Lecture 34.docx
Transcript
Alright, let's go ahead and move to the literary structure and begin to discuss the interpretive issues of Samuel. I give you the literary frame of Samuel to remind you that we are dealing with one book. I am not the first, I won't be the last to note that early on in 1 Samuel, our 1 Samuel, that we...
Alright, let's go ahead and move to the literary structure and begin to discuss the interpretive issues of Samuel. I give you the literary frame of Samuel to remind you that we are dealing with one book. I am not the first, I won't be the last to note that early on in 1 Samuel, our 1 Samuel, that we have this poem, this poetry that has the prayer of Hannah. And when we come to the end of Samuel, our 2 Samuel chapter 22 and into chapter 23, we have two poems by David. And particularly the correlation between the poem that begins the book in chapter 2 and David's lengthy praise to the Lord that is given in chapter 22. And just to begin, we have already seen Hannah speaks about the fact, my heart exults in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord. The end of verse 2, there is no rock like our God. We come to David's song in 2 Samuel 22 and he begins, the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and refuge, my Savior, you save me from violence. I called upon the Lord. And then he gets into his experience and speaks about the deliverances that God has given to him as well. And he sees toward the end of his song, like Hannah, that what God has done in his experience is a portend of what he is going to do in the future. He says in verse 49, he also brings me out from my enemies. You lift me up above those who rise up against me. You rescue me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the nations. I will sing praises to your name. He has a tower of deliverance to his King and shows loyalty to his anointed, to David and his seed forever. So again he ties in the fact that God's coming King is his anointed one and the victories that God has given to David, the way that God has used David to defeat God's enemies is like unto what is going to come ultimately through the greater David. He will be the same kind of tower of deliverance to that ultimate King, to the Lord's anointed as have been experienced in David's own life. And so we see Hannah sees her experience and says this is just like what God is doing and will do. David says in the same way, I will also give praise to God. I will see the exaltation that has taken place in my life and see that as a portend of ultimately the victories that God is going to bring in the future through the same individual, through his anointed one through the King. Now the reason that obviously David can concentrate more upon his victories portraying what that ultimate King is going to accomplish because in a way that Hannah wasn't, he was God's anointed. He was God's King and yet realized that he was not that ultimate King. And after that great poem of praise which reflects in much terminology and theme how Hannah had prayed at the beginning of the book and commentators will call this book ends. Obviously we see that the book begins and ends in the same way so grand inclusio. But then there is this second song of David, the last words of David chapter 23, a second poem that now shows why David has been given these victories. Now the narrator introduces us in 23.1 that David, the son of David declares, the man who raised on high declares, the anointed of the God of Israel and the sweet psalmist of Israel. Here are David's qualifications to speak these words. The spirit of the Lord spoke to me and his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spoke to me. He who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth through sunshine after rain. David's rule is because of God's blessing. God had given him that position and he had ruled righteously in the fear of God. So God had given him great victories. He had been, verse 4, a blessing to the nation. And then verse 5 is a question on whether this is a question or a statement. Truly is not my house sold with God, or probably better, truly my house is not sold with God. For beginning with himself, he has not always been the one who is adequately and totally righteous. His house is not sold with God. Nevertheless he has made an everlasting covenant with me, or in all things is secure. For my salvation and my desire will he not indeed make it grow? The worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns because they cannot be taken in hand. But the man who touches them must be armed with iron and a shaft of spear and they will be completely burned with fire in their place. That God ultimately is going to fulfill the covenant that he has made, it will bring about the very desire of David, desire back in chapter 7 to honor the Lord. He will grow and bring to fruition the promise that he has made to David that will lead, verses 6 and 7, to the judgment of the rebels who will resist what God is doing. But David doesn't see it within his own life. And no matter how you read verse 5, he does not see the fulfillment of this in his own day nor ultimately in the house which is going to come. Certainly King's is going to prove that to be so. But that does not stop his faith in the fact that God is ultimately going to fulfill his word. So here we see the triumphant King giving thanks for his victories and anticipating through those victories that God ultimately is going to fulfill his covenant in the future and that is certainly reiterated in the second poem that we have in chapter 23. Now it's interesting that we've already seen the poem in chapter 2 at the beginning flows out of the narrative where we see a barren woman blessed and exalted. But significantly at the end these poems flow into a final narrative where we see a self-exulting King judged and abased in chapter 24 of 2 Samuel. Gentlemen 2 Samuel does not end on a positive note as far as David is concerned. It's going to be very, very significant that when we get to Chronicles, Chronicles is only going to give us a narrative of one of David's sins. Now from Samuel you've got a bunch of them to choose from. Samuel certainly, this book does not portray David certainly as a sinless man. He is brought before us warts and all. Now Chronicles is going to highlight the faithfulness of David and Solomon and the Davidic line. Got to concentrate more upon the good kings rather than the evil kings and show how through that God had brought blessing in Israel's past as an anticipation of the ultimate righteous king, the ultimate good king that is going to come and obviously bring Israel's blessing in the future. So by his very nature Chronicles tends to highlight the good in David and the Davidic line and not the weakness. It is in that way, it's not wrong, but it's going to be a counterpoint to what we read in Samuel and Kings which tends to, if there's anything negative to say the prophets and Samuel and kings say it. You know we see David and the Davidic line warts and all in Samuel and Kings because of the purpose. Because ultimately the kings fail, the leadership fails, the priests have failed, the people fail and even the prophets. There are false prophets along with the true prophets. God brings his judgment and of course the former prophets as a whole as they're brought together answering for the exiles, okay why are we here? Why did this happen? And it happened because of failure. Chronicles for the exilic community is saying alright what hope do we have for the future? And so they show how God is one who rewards righteousness in his leaders and in his people in the past and will do so in the future. Now I say all of that to the chronicler only is going to speak of one of David's sins and it's not Bathsheba. It's not the killing of Uriah. To him the preeminent sin of David, the sin which shows the ultimate fact that David is a mere man like any other man who had the same foibles, the same weaknesses as any other king is the fact that he numbered his army. He took a census of his army. Why do you need that? I mean God was the general. He said well Moses took a census. Well Moses was commanded to take a census twice. There is no command from Yahweh to take a census. No prophet came to David. Nathan didn't come and say David you're disobeying the Lord you need to take a census. It was David and he incited the anger of the Lord against Israel because of his great sin. Yeah you find out how big your army is when God says so. If not why didn't he know how many troops am I commanding? See it wasn't for strategic reasons it was I don't know how big my army is. I don't know how good of a king I am. In other words this was his glory among men. So he exalts himself and the Lord brings him low. You might say well it ends on David's repentance and judgment being stopped and you know the very place where the temple is going to be built is bought. So it ends on you know a note of the Lord is also going to work through this to accomplish his will. But David is not seen in a good light in the last narrative of the text. A reminder that the Messiah might be the son of David but David is not the ultimate Messiah. So here's the literary frame that prepares us then to read the text as I hold. And I have used in the chart the narrative of the three men and just about every commentary you read on Samuel is going to do the same. The first seven chapters Samuel. Now you have to realize that certainly Samuel continues to live this is not the end of his life. You know that he continues to live and be involved even after the introduction of David. And then we have Saul. Now chapter eight is what do we do with chapter eight. Is it the end of the Samuel narrative is the beginning of the Saul narrative. And the answer is yes. All right. It's and some commentators even make chapter eight just just a hinge. But it does it both. It both looks back. But really chapter eight is vital because it looks ahead to to Saul. And we see his appointment is in Jerusalem in chapter nine. We see his success in the end of the Samuel narrative. In chapter nine we see his successes. But it will see already with hints of his ultimate failure and that really comes before us in chapters 13 through 15. And then we have David. I just noticed when I transferred this that his his his rise this is not the beginning of his decline. That should have been. That should have been together there. His rise and and certainly obviously Saul's impact and his failure culminates obviously in this narrative. But now it is David his rise followed by his reign followed by the review of David's life and even his his kingship in chapter 24. And the first seven chapters basically cover the first 60 years of Samuel's life. We would assume when Israel comes in and says you're old. He was old because the narrator says that he was old and Israel came and said you're old. Same thing that should remind you of the Torah. Did Rami chapter 31 when Moses was getting old the Lord came and said you're getting old. So so he was old. Well how old was he. Well to be moved out of active and again you. He wasn't a priest. It could have been actually just he was 50 years of age. So so he was a priest. Just he was 50 years of age. So so just adjust my chronology by 10 years. But the average individual seemed OK to be around 60 years of age when his vitality was starting to fade and the people were starting to realize we're going to be having his sons and his sons are not worthy of him. So we just we just guess at around 60 years he's introduced as a prophet and we see him at the end as the judge. And then the Saul and the notorious interpretive issue we look at in first Samuel chapter 13 how long exactly was his rule. It was probably longer than two years as the as the Masoretic text says but usually based upon Acts chapter 13 where Paul says that his reign was about 40 years and Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin and Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and Saul was still a respected ancestor. So we would think of anybody in Israel who would have had a understanding of Saul. It would be his namesake Saul whose name was they came Paul and says it was 40 years. So we'll take that. And then obviously the text is very very clear that David reigned for 40 years 33 seven and a half years in Hebron and then additional 33 years in Jerusalem. So it gives us some idea of the broad chronology of the book as well. Although again we would we would bring up that not everything is necessarily in strict chronological sequence. However obviously everything here though maybe not strictly chronological is all all dealing with David from his anointed to the time when Saul finally dies. Here in his reign his reign certainly is divided into two parts that which takes place when he's in Hebron that which takes place when he's in Jerusalem and then obviously everybody realizes the review is not in strict chronological sequence. At least the outline that is very reflective of what you have in the MacArthur study Bible and and here I've. Just follow the Samuel Saul David and put it into outline form for you. All right. And then as far as the. Resources on the book of Samuel. The the two great works interpretively are Bergen in the N.A.C. And to some more who has at least got the first volume of his two volumes done in the N.I.C.O.T. Both excellent commentaries and we would hope that the N.I.C. on second Samuel will be forthcoming you know in the N.I.C.O.T. And then the two expositions by Dale Ralph Davis. So this is the the structure of the book and really except for chapter eight of first Samuel. There is not a great deal of debate among modern commentators on the structure of Samuel. That the basic flow of the book the basic structure of the book that I have given to you both by chart and by outline is. Is followed in its broad divisions and even the the sections that make up the major divisions of the book are fairly agreeable. Divisions and even the the sections that make up the major divisions of the book are fairly agreed upon by commentators again as it. Just stay for a third time except for what do we do with chapter eight of first Samuel. Other than that it's pretty clear. You know pretty clear where the seams begin and where they end as far as the major divisions of the book are concerned. So a structure is not an interpretive issue but the text is. If you read this in the Septuagint you will find out that the text is. Has been abbreviated. Extensively. And so the question comes and of all of the books of the Old Testament. The Samuel and then in the latter prophets Jeremiah are two that raise very significant questions on are we really reading. The text as written by the author. There are more textual issues. Even the master eats. Give more. Secondary readings of Samuel than any other book this is what is written but this is what we think. It might mean outside of the text. So where is the text found. And particularly the discussion into some more is is valuable and a couple of pages Meryl deals with it in the. The world and the word you can take a look at three ten to three eleven. But we're just going to assume at this point. That the main text is. That the Masoretic text reflects. Accurately the the original autograph. As this Amora brings up we have no other text. That that says that it follows the the scribal ancestry that can point back to the original author. So it's reflected best in the Masoretic text and that's what. Underlies the translation of the New American Standard. The New King James ESV. Most of our English translations. So they can deal with it later on in OTI as far as textual transmission but we're going to. We're going to come to the text as though the Masoretic text is an accurate reflection of the original text. And will be very very conservative. Unless there are strong contextual reasons to question. Their their reading and take a look at some of their suggestions of what is in the central text. Is basically going to guide us as far as the Masoretic text is concerned. Now that is already reading the right text. What about the interpretive issues in the text itself. And the most important and debated. Interpretive issue in the text. Interpretive issue in the text. Is how do we understand particularly the narrative stance. Toward Israel's call for a king. Because as we read the text. It seems to be ambivalence. Now that is the. Positive statement. This ambivalence. In other words it can't make up his mind. Skeptics don't use the word ambivalent they just use the word. Contradictory. The idea is is the author had or the committee had. Two sources before them at least two sources one of which was very positive toward the kingship. And one of which was negative. And as they tried to edit these these texts together they they couldn't and so they just left them both in. So chapter 8. The chapter 8 is. Is very very clear what Yahweh says to Samuel. Verse 7 listen to the voice of the people in regard to all they said to you. For they have not rejected you but they have rejected me from being king over them like all the deeds which they have done since the day I brought them up from Egypt. Even to this day in that they have forsaken me and served other gods so they are doing to you also. Yahweh puts this appeal for a king that has been brought by the leaders of Israel to Samuel on a par with their apostasy. This is just another this is just another evidence of their rebellion against me they haven't rejected you they've rejected me. And this is on a par with all of their forsaking and going after other gods. Beginning in Exodus chapter 32 of the wilderness generation. That has been reiterated obviously in the generation of the judges and only a generation before this. As a Samuel brought about the renouncing of idolatry and now they might not be at this point turning back to idols. In a public way but this appeal this desire for a king. That they have brought to you is on a par with that rebellion. So how can you read for Samuel 8 other than this is rebellion tell the people this is what a king is going to produce you're going to cry out. But you want him I'm going to give them to you but it's it's rebellion. Samuel says the same thing. Samuel says the same thing. The first Samuel chapter 12. Where he calls them to the covenant faithfulness. So verse seven so now take your stand that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous. Acts of the Lord which he did for you and your fathers. Jacob went down to Egypt fathers cried out the Lord sent Moses and Aaron. Brought up your fathers out of Egypt sell them in this place. The first night but they forgot the Lord their God so that they sold them into the hands of Cicero. And they had the Philistines in the hand of the king of Moab and they fought against them. And they cried out to the Lord the Lord sent the deliverers verse 11. But verse 12 when you saw that Nehash the son of the king of the sons of him and came against you. You said to me no but a king shall reign over us. Although the Lord your God was your king. Now therefore is the king. Whom you have chosen whom you've asked for. And behold the Lord has set him as king over you. This is now you have a king nothing really has changed. If you fear the Lord listen to his voice. Then God will bring his blessing. If you do not listen to his voice verse 15. Then the hand of the Lord will be against you as it was against your fathers. Even now take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord has done before your eyes. And. And Samuel then asked for thunder and rain. It's the time of the harvest he sends thunder and rain. Indicative again of a reversal of God's blessing. And once again as the people come in fear pray for us. Verse 20 do not fear you have committed all this evil. Do not turn aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your hearts I mean. Even the Lord sending. The Lord's message to you. And you know what I mean. And you know what I mean. When the Lord sendeth the thunder and the rain. Was indicative of the fact. That the action of Israel. Was not good. Yet in chapter 9. The 1016. 1016 we have the accounts of the establishment of Saul's kingship and how God gave signs and through Samuel those signs came to pass. Now there is a negative 17 through 27 that Saul is not excited about being king but in chapter 11 the Spirit of the Lord comes upon Saul and he is victorious over the Ammonites. So this is where it is said that the biblical text doesn't know whether the establishment of the kingship was a good thing or a bad thing. Now I think that ultimately I am going to argue for position C that the text is not ambivalent but we do have to note position B which I think is accurate to the text and that is the biblical text tends to be negative toward the kingship and I would also add toward Saul. Interestingly in chapter 9 Saul is introduced, 9-2, as having a kingly appearance not only choice and handsome but also tall or to use the famous terminology tall dark and handsome. That was Saul. He looked like a king. He had a kingly attraction. It's interesting that when we get to David, David is also going to be told he was a handsome young lad as well. Ruddy and handsome. He was red but he was small red and handsome as opposed to being tall dark and handsome. Well actually it doesn't tell us what his height was. It just doesn't make mention of it. By the way throughout all of Samuel only two men are characterized by their height, Saul and Goliath. You see being tall not only gave one a regal appearance but it was also indicative in the ancient world. If you were tall you're also mighty, a mighty warrior, mighty in battle. That's why chapter 11 is important. Saul's victories did not come because he had the natural characteristics of a warrior. He is victorious because the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. So and this is the new approach both moderately liberal and conservative. That is to read the narrative as a whole and see how different parts of narrative help us to bring together a total picture of what is being said. Saul is introduced to us basically as a natural man, as a natural king. By the way that's intensified by the fact that here is Saul who comes from a important family in Benjamin. By the way that if you know the Torah should start to put question marks. A man from Benjamin? But a man from Benjamin who has all of the natural characteristics of a human king and yet he doesn't even know anything about Samuel. Doesn't know where he lives, that he's a man of the Lord. All that has to come from his servant. He's sent to find the last donkeys. Can't find him. And his servant says well let's before we go home inquire of the man of God. Well who's he? And it is the servant who encourages him to go to Samuel. And of course Samuel has been prepared by the Lord for Saul's coming to him and the fact this is the one that he is going to anoint as Israel's first king. Even the narrative at the end of chapter 10 verses 17 to 27. This could be taken as Saul's humility. That when Samuel now is going to make it apparent to all Israel who their king is. When the lot is taken by the way it goes through the same procedure as Judges chapter 7 the finding out of Achan and his sin at Jericho. That's not the kind of a process I want for me to be found out as king. So almost the way in which the again the author has brought echoes of Joshua chapter 7 is a reminder of Israel's sin. And Samuel even begins talking to the people in verses 18 and 19 and reminding them again of their sins and their rejection of the Lord. But then we'll ask verse 20 21 he inquires brings brings the tribes and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by Lot and then the the matri family and finally Saul the son of Kish was taken and when they looked for him he could not be found. And what is the author trying to portray here? Having just been reminded of Israel's failures and the process a reminder of the of the finding of Achan's sin. All right basically here Israel's sin has found found them out and Saul so it can't be found. Saul might be the king he might know that God has called him be the king but he's not ready to be the king. I don't think this is necessarily humility. I think it is once again an indication that Saul has a hard time accepting the will of God in his life. He has a hard time obeying Yahweh and what is introduced to us at the end of chapter 10 becomes intensified as we get to chapter 13 and 15. He just has a hard time obeying the Lord. But nevertheless he was God's choice and again as I said not by natural endowment but by the enablement of the Spirit of God. He is a given victory and becomes the king who leads Israel. But going back to chapter 8 all right with all of this negativity the text tending to be negative keeps reminding us of Israel's rebellion in the past that has now been seen in their rebellion against the Lord in their appeal to have a king. But what about the previous text? Go back to Deuteronomy chapter 17. Deuteronomy chapter 17. Beginning in verse 14, When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you and you possess it and live in it and you say, I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me. You shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your countrymen. You shall set as a king over yourselves. You may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. So you're going to enter the land and when you say I will set a king over me, make sure your choice is God's choice. And make sure verses 16 and 17, now is it God's choice by being one of your countrymen whom God shall choose, but he will be a king who will conduct his kingship in a different way than the kings of the other nations. He shall not multiply horses. He shall not multiply wives. He shall not greatly increase silver and gold for himself. He shall not multiply horses. His trust cannot be in his military strength. He shall not multiply wives. Wives, the multiplication of wives came from daughters of other kings that one entered in to trade his with. His kingship shall not be based upon mere human diplomacy. And certainly his rule, his reign will not be for his own material blessing. Now you've got to realize verses 16 and 17 are a calendar to every other king. Okay, you're going to come into the land and you're going to desire a king. Now it's all right to follow through and have a king as long as it's the Lord's choice, who number two does not act like any other human king, but number three is a man of Torah. He shall write for himself a copy of the law. He shall read it. He shall learn it that he might not view himself as any greater than any other man within Israel. I might fear the Lord and follow him. So the whole emphasis of Deuteronomy 17 is when you get in the land there's going to be a desire to be a king. That's okay as long as that desire manifests itself in a seeking of the proper kind of a man to be the king. He's got to be an Israelite and he's not going to have the same trust as of the kings. Rather he is to be my man directed by my Torah, my instruction. Now if you've got Deuteronomy 17 in mind as you read 1 Samuel chapter 8 you can see where the rebellion is. When the Israelites come in verse 5, Behold you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us, like all the other nations. Everything was all right until like all the other nations. Appoint a king for us to judge us, unlike all the other nations. And if you're a man of Torah, you're a man of the Torah. You're a man of the Torah. You're a man of the Torah. Appoint a king for us to judge us, unlike all the other nations. A king who will be humble before the Lord and be a man of Torah, an Israelite who will be the Lord's choice to be our king. Now the thing was evil in the sight of Samuel because Samuel was a man of Torah. And so he was displeasing when they said give a king, give us a king to judge us. And so verse 9 Yahweh says after saying this is an act of rebellion, listen to their voice but warn them and tell them the procedure of the king who will reign over them. You want a king like all the other nations? You're going to get a king like all the other nations. And in fact sad to say that not only Saul but also David, Solomon and the other kings of Israel, both Israel and Judah in the book of Kings will all be tinged to one extent or another by being a king just like the kings of the nations. The king who will ultimately act for his own well-being and not Yahweh's that will bring great subservience to his people. Verse 18 you will cry out in that day because of the king whom you have chosen for yourselves but the Lord will not answer you in that day. By the way, that crying out because of the king that God had given to them does not finally manifest itself until you get into 1 Kings chapter 12. And you say well why? Because and here's a good place to go back to the map that is in the back of the word in the world. Map number four. We looked at this in light of Abraham's promise just a couple of weeks ago. But you can see that as the period of the judges comes to an end, here is where Samuel is found and basically this is where the Israelites were dwelling. And basically what Saul does is that Saul strengthens the Israelites and he is able to do that. And basically where they were they now have rest but it is a very limited area. They show that this purple like color, this is Saul's kingdom. But he is basically victorious and of course what happens is when you are victorious against your enemies you gain spoil. All right, if you're gaining well from the defeat of your enemies, what does that mean about your relationship with your people? Well basically you don't have to raise taxes. All right, that's Saul. Now we take a look at David. Well David was very, very expansive. That's the green, the area that he was able to militarily defeat. And then we've already talked about it and also he came into a treaty with the Phoenicians and the peoples north, this north area going to the Euphrates. They just, you don't need to come conquer us, we'll become your vassals. But once again you've got taxes and tribute. So by the time we get to Samuel, we'll intimate that in 2 Samuel chapter A, but particularly Chronicles is going to talk about all the wealth that came into David's coffers through his military exploits. And then you've got Solomon who takes over this kingdom and of course the taxes, the tributes coming from these conquered peoples continues to come into the treasury until Solomon then will commit apostasy and will give to the idols, give credence to the idols. And all of a sudden what happens is that God starts to begin to bring military reversals. Now you've got to realize that Israel has had almost a hundred years of knowing nothing but military victory under Saul and David and with the results of that in the first 20 years of Solomon's reign and then all of a sudden, all right now reversals start to come and people start to rebel, the taxes don't come and of course with Solomon's death you've got less tribute coming in and Rehoboam with his advisors, okay you've got to keep up the throne, you've got to keep up the pump, all right it's not coming from the outside anymore, so where does Rehoboam turn to get his money? Solomon's already started the taxes to build the temple and his house etc. etc. and Rehoboam basically says look, you come and say you want some relief from the taxes of my father, forget it, I'm going to raise them. And of course that they cry because of the king, because now they have become servitude to the royal house and even though the you know the ten northern tribes will will split, now all you got is the fact that two royal houses have to be supported. And so of course we still continue to see the decline in the kingdom's less and less tribute coming in from outside more and more of a problem. And Solomon, Samuel already warned this is what's going to happen. You get a king like all the other nations, yeah he'll fight your battles for you and he's also going to ultimately take a lot of tribute from you. But even with this warning, 819, no there shall be a king over us that we may be like all the other nations now specifically that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. Now there's direct disobedience to the Lord. Who have been fighting Israel's battles at this point and doing a pretty good job of it? Yahweh. This is a state of the world. This is a slide, we can't trust Yahweh anymore to fight our battles. We want a king just like all the other nations they have kings who fight their battles and win. And so the Lord said verse 22, listen to their voice and appoint them a king. There was nothing wrong with their desire to have a king. That was prophesied. Moses had even said when you desire the king, God will give you a king, just do it God's way. It was the proper desire but particularly here the wrong motive. And ultimately the wrong timing because God's ultimate plan for Israel is to give them a king in the line of Judah and the family of David. And of course at this point David has not yet been born. But what is emphasized, I mean that's just inferential, wrong timing because obviously God's choice for the king has not yet come upon the scene so obviously it's the wrong timing. And therefore it continues to be picked up in chapter 10, year rebellion, chapter 12 year rebellion is the fact that they have not channeled their desire for a king through the direction given in Torah. They are shown in that way to be a rebellious anti-God people and so God is going to give them the consequences of their disobedience in the same way he gave them consequences of their disobedience. Chapter 12 as Samuel brings up in the nations that God brought against them during the period of judges. So I would take position C as the proper desire, right desire, it's okay to desire a king, but they went about it the wrong way. Probably don't they follow here the example of their father Jacob, Jacob who desired the blessing but went about it through deceit and disobedience. But went about it through deceit and disobedience. Gentlemen put this principle down, we not only need the proper desires we also need to pursue those desires according to God's instruction. Test your desires but also test the means by which you seek to make those desires reality. God wants to make sure you both have the correct desires and follow the correct path to see those desires manifested. To see those desires manifested. Now you want to be a preacher and teacher of scripture? Good desire. All right but how do you go about it? You know follow the instruction aloud. Well much counsel I was given early on I've seen in my life. You know if God has called you in the ministry let God let God open up the doors of ministry. Don't force yourself in to where God might not have called you. So you can you can have the proper desire and yet pursue it in the wrong way. That I believe was Israel's sin. From a close reading of the biblical text here in first Samuel 8 to 12. And that's why the text tends to be negative. Because ultimately it wants to remind us with the whole tone of what is being said that this was a sinful act on the part of Israel. Now God is here's the other principle we learn in Torah. Here's the other principle we learn in Torah. You meant it for evil God meant it for good. All right you had you know an evil way of establishing the kingship. But only it was God's will for the kingship to be established. You meant it for evil God meant it and worked all things out for good. All right at that point I just need to stop and see if there's any questions. I mean this is a this is a major interpretive issue. So I want to make sure that you understand what I said why I've said it. And any questions you might have. Again you got to take the text of face value. You know the Lord and Samuel you know the Lord himself or Samuel on two other occasions says this is an act of rebellion. I mean you got to take what the Lord is saying what Samuel is saying what the text is saying. It's an act of rebellion. But then of course you have to ask him what way was an act of rebellion. What is being emphasized in the text what is not being emphasized. And how does that show us what the rebellion is. And of course then Saul is a king like all the other nations. He's tall and even though the full manifestations of multiple wives and multiple wealth multiple horses are not necessarily seen in Saul the beginnings of that is saying. That there are the multiple wives and there is the. The beginning of wealth and there are statements according. You know to the fact that he desires the men of Israel to stay with him. That's his desire in Chapter 13 is his losing his army. You know wait a minute I want to multiply horses I want I want greater military strength and God you're taking it away. And of course that leads him to disobedience again shows that. That his heart is is self seeking not seeking the glory of the Lord. So Saul is a good indication now with David. We have a conflicted man. A man who wants to do it always way but again again finds it difficult because he's a man of human passion. And when he does it you always way he's right and when he does it his way is wrong and that's David. So and again the text makes it very very clear that. There were times that David too didn't do it the Lord's way. Question. Question. So. Just thinking along the lines of. How the older generation of Israel did not pass on the instructions to the younger generation do you feel that this generation of Israelites even knew the requirements. Of choosing a king. Yeah that's a great question the text does not answer. Obviously Samuel has brought the word of the Lord to Israel. And with great impact and great effect. First Samuel chapter three first Samuel chapter seven. It's interesting because really the text doesn't give us any idea and I don't think of it I can't think of any other text that really help us. But is Samuels weakness in leading his own sons in the way of the Lord so instead of being men of the men of righteousness you know men of God they become men of BL they become worthless men evil men. Men of righteousness you know men of God they become men of BL they become worthless men evil men. Is that indicative that and and remember his judgeship as I point out on the map is very very localized. You know so to what extent. Through all the days of his life or all the days of his judgeship is the impacting you know all of Israel as he retreated back himself somewhat into a tribal judge. You know that you know the text is. We have to say that we can only exegete what is in the text and the text doesn't in the end give us those answers. Is it the fact that this generation had been taught by Samuel and should have known and rebelled against what they knew. Or is this generation like the sons of Samuel that they really have not been taught by Samuels and the previous generation the things of the Lord and so. You know they do not follow Torah because they do not know Torah. It's interesting that. As I said this is rebellion like and certainly likened to the third generation's rebellion and and judges chapter two when they went after the other gods this is. This is this is just a great act of rebellion against the Lord as the idolatry of that previous generation. So some tantalizing hints that could be taken either way and I think I think of the end commentators are not willing to. You know to. To come down on even with the implications of the text does it really tell us that this was this was direct rebellion. You know this is an exodus thirty two because it's like into that as well the rebellion and the wilderness. Where you know what the Lord requires and you you refuse to respond and obey or is this you know a. A judges to a third generation generation issue where you're disobedient because you don't know what Torah says. At the end does it make much difference. At the end since still is you desire a king but you don't desire a king like Torah has has a told you that. Should be the manifestation of the king you desire you've gone you've gone about a right desire the wrong way. And it's because it has not been after the instruction of Torah and in the end. That's the issue not whether they were directly disobedient or the previous generation hadn't taught them. Again that the implications of the text can go both ways on that so. Other than the echoes you see within the text that. And it could be a both hand. It could be that the previous generation has not fulfill totally their task. And passing on the Torah but they passed on enough of it that they they should have known and so the text doesn't give us a clear indication of why. They are anti Torah just the fact this is this is this is their failure there is anti Torah as the previous generations of Israel. And so because of that God views this and and gives them Saul and will deal with Saul and deal with Israel. As as though they are rebels. At Sinai they are rebels in the wilderness they are rebels under the period the judges. At Sinai they are rebels in the wilderness they are rebels under the period the judges. All right any other questions. Go back to Saul. Use the story of Saul. Insecurity of election. The insecurity of election. Well if you believe that. That the election by God the choice of God was all to be the king. Is equal to salvific regeneration of the New Testament then you've got an issue. We're going to come back to this next week again with. The ministry of the Holy Spirit I do not see that as salvific regeneration. So Saul is is is is God's choice but he's God's choice basically as a judgment to Israel. You want a king like the nations I'm going to give you a king just like the nations. He looks like he looks like a king. He's going to act like a king and ultimately you're going to spare. Because you have this man of king in particularly David is going to despair. For about 12 to 15 years of his life for having to live under the authority of this king. You know before he's finally taken away by the Lord and David is established in his kingship. Now all of that you think equals salvific regeneration's you know. Salvation. Then yeah Saul is a is is an issue but but I don't see it that way I just see it as. As the fact that this all is chosen. To a position he's not chosen to salvation this this is not and should not be used. As in some way you know God can choose and then God can can discipline I mean some would say that God chose Saul I've seen this too that he was chosen. And yet that he failed and that that's a reminder that God will discipline the regenerate. You know regenerative man even using the New Testament to you know pass or save the souls by fire that are he he suffers the judgment the discipline of God in this life so he might be eternally saved. I. I don't think the text gives us any warrant for believing that the Saul was necessarily an eternally saved man. It doesn't tell us he was eternally. Unsaved. Either it doesn't tell us either way because that's not the point of the text. But that would be my answer to those who would. Be my answer to those who would. Say can we make an analogy between God's choice of Saul. To the position of king and God's choice of believers to salvation my answer would be no.
