Seeking a Donkey…Discovering a Kingdom
Today’s Bible Study April 11, 2012
“The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name” (1 Samuel 12:22).
To Find (look for):
Who does Samuel anoint as Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 10:1)?
What was the Ammonite King Nahash doing to all the Israelites in Gad and Reuben (1 Samuel 10:27)?
To Mind (key point): The period of the Judges ends when Saul becomes king of Israel. At God’s direction, Samuel anoints Saul with oil and leads a victorious attack against the King of the Ammonites, who have been oppressing the Israelites east of the Jordan in a horrific and terrifying way! From a military perspective, this seals his claim to the throne and the people rally behind him.
To Bind (apply to our lives): Surely Saul was God’s choice as king, yet why He made this choice is not obvious at the outset. Saul embodied the qualities Israel valued most in a person. Yet, those were not the same qualities God valued. Why was it wrong to ask for a king? One of many reasons, it set the stage for reliance on things other than God Himself. In what areas of your life are you looking for a new king, something to replace God as Lord?
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