Call the People. 1st Samuel 10:17-27 The call went out, "Come to Mizpah," and they came from all over the land. But something was different this time than the times before when the people of God came together. This wasn't a celebration of joyful hearts gathering to worship and honor the Lord who had given them great victories. They were not gathering to Him. They had rejected the Lord as their Gathering Center. It was simply a call to come together like an election day. Popular opinion was behind this gathering, not the will of God.
This is a common practice today, even in religious circles. Find an entertainer. Get a "good group" to come and sing, and people will come to hear them. The songs may have "Christian words" in them, and as they dance about, attractive young people seem enthusiastic about what they are doing, but the objective is to "call the people." The gathering is to the event, not unto "Him, the homeless Stranger."
Mizpah was a place of happy memories, and the stone was still standing there, bearing witness to the victories the Lord had given them, but their interest had faded, and "God was not in all their thoughts." Now their eyes are only on a man instead of the One who is the True King. The people stood unmoved by the final farewell words of their Rejected King. For hundreds of years, the nation of Israel had experienced the hand of God working on their behalf in deliverance from enemies, providing for them when they had nothing, and bringing joy to their hearts year by year as they kept His feasts. Now, they wanted to do things their way. They wanted to be like everyone else and do things the way others who did not know the Lord did them. Even the review of how God led the children of Israel did not change the people's minds toward Him. They had rejected Him as their King-Leader-Lord, and now His final words have turned them over to the authority of a mere man.
It is a strange thing when one who has tasted the blessings of God in salvation and who has experienced the guiding hand of God in life turns aside to seek to live and do "the work of the Lord" in the way that religious people who do not know God apply the works of the flesh to their "ministry." Activities are divided into "a ministry" rather than serving the Lord Himself. When we ask why they demand another way, they usually say, "They do it that way over there, and they really get the people to come." The motivation is not on what pleases the One to whom we have gathered but on the results of the ministry.
I wonder if the people of God understand the seriousness of rejection and how it must grieve the Lord who "all the way has led us" when we adapt ourselves and even our spiritual worship and activities to the ways of the religious world. Has God ever failed us? Without question, we have failed Him in our complacency and lack of response to His commission. The problem arises when we try to excuse our apathy and personal responsibility by applying the works of the flesh to the work of God.
The big question is, why are we not satisfied with God Himself? When we measure the spiritual growth of an assembly by the number who attend the Lord's Supper or the number of baptisms per year, we have stepped back from divine leadership and placed ourselves under the authority of men. If the leadership is charismatic, the numbers increase. If the leadership is old and seemingly old-fashioned, even though it is spiritual leadership, numbers decrease.
To avoid the responsibilities laid on us by spiritual gifts given by divine Persons, we become susceptible to the leadership of the flesh and men chosen only by men. Why would we be afraid to act when we know this is what God wants of us? Our feelings of inadequacy come when we depend on the flesh. All of these things apparently affected Saul when he realized he was anointed king of Israel. God in mercy did not leave them without guidance, and even in our failings, He is still there in mercy and grace to guide us into all truth.
Israel had been unfaithful to God many times. When they had been delivered from their enemies by the power of God working for them, they would respond for a while with thankfulness. In everyday life, when there are no emergency situations, they reject God. They went after the idols of those around them and the blatant sins that accompanied that lifestyle.
Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ today have the Holy Spirit in us, directing and reminding us of how important it is to follow God only. Even so, because of our humanity, we are also inclined to be unfaithful to God if things don’t happen as we had hoped. We need to make it a point to thank God for His mercy and grace in every situation in life and for the word of God and the Spirit of God guiding us constantly and consistently. Every person who has been given authority to lead, guide, and make decisions that affect others is answerable to God. God has established guidelines for us to follow in every situation. The great variety of situations illustrated in different parts of Scripture gives us all the understanding we need when we are submissive to the Holy Spirit.
God used the method that appealed to people to identify Saul as king. The lot was cast, perhaps with the Urim and Thumin (a "yes" or "no") so that God would point out the right person. Strangely, the man-king was hiding. Maybe he was afraid of taking responsibility because, as far as he was concerned, he had to make the decisions that would affect the nation. A leader who thinks he has to lead God's people by his own wisdom is not a God-appointed man. Every suitable leader knows his need for God in decision-making, both for himself and for the decisions he makes on behalf of others.
When Saul was presented to the cheering crowd of men and women, he was like a sports star through whom people vicariously live out their own fantasies. The reality sets in when he does not produce the results they were hoping for, and the cheers turn into boos. The people of Israel had eyes only for the man of their choice. The voice of God went silent. It must have been insulting to the Lord God when the people had to appeal to the One they rejected to find the one they accepted. The shout they raised was not the "shout of a king" but the shout of emotional enthusiasm. That kind of noise can go as quickly as it comes because it is based only on the momentary gratification of the flesh.
Even then, when the crowds were cheering, there were those who criticized. What should be our response when we are criticized? If the criticism is just, we should pay heed and make the necessary changes. If the criticism is unjust, the wise person moves quietly forward without argument, retaliation, or bitterness and acts before the Lord, leaving the outcome to His sovereign will. When we become the objects of jealousy, a quiet, compassionate consistency is the best way to deal with that problem. We have no control over what others think or do. But we do have control over our reaction to criticism and/or jealousy. "Who when He was reviled, reviled not again. When He suffered, He threatened not."
How do we discern appropriate companions to accompany us or fellow laborers to work with us? We need to be sure those we counsel with are people who can be trusted to keep their counsel and not pass on things that are no one else's business. As fellow laborers, trust is a necessity. In both cases we have to have confidence in their ability and discernment before we delegate responsibility to them no matter how willing they might be.
Opposition always comes in the work of the Lord. It is to be expected from those who are "lovers of pleasures, more than lovers of God." When people hear us say their works, sincerity, and good living do not give them entrance into heaven, we can expect them to oppose our biblical teaching and preaching. Every person's need for grace goes against the independent spirit of those who want God to submit to their opinions. When opposition arises against those who seek to go on in the ways of the Lord, we will have to commit the whole matter to God and rest in Him. "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you."
Saul learned from his own failure, the cost of self-will, and acting independently of divine wisdom. So did those people who wanted Saul as their king. Being subject to an earthly king made them subject to human failure. Even though an earthly king over His people was not God's intention, in mercy and grace towards those He loved, He was willing to work on their behalf. The Lord had Samuel write out "The Manner of the Kingdom" by His divine decree and kept it as a book in safekeeping.
The Lord heard the people's complaints when they wanted a king instead of God, who, for generations, had guided their nation. He had resided with them, fed them, gave them water, delivered them from enemies, and given them victories, but now they wanted their nation to be like the others around them. They wanted all men, not just God's family, to be their brothers. They wanted to be liked by those who hated God and to be like them. So, the Lord God, who loved and preserved them, paid attention to their voice.
It is possible to be blessed beyond measure and to take that for granted. It is possible to ignore divine guidance by the Holy Spirit in us, but when we do that willfully, there are consequences we must accept. Self-will and sin have a high price to pay when we neglect and ignore God's grace. To want to please people is the first downward step in neglecting God. That is followed quite closely by worldliness and the neglect of His Word. Soon, we will find very little difference between the Lord's people and worldly men. To truly own Jesus Christ as Lord is seldom thought of by then.
To follow a man instead of our Lord is a path filled with danger. We become susceptible to men's flattery or the object of their deep-seated anger. It is like we are left alone in this world in which we do not fit, and the world becomes increasingly dissatisfying the more we try to conform to it. We can only call a halt, repent, and face our sins and neglect of God. We must retrace our steps and return to the course of God’s choosing. When we get there, we will find that the Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And with His love and forgiveness, His grace will cover our failures.
To be rejected by those you love is a very bitter pill to swallow. To show grace to those who have rejected you is evidence of the divine nature imparted to one by God. The will and purpose of God extend to His people even when they choose second best. How gracious God is to those who fail!! What mercy He shows to those who have rejected Him!! What love He must have for His own people who take from His own hand all He gives and returns very little!!