1 Samuel 810 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.

12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.

14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use.

17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

I Am Not The KingI Samuel 8-15

Some of us suffer from lack of self-esteem

Some of us see ourselves as more important than we areWe have to be careful to not take ourselves too seriously

God is the king

Samuel is getting oldHis sons are not good leaders

The people of Israel want to be like the nations around themThe people ask for a king

After warning the people about all the king will do…

Saul, son of Kish, runs into SamuelSamuel gives Saul the best seat at the table and offers the best cut of food

Samuel appoints Saul king

1 Samuel 10Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance?

Saul’s heart is changed and he begins to prophecyHe returns home

Mentions nothing of what has happened to anyone

Samuel gathers the people and Saul is reaffirmed as king when

he is chosen by lot…Saul is nowhere to be found

The people have to seek him out

Ammonites besige Jabesh Gilead Saul gathers men and defeats the

AmmonitesAll seems well

Now that there is a kingSamuel’s job is done

He gives a farewell speech

1 Samuel 1220 …“You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.

Saul was 30He reigned as king 42 years

Saul wages war against the PhilistinesThe philistines have killed all the

blacksmiths and they have no swords

Saul, out of fear, oversteps his authority

He makes a sacrifice as through he were a priest

1 Samuel 1313 “You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”

Jonathan, Saul’s son, attacks the Philistines and is successfulBut Saul is being impulsive

He orders his men not to eat until the battle is won

Jonathan, not knowing, eats and is nearly killed by his father Saul

Saul attacks the AmalekitesHe is told to kill everything

Instead he kills the weak and saves the best

1 Samuel 1512 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”

1 Samuel 1522 But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them.

Saul was more concerned about the people than about God

Our story ends on a sad note

1 Samuel 1535 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.

Who is the king?God

Saul knew that at firstThen he lost sight

Saul faltersHe begins to act like a priestHe builds a monument in his

own honorHe is disobedient

The resultHe loses contact with SamuelHis kingdom is removed from

his familyHe is rejected by God as king

Putting it all togetherThere was a leadership vacuum in Israel

Eli’s sons were awful, Samuel’s sons were dishonest, Saul was disobedient

and they were all replacedIf we are not careful we can lose

ourselves and our families

Putting it all togetherWe want to be like the nations

around us; please give us a king We are called to be holy

To be different and set apart; broken but knowing who we are

and who our King is

Putting it all togetherSaul was a nobody, just like us

He was sober, shy and self-aware, but when he became king he let it

go to his headWe need to have a sound

understanding of who we are We are the servants, God is the King

We are called into leadershipWe are called to be differentWe are called to be obedient

We are to remember who we are and whom we worship

We are never the object of worship

We are the Federated Church.Our Mission is to…

Seek Christ, Serve Christ and Share Christ.