Check out all the previous David readings here.
David Reading | Week 1 | Day 2
Prayer
Before you pray, breathe deeply three times. Then pray, God give me guidance for today so that I can best trust you.
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 10:17-27
Read these verses three times slowly.
Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpahand said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”
When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”
And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”
They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”
Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.
Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
Reflection & Questions
By Pastor Dan Chapin
Samuel does a census, rolling the dice, putting it in God’s hands to choose the king. Some despised Saul and didn’t give him gifts.
If you were picking a team during your Physical Education days, there were a few ways you could do it. You could pick captains, who would take turns picking from the class who would play on what team. Another way you can do it is to go 1…2…1…2 ect… And whoever you got, was who you got.
Sometimes people were happy with their team, other times, everyone knew the team was unfair. Not a great way to pick a team.
So How does God tell his prophet Samuel to pick a team? They cast lots, which basically means they rolled the dice. (Side note: let’s be real, we might get better results in today’s politics if we tried this). Anyways, they narrowed it down by tribe, clan, family and then finally landed on 1 person. It was Saul! Long live the king! Well at least that was most people’s response, other people despised Saul and wouldn’t even give him a gift for his coronation. No tip for you king, you’re going to have to earn it.
What does this passage tell us about God and our place in the world? Sometimes, God calls people to lead that we just don’t get. Saul had his naysayers. He had people that weren’t excited he was king, yet Saul kept silent. There are people God calls to leadership that we might think to ourselves, “really, Him?” Regardless how things work out, God has a plan to use that person in that time in that place. In times like these, we must trust God. Even though Saul wasn’t king for long, that doesn’t mean God didn’t use Saul. Even though, Saul would eventually fail, that doesn’t mean God didn’t use that failure. Even though the naysayers were absolutely right that doesn’t mean that Saul wasn’t called, flaws and all for that time, in that moment God called Saul.
- When God calls a leader to a position of authority that we disagree with, how do we respond?
- How would God want us to respond?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
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Questions?
Ed Applegate
