1 st Samuel 10-26

1. 1st Samuel 10-26 “Saul kept a jealous eye on David” (1 Samuel 18:9)

2. “I am your God, the one who rescues you from all your troubles and difficulties, but today you have rejected me and have asked me to give you a king. Very well, then, gather yourselves together…” (1 Samuel 10:19)

3. “Then Samuel had each tribe come forward, and the LORD picked the tribe of Benjamin. Then Samuel had the families of the tribe of Benjamin come forward, and the family of Matri was picked out. Then the men of the family of Matri came forward, and Saul son of Kish was picked out. They looked for him, but when they could not find him, they asked the LORD, ‘Is there still someone else?’

4. “The LORD answered, ‘Saul is over there, hiding behind the supplies.’ So they ran and brought Saul out to the people, and they could see that he was a foot taller than anyone else. Samuel said to the people, ‘Here is the man the LORD has chosen! There is no one else among us like him.’ All the people shouted, ‘Long live the king!’ Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of a king, and then wrote them in a book, which he deposited in a holy place. Then he sent everyone home. Saul also went back home to Gibeah. Some powerful men, whose hearts God had touched, went with him.” (1 Samuel 10:17-26 – GN)

5. “When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God gave Saul a new nature.” (1 Samuel 10:9)

7. “Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.” (1 Samuel 10:8 NLT)

8. “The Philistines mustered a mighty army of 3,000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and as many warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore! They camped at Micmash east of Beth-aven. The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns.” (1 Samuel 13:5-6 NLT)

9. “Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn't come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, ‘Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!’ And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, ‘What is this you have done?’ Saul replied, ‘I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn't arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle.

10. “So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the LORD’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.’ ‘How foolish!’ Samuel exclaimed. ‘You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after His own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of His people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.’” (1 Samuel 13:7-14 NLT)

11. “This vision of ultimate good being determined by faithfulness and not results is the point where we modern men get off.” – J.H. Yoder

12. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” • “Turning the other cheek isn’t going to work with these enemies…”

13. “The basis for the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount is not what works but rather the way God is. Cheek-turning is not advocated as what works (it usually does not), but advocated because this is the way God is - God is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.” • Stanley Hauerwas

14. Fighting the Philistines • Saul: “There’s no time to consult the LORD!” (1 Samuel 14:20 – GN) • Priest: “Let’s consult God first” (1 Samuel 14:36 – GN)

15. “The Israelites were weak with hunger that day, because Saul, with a solemn oath, had given the order: ‘A curse be on anyone who eats any food today before I take revenge on my enemies.’ So nobody had eaten anything all day.” (1 Samuel 14:24 – GN) • Jonathan unknowingly breaks the oath: “May God strike me dead if you are not put to death!” (1 Samuel 14:44 – GN) • “But the people said to Saul, ‘Will Jonathan, who won this great victory for Israel, be put to death? No! We promise by the living LORD that he will not lose even a hair from his head. What he did today was done with God's help.’ So the people saved Jonathan from being put to death.” (1 Samuel 14:45 – GN)

16. “Go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Don't leave a thing; kill all the men, women, children, and babies; the cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.” (1 Samuel 15:3 GNB)

17. “Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.” (1 Samuel 15:9 NLT)

18. “Samuel heard that Saul had gone to the town of Carmel, where he had built a monument to himself…” (1 Samuel 15:12)

19. “When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. ‘May the LORD bless you,’ he said. ‘I have carried out the LORD’s command!’” (1 Samuel 15:13 NLT)

20. “Aaron answered, ‘Don't be angry with me; you know how determined these people are to do evil. They said to me, 'We don't know what has happened to this man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us.' I asked them to bring me their gold ornaments, and those who had any took them off and gave them to me. I threw the ornaments into the fire and out came this bull-calf!’” (Exodus 32:22-24 GNB)

21. “Samuel asked, ‘But what is this sound of sheep in my ears and this sound of cows that I hear?’” (1Samuel 15:13-14) • “Saul answered, ‘My men took them from the Amalekites. They kept the best sheep and cattle to offer as a sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have destroyed completely.’” (1 Samuel 15:15) • “Why did you not obey him? Why did you rush to grab the loot, and so do what displeases the LORD” (1 Samuel 15:19)

22. “I did obey the LORD,’ Saul replied. ‘I went out as he told me to, brought back King Agag, and killed all the Amalekites. But my men did not kill the best sheep and cattle that they captured; instead, they brought them here to Gilgal to offer as a sacrifice to the LORD your God.’” (1 Samuel 15:20-21 GNB)

23. “But Samuel replied, ‘What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? • Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams.” • Rebellion against him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you rejected the LORD's command, he has rejected you as king.’” (1 Samuel 15:22,23)

24. “Then Samuel turned to leave, but Saul caught hold of his cloak, and it tore. Samuel said to him, ‘The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today and given it to someone who is a better man than you…‘I have sinned,’ Saul replied. ‘But at least show me respect in front of the leaders of my people and all of Israel. Go back with me so that I can worship the LORD your God.’” (1 Samuel 15:27-30 GNB)

28. “In their celebration the women sang, ‘Saul has killed thousands, but David tens of thousands.’ Saul did not like this, and he became very angry. He said, ‘For David they claim tens of thousands, but only thousands for me. They will be making him king next!’ And so he was jealous and suspicious of David from that day on.” (1 Samuel 18:7-9)

29. “Saul ordered them to tell David: ‘All the king wants from you as payment for the bride are the foreskins of a hundred dead Philistines, as revenge on his enemies.’ (This was how Saul planned to have David killed by the Philistines.)…David was delighted with the thought of becoming the king's son-in-law. Before the day set for the wedding, David and his men went and killed two hundred Philistines. He took their foreskins to the king and counted them all out to him, so that he might become his son-in-law. So Saul had to give his daughter Michal in marriage to David.” (1 Samuel 18:25-27)

30. “As Saul more and more realized that GOD was with David, and how much his own daughter…loved him, his fear of David increased and settled into hate. Saul hated David.” (1 Samuel 18:28 MSG)

31. “Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David dodged, and the spear stuck in the wall. David ran away and escaped.” (1 Samuel 19:10)

32. When the priest helped David: • “The king said, ‘Ahimelech, you and all your relatives must die.’ Then he said to the guards standing near him, ‘Kill the LORD’s priests!’…Saul also had all the other inhabitants of Nob, the city priests, put to death: men and women, children and babies, cattle, donkeys, and sheep – they were all killed.” (1 Samuel 22:17,19 – GN)

33. “The source of human unhappiness is an obsession with self. Behind it is the central message that the devil has placed inside our heads. That central message is, “Look after number one because you can’t trust God to look after you.” “Take matters into your own hands.” “Pay yourself first. Every cent that you earn, make sure that you spend it on yourself before you give it to some church, charity or individual in need and, even if choose to give, make sure you do it to get some other payoff like honor and praise or at least a tax deductible receipt.” The sin problem all comes down to one common denominator - me, myself, and I.”- Manuel Silva

34. “But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” (James 3:14-16 NLT)

35. “Envy is the worst of all passions, and feedeth upon the spirits, and they again upon the body; and so much the more because it is perpetual, and, as it is said, keepeth no holidays” (Bacon, 'Essays').

36. “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?” (Proverbs 27:4) • “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” (Proverbs 14:30)

37. Matthew 27:18, “For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.”Mark 15:10, “For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.”

38. “At the heart of envy is social comparison, a common and powerful influence on the self-concept. Much of our self-esteem comes from comparison with others. When one’s abilities, achievements, or possessions compare poorly with those of another, there is potential for a decrease in one’s self-esteem and public stature, and surely this is one route to envy…Social comparison can also stir up envy simply by heightening one’s awareness of one’s own deprivation…” (The Psychology of Jealousy and Envy” – Salovey)

39. “sorrow at another’s good.” - Aquinas

40. “Aristotle…points out that envy is felt chiefly toward those who are our peers…People do not necessarily envy the Rockefellers’ wealth, because the discrepancy does not reflect badly on them. It is only when the discrepancy between someone else’s success and one’s own failure serves to demonstrate or call attention to one’s shortcomings that envy results.” (Salovey, pg 7)

42. “Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn't have a swelled head…Isn’t always ‘me first,’ Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel…” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6 MSG)

43. “Jonathan became David’s closest friend. He loved David as much as he loved himself…. Jonathan made a pledge of mutual loyalty with David because he loved him as much as he loved himself.” (1 Samuel 18:1-3 GW)

44. “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” (Galatians 6:4-5 MSG)

45. Envy manifests itself in the resentment of others’ prosperity. • Envy manifests as judgment, condemnation and hatred of others • Envy is fueled by the expectation of deserving success and recognition over another person. Envy, therefore, is closely linked to pride, selfishness and greed • Envy is the opposite of love. Love rejoices over the good of another. • Envy seeks the destruction of another for the benefit of one’s own gain.

47. “He who is apt to feel indignation, feels pain at those who are undeservedly successful; but the envious man, going beyond him, feels pain at every one's success.” (Aristotle)

48. The witch of Endor • “Now Samuel had died, and all the Israelites had mourned for him and had buried him in his hometown of Ramah. Saul had forced all the fortunetellers and mediums to leave Israel. The Philistine troops assembled and camped near the town of Shunem; Saul gathered the Israelites and camped at Mount Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was terrified, and so he asked the LORD what to do. But the LORD did not answer him at all, either by dreams or by the use of Urim and Thummim or by prophets. Then Saul ordered his officials, ‘Find me a woman who is a medium, and I will go and consult her.’ ‘There is one in Endor,’ they answered. So Saul disguised himself; he put on different clothes, and after dark he went with two of his men to see the woman. ‘Consult the spirits for me and tell me what is going to happen,’ he said to her. ‘Call up the spirit of the man I name.’ The woman answered, ‘Surely you know what King Saul has done, how he forced the fortunetellers and mediums to leave Israel. Why, then, are you trying to trap me and get me killed?’

49. The witch of Endor • “Then Saul made a sacred vow. ‘By the living LORD I promise that you will not be punished for doing this,’ he told her. ‘Whom shall I call up for you?’ the woman asked. ‘Samuel,’ he answered. When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed and said to Saul, ‘Why have you tricked me? You are King Saul!’ ‘Don’t be afraid!’ the king said to her. ‘What do you see?’ ‘I see a spirit coming up from the earth,’ she answered. ‘What does it look like?’ he asked. ‘It’s an old man coming up,’ she answered. ‘He is wearing a cloak.’ Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed to the ground in respect. Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me? Why did you make me come back?’ Saul answered, ‘I am in great trouble! The Philistines are at war with me, and God has abandoned me. He doesn’t answer me any more, either by prophets or by dreams. And so I have called you, for you to tell me what I must do.’

50. The witch of Endor • “Samuel said, ‘Why do you call me when the LORD has abandoned you and become your enemy? The LORD has done to you what he told you through me: he has taken the kingdom away from you and given it to David instead. You disobeyed the LORD’s command and did not completely destroy the Amalekites and all they had. That is why the LORD is doing this to you now. He will give you and Israel over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will join me, and the LORD will also give the army of Israel over to the Philistines.’ At once Saul fell down and lay stretched out on the ground, terrified by what Samuel had said. He was weak, because he had not eaten anything all day and all night.” (1 Samuel 28:3-20 – GN)