1st Samuel 10:17-27 CALL THE PEOPLE The call went out, "Come to Mizpah," and from all over the land they came. 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. Now it was simply a call to come together similar to 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. They may have "Christian words" in the songs, 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 to 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, 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 the things the way others who did not know the Lord did them. 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 up into "a ministry" rather than serving the Lord Himself.
When we ask why they demand another way, they usually answer that "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. Even the review of the way God led the children of Israel did not change the mind of the people toward Him. They had rejected Him as their King-Leader-Lord and now His final words turn them over to the authority of a mere man. I wonder if the people of God understand the seriousness of rejection? 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 numbers 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 a spiritual leadership, numbers decrease.
To avoid the responsibilities laid on us by the giving of gifts 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. God used the man-method 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 of God in decision-making, both for himself and for the decisions he makes on behalf of others.
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 for us in different parts of the scripture, give us all the understanding we need when we are submissive to the Holy Spirit. 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 about the best way we can 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. The need of grace by every person, goes against the independent spirit of those who want God to submit to their opinions. Saul learned to 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. 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."
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. 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 in one by God. The Lord had Samuel write out "the manner of the kingdom" by His divine decree and kept as a book in safe- keeping. The will and purpose of God extends 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!!
GOD SAVE THE KING The voice of the people with their complaints and all - Was heard by the Lord when for a man they did call Instead of on God who for generations had guided Their nation as a people with whom He had resided But now they wanted their nation to be just like the others They wanted all men, not just God's family, to be their brothers To be liked by those who hated God, and to be like them was their choice So the Lord God who loved and preserved them paid attention to their voice.
It is possible to be blessed above measure, and to take that for granted It is possible to ignore divine guidance that by the Spirit in us is planted But when we do that willfully, there are consequences we must accept Self-will and sin, has a high price to be paid when God's grace we neglect 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 in the Lord's people and worldly men And to own Jesus Christ as Lord is seldom thought of by then.
To follow a man instead of our Lord, is a path fraught with danger We become susceptible to the flattery of men, or the object of their deep-seated anger It is like we are left alone in this world of men in which we do not fit And the world is increasingly dissatisfying the more we try to conform to it The only thing we can do is call a halt and repent, and our sin to face And to the course of God's choosing, to that pathway our steps we retrace There we will find the Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever And with His love and forgiveness, His grace our failures will cover.
"I thank Thee Father, for the assurance that Thou dost never change. Thy righteousness and justice do not deviate because of man-made laws. Thy mercy and grace are still extended to those who are lost and to those who fail. Thy love and forgiveness are realities to be experienced when Thy people return to Thee. I praise and thank Thee for this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."