In reading the biblical account of Samuel, it is impossible to know if Samuel ever realized he contributed to the end of the time of the Judges and the onset of the monarchy for Israel. Samuel did not like it when the leadership of Israel asked him to set up a kingdom. In reality, they were asking him to resign from his office as a judge and set up a new government for Israel. God told Samuel to yield to the wishes of the people but to give them a strong warning that a monarchy would mean an end to their self-governing and their becoming subjects to a king. The people ignored the warning and Israel entered a new era that eventually ended in 727 B.C. for the ten northern tribes and in 593 B.C. for Judah and Benjamin.

God did not select an evil man to become the first king, on the contrary, Saul came from a solid family and was raised with high moral standards. His family was not involved in idolatry and thus he was a good choice. God's perfect will was that Saul would obey him and serve out his life out as the first king of Israel. The selection of Saul was supernatural and there were many events that solidified that he was God’s chosen man. The Lord used the first war to give Saul a tremendous victory which solidified him as king in the eyes of the people.

King Saul did fine for the first few years, but when he was told to wait for Samuel to come and do the sacrifice before a battle, Saul panicked and performed the sacrifice himself nor did he carry out the command that God had given him concerning the enemy. As a result, Samuel told Saul that his kingdom was over. There was remorse on Saul’s part and Samuel stated that his rebellion against God was equal to the sin of witchcraft.

Saul no longer heard from the Lord and he eventually became so desperate that he sought out a witch and asked her to conjure up the dead prophet Samuel, who gave Saul a somber message that he would be dead with 24 hours. The next day Saul and his two sons entered into battle with the Philistines and this marked the end to Saul’s legacy.

There is much to be learned from the interlocked lives of Samuel and Saul. Both the prophet and the king made poor decisions during their lives on earth that changed the course of history and I hope you will join me this week as we examine these two men.

Print out the sermon outline and let's examine the Scriptures together Sunday morning at 9:00 AM PST.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor John S. Torell