of his reign, and then we'll continue to visit some events and things in Saul's life for the next few weeks as we continue working our way through the chapters. But

But this is the introduction, the first king for Israel. And we've found, as we've been working our way through 1 Samuel, talking about the pursuit of God's heart, that Saul is kind of the opposite of what it means to pursue God's heart. And he's going to later on raise up David, who says, unlike Saul, he's a man after God's own heart. That is, one who will do the will of God and be obedient to God.

And so as we look at Saul here, we're looking at one who ended up not pursuing the heart of God. And although there's some good elements of his life and good examples in some places that we can look at from him, the overall picture of his life is that he was disobedient to God.

And he was more concerned with his own self as well as the people around him than he was concerned about what God wanted and what God desired. And so we've been looking at 1 Samuel and being encouraged over and over again to pursue the heart of God and do what God wants.

No matter what we think about it or how we feel about it, but to place the priority on God's will and on God's desires. And really that continues this evening as we look at 1 Samuel chapter 10. I've titled the message this evening, Do as the occasion demands. Based on the instruction that God,

Samuel gives to Saul here in verse 7 as he has anointed him in just a few verses earlier he anointed Saul privately it's all happening it's not public yet he's not yet on the throne that's going to be happening as we work through our verses this evening but as Samuel kind of gives him the preview and anoints him with oil and lets him know some confirmations about this calling that God has placed upon his life he says when all these signs come upon you then you

Do as the occasion demands for God is with you. And here he commissions Saul to

to do whatever the role requires. He says, look, you're going to be the king. And so now act kingly and do what kings do. Protect the people and provide for the people and do what's necessary because now this is going to be your role. And so whatever, you know, the king should do in that situation, Saul, that's your job. You're the king. Do as the occasion demands.

And I find this, you know, really important for us to consider as we look at these things this evening, because you and I, like Saul, have a calling. And maybe we're not called to be king, and maybe we're not called to, you know, this position or that position, but every one of us are called as believers to have a part in the body of Christ, a place in the kingdom of God, a role for us to fulfill. And as Christians, we are called to represent Christ to the world around us.

And I want to encourage you this evening to do as the occasion demands. You're a Christian.

So do what the situation demands of a Christian because you are a Christian. You're an ambassador for Christ. And so be an ambassador for Christ in the situations that arise around you. Whatever the occasion demands of an ambassador for Christ, that's you. And God is with you. And I want to encourage you this evening to do as the occasion demands. For whatever your role is, you know, again, we

I threw out a couple examples. As a Christian, as an ambassador for Christ, as one who is called to make disciples, those are things that are true of all of us. But you also have some specific and unique things, you know, as a parent perhaps or as a leader in some capacity. There's occasions that will demand of you certain things. And it's easy for us. And I think that's

I don't know about you, but I can really relate to Saul. I look at this passage and it really, you know, kind of strikes some chords in my heart because I can relate to Saul. As we see when the time is for him to be presented to the nation, he's hiding amongst the stuff. We'll see that in just a few verses. And man, I can relate to that. To the time where, okay, now it's time to do what God's called you to do and to be at that point and just want to hide, right?

And I'm sure that you have experienced that from time to time. And I pray that we can learn from the example of Saul to do better than Saul. But at the same time, recognizing that God has callings in our lives and giftings that he's given to us and things that he sets before us. And he calls us then to rise to the occasion, trusting that he is with us and do as the occasion demands. Sometimes we're kind of waiting for that call.

for lack of a better phrase, like a takeover, you know, almost like a hostile takeover. Like, you know, I know that somebody's, you know, God wants me to pray for that person, but I don't have the words to pray and I don't have the courage to pray. And so I'm just kind of waiting for like God to do it without me having to do anything. And that's not the way that God works. What God would say is do as the occasion demands. You're a Christian and as a Christian, you're

You should pray for that person. You should minister to that person. You should encourage one another, minister to one another, fulfill whatever role. Then get up and do as the occasion demands. That there's the need for us to engage and for us to take steps of faith and really trust God and go forward and not just wait and

For God to do something like kind of like against our will, you know, we need to involve ourselves in the work that God has set before us. And so do as the occasion demands. And again, we learn from the example of Saul and the situation that unfolds here. Sometimes he's a good example. Sometimes he's not a good example. And so we'll learn from both sides. But point number one, as we look at these verses we just read, verses 6 through 13, point number one is that God equips you when he calls you.

And this is a point I touched on last week as well. It's a point that's been made many times throughout our studies together in the word of God, that the calling of God goes along with the equipping of God, that God gives us what we need to do the things right.

that he has called us to. And we see this unfold in verse 6 and 7 as Samuel tells Saul what's about to happen. He says, 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.

There's a couple things that Samuel tells him here. So you're going to receive the Holy Spirit. You're going to be turned into another man and God will be with you. And so you have these things going for you. In other words, God is equipping you, Saul, to be king. Even though you don't feel qualified, even though you don't have any, you know, resume that would say that you could be the most awesome king that ever ruled Israel.

Of course, he's the first king, so there's nothing to compare to. But he didn't have a resume. He didn't have a political history. He didn't have, you know, any of that. But he was equipped by God. Samuel tells him, you're going to get everything you need with the Holy Spirit. And then you're going to be transformed into another man. God's going to do a work within you to help you be the king that you need to be. And he's going to be with you so that you can be that king.

And this was Samuel telling Saul what would take place. And then in verse 9, it actually happens. And so it says, so it was when he had turned his back to go from Samuel that God gave him another heart. And all those signs came to pass that day. Verse 10. And when they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him. Then the spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied among them.

And so there, the things that Samuel said would take place actually took place. He actually did get a new heart. He was transformed. There was a renewing within him as he went away from Samuel. And the signs, the confirmations that Samuel had told him of all of these events that would happen, they took place. And God transformed his heart. And then in verse 10, the Holy Spirit came upon him.

And so, as we talked about last week, God set Saul up to finish well. He gave him everything that he needed, equipped him fully and completely with

Now, he didn't end up being a good king, but he had everything that he needed. It wasn't because God didn't give him what he needed to be a good king. It's because of choices that he made, and we'll see that as we go forward. But he had everything that he needed.

The point I'd like to just dwell on for a moment here in verse 9 and 10 is that you and I have these same advantages, the same equipping that God gave to Saul, you and I have, and even to a greater degree. But Saul, it says in verse 9 that God gave him another heart. And

We know from 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, Paul says, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. And I'd like to just take a moment. I know this is common knowledge. I know this is something we're familiar with, but it's a necessary reminder many times in our lives that you are a new creation. And so many times we excuse ourselves or we eliminate ourselves from God

something that God is calling us to because, well, that's not who I am, or, you know, I don't deserve it, or, you know, I'm not, you know, I don't have that background, I don't have that resume, you know, I'm not able to do that. And we have all kinds of reasons why we talk ourselves out of not doing what God sets before us when the occasion demands. But I'd like to remind you, as those situations unfold in front of you, you are a new creation. Right?

And you can't just say, well, that's not how I am or that's not who I am. As God sets situations in front of you, as occasions demand things of you, you are equipped. You have a new heart. You have a new creation in Christ, a new life within from the Lord that enables you to live out things that you never thought would be possible.

You're equipped to overcome sin. You're equipped to reach out and preach the gospel. You're equipped to pray, to minister, to take steps of faith. You're equipped and you're able to because you are a new creation in Christ. And so this evening, I want to encourage you to do as the occasion demands. You can be a great man or woman of God.

For whatever situation, you know, we can look at maybe some examples of great men or women of God, right? And think, wow, you know, you are just as qualified as they are. No matter what name you would want to put in there. You are just as qualified in Christ as they are. We all stand on the same playing field. We're not different. We come to Christ with the same need, the same lack, the same failures, right?

And it's God who does the work in us. You're a new creation in Christ. And you can have victory where you think it's impossible to have victory. And you can succeed where you think it's impossible to succeed. And you can do things that you would never dream of. As God calls you, as he sets before you, as the occasion demands, you're a new creation in Christ. Do as the occasion demands. Be obedient.

trusting in that new nature that you have in Christ Jesus. Now, a few verses before this verse in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, in 2 Corinthians 5, chapter 5, Paul also says, now he who has prepared us for this, talking about eternity, he says, he has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has also given us the spirit as a guarantee. And so I point that out just to remind us

King Saul, he had his heart transformed. He was turned into another man. He was also given the Holy Spirit, and so have you. That every believer in Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit. That's God's deposit, guaranteeing that you will have everlasting life, guaranteeing that he'll finish the deal and redeem you fully, and you will be given a new body and be redeemed.

Turned completely into a perfect man or woman for all of eternity. The Holy Spirit is God's promise. It's his deposit assuring us that he will finish the work that he began in us. That's the guarantee that has been given.

Which means that you have the Holy Spirit. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you have the Holy Spirit. And this is important to remember because, well, there's a lot of days where, well...

I don't know about you, but sometimes you kind of wake up on the wrong side of the bed, right? And you don't really feel like you have the Holy Spirit every day, you know, every situation. You don't really feel like you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you and enabling you and there to provide, you know, for you the strength that you need and produce the fruits of the Spirit. You don't feel that way all the time. But the Holy Spirit has been given to you as a guarantee, right?

He hasn't left. He hasn't departed. He is with you. And so as the occasion demands, you know, sometimes we eliminate ourselves from following through what the occasion demands and doing the thing that God has set before us because maybe I haven't really been faithful in reading the word. And so, you know, I don't really have the Holy Spirit today, you know, but that's not the truth. That's not the reality. You have the Holy Spirit.

That's part of your salvation. It's a guarantee that for the rest of eternity, you have the Holy Spirit. You have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. And just like Saul did it. And so God equipped him to become king. And God has equipped you also for the things that he sets before you in this life. When he calls you and whatever he calls you to in this life, he's given you everything you need.

He's caused you to be a new creation and he's given you the Holy Spirit. I'm just touching on the surface of these two subjects, but enough that you get the point and you understand you have what you need. There's nothing more than this that you need. Like Samuel said to Saul, we could extend that to you and I this evening and say, whatever the occasion demands, do it because God is with you.

God has set these things before you in this life. So do as the occasion demands because you're a new creation in Christ and you have the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us in Philippians chapter two, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.

As we talk about pursuing the heart of God and doing what pleases God and fulfilling his will, Paul says, hey, you've obeyed when I was around. Now keep that up. Continue on, even though I'm not there. And trust that God's going to give you. It's God who works in you to have the desire as well as to have the ability to do what he's set before you and what he's called you to.

And so we can trust God and that's the exhortation, the encouragement, trust God and do as the occasion demands. It's not automatic. So don't wait for that hostile takeover where then suddenly your hands and your feet start to move and you weren't expecting them to move. And then suddenly you're just praying and they're like, I would, I don't know why I'm praying, but it's just, you know, the Lord's just taken over. And it's just, that's, that's not how the Lord works.

Well, not that he couldn't. He could do whatever he wants. But typically, God's saying, you get involved. You do as the occasion demands and trust me,

to provide what you need. I've equipped you for the calling that I've set before you. You are a new creation, so you can pray as a new creation. You can minister as a new creation. You have the Holy Spirit, and so you are able to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to minister, to serve, to work, and to do whatever the occasion demands that God has set before you. God equips you as he calls you, and as he sets those things before you.

It's so that you can get up and engage in the work of God. Moving on to verses 14 through 16, here we have point number two, and that is God calls you privately first. We see this in the example of Saul. Here in verse 14, it says, Then Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, Where did you go? So he said to look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel. And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.

So Saul said to his uncle, he told us plainly that the donkeys had been found, but about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said. This is picking up on what happened last week in chapters 9 and 10, where Saul left home because his dad's donkeys were missing. They went all around the land trying to find them. They couldn't find them. And so the servant had a good idea. Hey, let's go ask Samuel the prophet. Maybe he could tell us where to find the donkeys.

And so it was through that that they encountered Samuel. And now Saul has been anointed king by Samuel and sent back with some changes, you know, to his heart and being filled with the Holy Spirit. And so now as he gets back home, his uncle sits down and has a chat with him and says, hey, so where'd you go? Probably he understood that there was some things that were different about Saul at this point.

Probably he understood that something had happened because, well, as we see in the previous verses, Saul was there prophesying among the prophets. And then there's this saying that comes out of that whole situation, is Saul among the prophets? And so this well-known saying, you know, now comes out of this situation. So as he goes home, his family has heard about something that has happened.

They know something has happened. Wow, there was this weird encounter. There was this interesting thing where Saul was prophesying among the prophets. And what was that? And I can imagine the uncle just kind of thinking, what happened, Saul? Tell me what happened. But Saul's not just declaring it openly. And so he's kind of like trying to pull it out of him. So where'd you go? Well, we went looking for the donkeys. We couldn't find the donkeys. And so we went to Samuel. Oh, okay. So what'd Samuel say?

Oh, Jesus told us that the donkeys had been found and that was it. It tells us in verse 16, he didn't tell him about the rest of the account and what happened as Samuel told him that he was going to be king and anointed him and sent him forward with these confirmations and signs. And then he got to participate in that and got a new heart and got filled with, he didn't tell him about any of that. Why? I think it's likely that Saul didn't share these things at this time, probably because Samuel instructed him not to.

Now that's not directly stated and so you can come up with your own theories. But if you rewind back to 1 Samuel 9, verse 27, when Saul is leaving from Samuel, in verse 27, it says, as they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, tell the servant to go on ahead of us. And he went on, but you stand here a while that I may announce to you the word of God.

And then in verse 1 of chapter 10 is when Samuel takes the flask of oil and pours it on his head, tells him he's called to be a commander over the people of Israel, and then gives him all of those signs and things that are going to take place. And so Samuel took some steps and said, send your servant on ahead. This is a private matter. This is just between you, me, and the Lord.

And so they spend this time together then, and this instruction is given to Saul. And so it's likely that now as he goes back home, Samuel said, now you're going to be revealed as the king, but wait until the right time. And so there's this private encounter that happens first. This private thing that takes place between Samuel and Saul and the Lord. And that is so...

a common way that God works. If you think about David, who's going to be king next, he's anointed king privately amongst his family in 1 Samuel chapter 16, but he doesn't actually become king until many years later. But the announcement, the work that begins, begins very early on in the private setting.

You could think about Moses and his encounter with the burning bush and the private encounter that God has with Moses and the signs that he gives him and the conversation that they have and the preparation. And then later on, he's going to be revealed to the congregation as the one who will lead them out of the land of Egypt. You could think about Saul, not King Saul that we're talking about here, but Saul who became Paul in the book of Acts, right?

In today's reading, we read Paul accounting, again, his conversion story and how he came to know the Lord and how Ananias came and prayed for him.

And Ananias told him in Acts chapter 22, verse 15, he says, you will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And before Paul or Saul became, you know, the apostle Paul and had this, you know, big public ministry, he had this private time with the Lord and this word from the Lord and instruction from the Lord and insight from the Lord about what God was calling him to. And so we see that God often works this way. He calls you privately first, right?

And I think this is important for us to consider for a couple things. First of all, the importance of that personal relationship with God, that we have those personal times with the Lord, that there are things that God wants to reveal to you privately. There's things that as you come and gather here that God's going to speak to you, and there's, you know, corporately he's doing a work and everything, but

I've always found it interesting. It's in the book of Mark. I forget exactly which chapter, but it tells us that Jesus taught the multitudes openly

But then privately with his disciples, he explained all things and explained the parables to them. And so there needs to be that private time with the Lord. And that's many times where God's going to explain much more to you about the things that he wants to do. And so there has to be that personal relationship with God and the personal conviction and confirmations that come from that.

But also, I think this is important, that the understanding that God calls you privately first so that you don't get pushed into doing what God has not called you to do. Think about that for just a moment. Don't get pushed into doing what God has not called you to do. You know, sometimes people around us want us to do things privately.

And not bad things, necessarily. I'm not talking about negative peer pressure to do drugs or something. I'm talking about they want you to take charge, or they want you to step up. They want you to do something. And that may not necessarily be what God wants you to do. And so you need to look for that private speaking from the Lord that God is ministering to you about this thing, and

And then as, you know, there's need and as the demand arises around you, well, then, you know, then that's the confirmation of what God's already been doing internally. But sometimes we allow the external pressures to push us into doing things that God hasn't called us to do. And just because people want us to do something doesn't mean that God wants us to do that. If you think about Jesus and his ministry, there was many times where the people wanted to, by force, make him king, right?

In John chapter 6 verse 15, it tells us, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he departed again to the mountain by himself alone. When he perceived, when he sensed, oh man, these people are about to like, you know, chain me to the throne and put a crown on my head. He's like, okay, I need to get alone with the Lord. I need to step away from all of this external pressure and get back alone with the Father.

that it wasn't the right time. Now, Jesus would have made an awesome king, right? But that wasn't what God called him to. That wasn't his mission at that time. In the same way, you and I, there's a lot of good things that we can do, and there's a lot of pressure around us to do lots of good things. But what is God speaking to you about personally? What is he stirring up within you privately? And what he stirs up within you privately, you know, it might be scary, right?

It might be unimaginable. Like, I can't believe God would really want me to be thinking about that or praying for that or looking to do that. I can't. And that's pretty normal. And so we can't just use it as an excuse to not ever do anything, you know, that we're not comfortable with or is easy, you know, and just say, well, God isn't supposed to be personally about that, you know. So don't use it as an excuse. But look for that internal, that personal connection with God.

to stir up within you the things that he is setting before you. Again, it's God who wills to work in you the will and the to-do for his good pleasure. Well, after he works privately, then he brings it out into the public. And that brings us to point number three, verses 17 through 24. God confirms his calling publicly.

So there's the internal work that God does and the internal speaking. And then God takes it from there and does a more public or an external work. In verse 17, it says, then Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. And so now this is, well, some time has passed. We don't know exactly how much, but Saul has gone home. And now Samuel's calling for the nation to assemble.

They assemble at Mizpah, where they had the great victory over the Philistines many years earlier. And so they're gathering together here. It's possible the tabernacle is set up here. They're gathering together here to meet with Samuel, to meet with the Lord.

and to hear what God has for them next. Now, previously they've demanded a king. And so I think, you know, they would expect at this gathering to understand and to hear from God about the king that he has provided for them. In verse 18, Samuel addresses them and said to the children of Israel, thus says the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.

Verse 19, Here is Samuel addresses the nation. He first of all addresses the whole issue of them requesting a king.

Now he addressed it when they first asked and said, this is not a good idea. This is not what God wants. And they said, we don't care. We want a king. We want to be like the other nations around us. Now he's going to remind them again, this is not what God wanted. This is not the plan of God, but this is something that God is going to allow because you've requested it.

And we'll see this again in just a couple of chapters. God's going to give them a strong sign and they're going to realize, well, we made a bad decision. And the reason why it's such a bad decision is because what he says in verse 19, today you have rejected your God. In asking for a king, it wasn't necessarily that God would never have given them a king.

But in their demand, they were asking for a king to look to instead of God. They were replacing God with a king. They wanted to be able to trust in a king to provide for them and to protect them. They wanted to be able to trust in this person, in this position instead of God. And so this was a serious issue in the hearts of the nation of Israel, the people of the nation of Israel.

And so God, I think God here is actually giving them another opportunity to go back to what he has originally called them to, and that is for trusting in him as the king. And so he reminds them, I brought you up out of Egypt and delivered you.

I just want you to remember, God says, I'm the one who has redeemed you and delivered you. I want to remind you of the work that I've done in your life. The commentator Alexander McLaren says, observe how God seeks to win Israel back. It's not by threatenings, but by reminders of his great benefits. He will not drive men back to his service like a slave driver with a brandished whip.

but he wishes to draw them back by the cords of love. And that's a really good picture here. God says, I want you to remember, I'm the one who delivered you. I'm the one who redeemed you. Remember the goodness that I've done towards you. Now, God, of course, could have, you know, pulled out the whip and started to get them running scared. But God allows us to take the paths that we take while he calls to us gently to come back.

to the blessings and the benefits that he has for us. And so he extends this call to the nation and giving them, I think, an opportunity to come back and get right and stop rejecting God and start trusting God again by reminding them of the blessings that he has given and what he has done.

But they want to continue in their way. And so he gives them instruction. Okay, gather together by your tribes and by your clans. And so basically they're lining up in rank, you know, the 12 tribes of Israel and then the families in each tribe. And so this is going to be the selection process now of the king where God is going to reveal the king of the nation of Israel. In verse 20, and when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. And

And so of the 12 tribes, then Benjamin was chosen. Okay, so now everybody else can go have a seat. Now we're just dealing with the tribe of Benjamin. The king that God is, you know, appointing for you is going to be from this tribe. And they begin to now work through the tribe in verse 21. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen and Saul, the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found.

So they're going through the selection process, all right? Of all these tribes, okay, it's just the tribe of Benjamin. Okay, family by family. Is it the Burnt family? No, the king's not in the Burnt family. Is it the Burrell family? No, it's not in the Burrell family. Is it the Reese family? It's not in the Reese family. Oh, it's Kish's family, right?

Okay, Kish's family. Okay, you guys come up. Okay, now. Now, okay, is it this guy? No, is it this guy? No, is it? Okay. Oh, it's Saul, the son of Kish. That's who God has appointed to be king. And so God filters out and in front of everybody brings down the selection to this one man who has been appointed to be king. But it says in verse 21, when they sought him, he could not be found. So it came time for God to reveal himself.

the king to the nation of Israel. It's like, you know, the scenes from those movies. I don't know which movies, but you know, where they like announce the person to come on stage and then they don't come out on the stage. Now Saul, son of Kish, you know, nobody shows up. What happened? Where is he? In verse 22, it says, therefore they inquired of the Lord further. Has the man come here yet? Maybe he was just late. Did he get lost, you know, on the way? And the Lord answered, there he is hidden among the equipment.

There's, you know, carts and stuff and, you know, things lying around. And Saul is there hidden among the equipment. Now, I'd just like to point out here, this is exactly the opposite of doing what the occasion demands. Going back to verse 7.

He says, look, you're going to be given a new heart. You're going to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God's going to be with you. So do as the occasion demands. Now, what is the demand of the occasion when God sets it up to present the king to the nation? Well, the demand is for the king to be there and present and be presented to the nation. But Saul does exactly the opposite thing.

of that. And so here, again, we have some highlights and some good examples, you know, from the life of Saul, but here we find one that is not good. Now, there's been many occasions where this has attempted to be presented as a humility on Saul's part, and perhaps there's some elements of truth to that, that it was, you know, that he was so humble, and certainly we see elements of humility in his life in this time, but

But I would like to point out that this is disobedience, regardless of if, you know, he could label it as humility as an excuse for him to be disobedient. This is him running from what God has called him to.

Now, we may like this notion better than Jonah's version of running from God because he didn't want the Ninevites to get saved, right? But it's a similar action. It's a hiding to try to get out of what God has called you to. And this is, it's a serious issue.

It's not a good example. It's something that we need to learn from and not follow the pattern. G. Campbell Morgan says, Loyalty to the will of God. You know what that's called? Pursuing the heart of God.

Saul at this time is not pursuing the heart of God. He knows that God has called him to be king. The Lord's given him a new heart, filled him with the Holy Spirit. He's given him these signs. There was three specific, very specific signs and confirmations that we looked at last week. And then now publicly, God by lot has chosen and narrowed down of all the whole nation. Now it's Saul, son of Kish. He knows this is what God has called him to.

But now at that time, at that moment, when his right move is to step up and be presented as king, he's hiding amongst the equipment. Now again, as I shared at the beginning, I really feel like I can relate to King Saul here. How many times have I wanted to hide? More than that, how many times have I actually hidden? That this is...

This is something that I'm assuming I'm not just, you know, strange. I'm strange for other reasons, but not for this reason. But this is something that we share, that there are things that God sets before us. And even though he's spoken to us about it personally, I mean, even though there's that external evidence that this is what God wants to do, when it comes time to do it,

We want to hide amongst the stuff and not do what God has set before us and not do as the occasion demands. It's hard for me to articulate exactly how much I was freaking out the first night of the school of ministry that Pastor Tom asked me to teach. And, you know, well, he showed up one night after the college study and said, hey, I want to start a school of ministry and I want you to lead it. I want you to teach two classes and we need to start in two weeks. So give me your syllabus as soon as possible. And so...

I got on board and started to get busy. But then came class time, that first class. And Kim was there. We weren't even married then. She saw me freaking out like I've never freaked out before. I was seriously this close from just getting in the car and driving and never coming back because I was so freaked out about having to teach this class on the New Testament.

I've had so many occasions like that. Hospital situations, weddings, teachings, praying for people, big decisions. You know, sometimes there's a Sunday morning where the worship team just doesn't show up and you realize it between services and go, I could run, I could hide amongst the stuff, or I could do as the occasion demands and just have to trust that God's with me. I'm only sharing the examples that where I didn't hide, right? But there's also other examples where I've hidden.

where I haven't called the person that God's put on my heart. I haven't prayed for the person that God set before me to pray for. I haven't shared the things that God told me to share. I haven't done the things that God told me to do. I can relate to Saul. I think you probably can too. Have you hidden? Not followed through with those things that God has set before you? Not gone somewhere, not shared that word from the Lord, not prayed for that person, not done that work? The thing to take note of, I think, from this is that failing in the past doesn't mean that it's over.

And that's the important thing to look at in the life of Saul. It doesn't say then, okay, God said, okay, Saul didn't show up when he was supposed to. He was hiding when he wasn't supposed to be. So, okay, everybody line up again. We're going to select a new king. That's not what God did. God's call was still for Saul to be king. His call was still for Saul. Saul, do as the occasion demands because you're the king. In the same way, you may have hidden amongst the stuff, but God hasn't just like given up and said, okay, well, I'm never going to.

call you. I'm never going to work through you. I'm never going to work in your life. No, God's still calling, and God's still working, and you're still expected and called to be a Christian, to be an ambassador, to be a part of the body of Christ, to do what God sets before you as the occasion demands. He doesn't just say, well, they didn't show up, so I'm going to move on and use other people, and they're out of the picture. No, instead, he expects us to learn from those failures and

And then to go forward in obedience. In verse 23, it says, So they ran and brought him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? That there is no one like him among all the people. So the people shouted and said, Long live the king. Saul is still called to be king, even though he was hiding amongst the stuff.

Even though he was shrinking back when God called him to step forward in a similar way. God confirms his calling in your life publicly. He sets before you those occasions that demand that you can step out in faith and do the things that he has set before you and placed upon your heart. But even when you mess up and even when you fall back out of fear, even when you hold yourself back because you're timid or fearful or whatever and you don't want to do what God has set before you,

That it's not over. God still sets you before the people and says, all right, here's the Christian. Here's the ambassador. Here is the one that I've appointed for this. And they're going to continue on in this role. There's going to be occasions where God asks you to operate in public according to what he's shown you in private. Be bold and do as the occasion demands, even if you haven't always done that, even if you've failed previously or hidden previously from

You don't need to keep doing that. And it doesn't mean that it's over. But rise up now. You are a new creation in Christ. You have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. You have the presence of God. Be bold and do as the occasion demands. Well, finally, finishing up in verses 25 through 27, we have point number four.

And that is that God's calling includes instruction, support, and resistance. And here's just a few quick things that we learn from these verses. In verse 25, it says, Then Samuel explained to the people all the behavior of royalty and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah and valiant men went with him whose hearts God had touched.

But some rebels said, how can this man save us? So they despised him and brought him no presents, but he held his peace. A couple of quick points here from these verses. In verse 25, we see that God gives Saul instruction. As Saul is called to be king and appointed as the king of the nation, he's given instruction that goes along with that.

And so Samuel explains to the people the behavior of royalty. He wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Now we don't have this book. We don't know exactly what Samuel wrote in this, but he put some guidelines there. Here's how royalty is to behave. Here's what's right. Here's what's wrong. We do have some of the instruction that Moses gave for royalty in Deuteronomy chapter 17.

There he gave the instruction, you're not to multiply horses, you're not to multiply wives. And an interesting one for the king, they were to write a copy of the law of Moses. The king was commanded to write out the whole law of Moses.

Deuteronomy 17, verse 19 says, And I bring that up to make the point that nobody is above obedience to the word of God, even the king. You know, God gives the king actual authority. He really is in charge. He really does get to make decisions.

But it doesn't mean that he is above the word of God. It doesn't mean that he is not subject to God's instruction. Nobody is above obedience to the word of God. Not the king, not the pastor. And this is important to understand because there are many men and women who have had great potential, but they thought they could disregard God's word because of their calling.

Because of how they were being used by God, because of the work that was happening through them, because of the success or the victories or those types of things, they began to throw aside the instruction of God's word. You think about Samson, right? Playing around with his Nazarite vow. God gave him instruction. He gave him great power and a lot of freedom to use that power and that strength however he wanted. But he also gave him instruction, right?

in that Nazarite vow. And Samson, he played with that. He thought himself, I don't really, it's not that big of a deal. And he found out the hard way that it is a big deal. Nobody is above instruction from God. And you think about the church of Corinth. They were super excited about their spiritual gifts. So much so that their services were chaos because they were so gifted.

And it's important to be gifted and the exercise of gifts is important, but Paul says it has to be structured. There needs to be decency and order. Even the most gifted prophet is subject to the instruction and the order that God has given.

And so as we consider these things for our own selves, recognize that the word of God is essential for us. It's essential for you. You need God's instruction. It's important for you. Don't excuse yourself from obedience because, well, it's working or you're getting away with it or things are still being successful or whatever. Don't

We're not outside of the standard of God's word and God will continue to hold us to that standard. And so we're called to know the word and to follow it. So God's calling includes instructions. He gives us lots of freedom. He gives us a lot of ability to interact and to do what he has set before us and the ways that he's called us to, but it comes with his guidelines and his structure that we must follow.

But his calling also comes with support. In verse 26, we see that Saul goes home, but valiant men went with him. And notice it says, whose hearts God had touched. Again, God hadn't given up on Saul just because he was hiding amongst the stuff. It wasn't the right move, but God didn't say, okay, well, you're through. No, instead he stirred up the hearts of valiant men.

Go support Saul. Go be a great strength to him. Go give him great boldness and confidence to help him be the king that Israel needs him to be. God touched the hearts of people and brought them around Saul. In the same way, as God has placed a calling in your life and sets things before you, and there's going to be occasions that demand and you're going to have to rise up and trust God, understand that you don't have to do that all by yourself.

It's been a subject we've kind of hit on a few times throughout the past several weeks, but we're a body and God's designed us to need one another and to have one another around and we rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We really are a body, a family, and God has united us together. You're not alone. And so you have valiant men and women around you whose hearts God has touched to be your brothers and sisters in the Lord, to help you be the man or the woman that God's called you to be.

God's setting you up to finish well, giving you every opportunity to succeed by placing you in the midst of his body and attaching you to men and women around you that you can grow and benefit and be the man or woman that God wants you to be. So take advantage of that. Interact, rely upon, pray with, seek out counsel, utilize the people that God has placed around you in that way. That's what God has placed us here for.

to be valiant men and women for one another. Well, finally, God's calling also includes resistance. He allows resistance. In verse 27, some rebels said, how can this man save us? So they despised him and brought him no presents. But here's an example where Saul did something good. He held his peace.

He didn't, you know, try to put them to death or, you know, fight against them or convince them. He just held his peace. In fact, in the Hebrew, it literally means he pretended like he didn't hear. He turned a deaf ear. He just, I didn't hear that. I'm not even going to deal with it. I'm not going to try to respond to it. There were those who resisted. Sometimes people talk themselves out of doing as the occasion demands because it's not readily accepted by people around them.

And here's what you need to know. Sometimes what God calls you to, it's not going to be something that everybody jumps on board with and is excited about and thinks is a great idea and wants you to do. And yeah, you should do it. And it's going to cheer you on with pom poms and everything. Sometimes it's going to be people who really say, you know, that's dumb. You're a dummy. Why are you trying to do that? What's wrong with you? You shouldn't do that. There will be rebels. It's a reality. And just as Saul faced them,

You and I are going to face them too. And sometimes we can allow those people to discourage us and talk us out of doing what God has placed upon our heart and set before us. No matter what anybody else says, you must be obedient to God. That's pursuing God's heart. Now that doesn't mean we never seek counsel and we don't need counsel and all that, but don't let people talk you out of what God's told you to do.

You need to be obedient to God. It doesn't matter what people say. When God has told you and given you the instruction and set the occasion before you, you do as the occasion demands. That is what God calls us to. He calls us and he equips us as he calls us.

He calls us and he speaks to us personally and privately, but then he also confirms that in public settings and sets those occasions before us. And so you've been praying about an opportunity to share. And then all of a sudden you have an opportunity to share because God's been preparing you and he's been equipping you. Now rise up. Don't wait for the hostile takeover. Do as the occasion demands and step out in faith and preach the gospel and

Share the love of Christ. Pray for one another. Share the word from the Lord. Get involved in serving the way that God's called you to serve. Whatever it is that God is stirring up within you, you have what you need. God's given you everything that you need. I like what Thomas Constable says about King Saul. He says, God did not give Israel a time bomb just waiting to explode. Saul failed because of the choices he made, not because he lacked the qualities necessary to succeed.

Listen, you and I, we have everything that we need to succeed, to be great men and women of God, just like all the great men and women of God of old. We have everything that they have. Everything. It comes down to our choices. Will we choose to believe God at his word and rise up to obey him as the occasion demands? God equips you as he calls you.

Trust him for that. You have the Holy Spirit. You are a new creation. You have the presence of God. Go forward and be bold and do what God set before you. Those things that he's been stirring up within, go do them. Make good choices. Do what's right because God's with you. He's given you everything you need with instruction. So, you know, don't disregard the word of God and just run and do what you want. No, follow his word and do what he's called you to do. Don't do it all by yourself. He's got support around you.

And so reach out and allow the body of Christ to uphold you as you go forward in what God's called you to do. And even if there's naysayers and hecklers and rebels, you be faithful and do what God said because that's pursuing God's heart.

We're going to finish up our time this evening with some worship. Kim's going to lead us in a song or two. And so as we do, we want to encourage you to just be seeking the Lord about what he's doing in you. And there's this time for you personally to just connect with the Lord. And maybe he wants to do some things with you privately. But

Also, as we do on Wednesday evenings, we have the body here gathered together for a reason, and maybe this is a time for you to interact with some of the valiant men and women around you, to ask for prayer, to maybe step out in faith and pray for somebody or encourage somebody with something that God's been stirring on your heart. And so whatever that may be, whether it be a cry for help or something you're reaching out to,

out of obedience to the Lord of something he's placed upon your heart, I want to give you that freedom to minister to one another, to pray together, and to seek the Lord personally and privately, that we would be the men and women that God's called us to be, who rise up to the occasion, whatever it is that he sets before us, that we would be faithful to honor him and pursue his heart. So let's worship the Lord together and respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit as he prompts us.

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.