In his well-known book, Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby describes “Seven Realities of Experiencing God”
The seven realities are: 1) God is always at work around you – 2) God pursues an ongoing relationship with you – 3) God invites you to become involved with Him and His work – 4) God speaks to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways – 5) God’s invitation always leads to a crisis of faith that requires faith and action – 6) You must make adjustments to join God in what He is doing – 7) We come to know God more deeply as we obey Him and He works through us
Blackaby argues that Reality 5, responding to crisis of faith, is place where most people miss out on truly experiencing God – He writes, “When God asks you to do something you cannot do, you will face a crisis of belief. You’ll have to decide what you really believe about God…How you respond to His invitation reveals what you truly believe about God, regardless of what you say.” – Most people, “If they cannot understand exactly how everything is going to happen, they won’t proceed. They want to walk with God by sight, not faith.” – But, he continues, “All of God’s promises and invitations will be meaningless to you unless you believe Him and obey Him.”[1]
This morning we are overviewing first 24 chapters of 1 Samuel and we’ll be honing in on early establishment of the kingdom in Israel – Lot of material there, but I just want us to focus on three main points in this section this morning: A Bad King, A Good King, both of which point to A Better, Future King
In reading this next week, kingship will surface as clear and prominent theme in overarching story of Israel’s history – But, this royal theme has been emerging for some time
Deuteronomy 17:14-20 contains a series of statutes that were to govern appointing and ruling of an Israelite king – In that section, God gave Israel permission to appoint a king of His choosing, so long as king did not acquire much wealth or many wives, and so long as he walked in fear of Lord and governed justly (17:14-20) – So, we might say that Deuteronomy provided for possibility of Israelite king
And then Judges, which we looked at last week, illustrates the necessity of an Israelite king – Infamous phrase in Book of Judges is: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6) – That is, in fact, how Book of Judges ends, with those very words – And what a terrible mess Israel had become as a result
So, Deuteronomy provides for possibility of Israelite king – Judges illustrates necessity of Israelite king – And Ruth, which we read just yesterday, describes sovereign and rather ironic work of God in bringing about delivery of Israelite king through Moabite woman – Book of Ruth ends with this statement: “Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.” (Ruth 4:21) – That is, King David – The foremost among all Israel’s kings
So, concept of kingship moves from possibility to necessity to delivery – And then it captures center stage as we turn to 1 Samuel
We’ll start by talking about A Bad King – Because inauguration of kingship in Israel was not as nice and neat and pretty as we might have hoped it would be
“4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” (1 Sam. 8:4-7)
Now, if you are thinking critically about this, you are bound to ask this question: If God provided for possibility of king, highlighted the necessity of a king, and sovereignly worked for delivery of a king, why is Samuel upset when Israel finally asks for that king? – And why does God say that, in asking for a king, Israel had rejected Him?
We have to note that Israel’s sin was not found in act of asking for a king – Rather, Israel’s sin was found in their motivation in asking for a king – Here’s the deal: at end of the day, Israel was to remember that God was her King – God was one who chose Israel – delivered Israel from Egypt – established Israel as nation – directed Israel through wilderness – and brought Israel victoriously into Land
God was capital “K” king of Israel – And His intent for human king of Israel was for that king to rule as a viceroy – A “vice-king” – A little “k” king who was fully submitted to will and ways of big “K” king – That’s what God intended
But that’s not kind of king Israel requested – Israel asks for “a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:5) – Remember, God’s purpose for nation of Israel, from top to bottom and beginning to end, was for it be a “holy nation” (Ex. 19:6) – A set apart nation – A peculiar nation – A righteous nation – A nation not like all other nations
And here is Israel asking for a king “like all the nations” – So, Israel’s sin was not asking for a king – Israel’s sin was asking for wrong kind of king – They wanted a king who was like everyone else’s king – A self-governing king who would acquire power and wealth and victory, regardless of cost – A self-governing king who would go out and fight his battles, his way, for sake of his name – A self-governing king who would rule over people and force them into unity and compliance since they could not seem to accomplish either of those things under judges
That is why Samuel is upset – And that is why God says that they have rejected Him – Samuel warns people of danger of rejecting God as king and receiving a king “like all the nations” – But, people refuse to listen (1 Sam. 8:19-22) – So, God gives them what they want, a king “like all the nations,” in Saul, son of Kish – A Bad King
God sends Samuel to find Saul and, in 1 Samuel 10, we see an act of royal coronation – Samuel anoints Saul with oil (10:1) and God anoints Saul with His Spirit (10:10) – Saul becomes the Lord’s “anointed one” – The mashiach – Or, in Greek, messiah – The king
And Saul quickly proves that he is, indeed, a king like “all the nations” – He has a crisis of belief moment and he fails to trust God – He offers an unlawful sacrifice, makes a rash vow, and disobeys Lord’s clear command for battle – In all of this, Saul proves that he is a self-governing king – A king who fights his battles, his way, for sake of his name – It causes great suffering for Israel, and it costs Saul the kingdom
1 Sam. 13:13-14, 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Having allowed His people to taste what it was like to have a “king like all the nations,” God now rejects Saul, A Bad King, and raises up A Good King – A king who after his own heart: King David, whose delivery announced at end of Book of Ruth
And what we see in God’s choosing of David is that God’s qualifications for king are starkly different from Israel’s – Israel sought out a king “like all the nations” – God sought out a man after His own heart – A man who knew, no matter what title he was given, he would only ever be a little “k” king – A vice-king who would live and rule according to God’s will and God’s ways – A vice-king who would fight God’s battles, God’s way, for sake of God’s name – A vice-king who would shepherd God’s people with righteousness and justice – God chose a man after His own heart
And, once again, God sends Samuel to find David, a shepherd and the youngest of Jesse’s sons, and to perform another royal coronation: Samuel anoints David with oil and God anoints David with His Spirit (1 Sam. 16:13) – David has now assumed role of Lord’s “anointed one” – The mashiach – Messiah – And God, in His sovereignty, will now decisively put away A Bad King as He exalts A Good King
We see this most emphatically in very next chapter, 1 Samuel 17 – Story of David and Goliath
If familiar with story, may remember that Philistines had gathered their army in Judah to fight against Israel – Saul gathered his army in response – Philistines had encamped on slope of one mountain – Israelites had gathered on slope of next – But rather than engaging in full-scale war, which would have meant devastating loss for both sides, they resorted to representative warfare – A “contest of champions” in which each army would send out their best warrior to fight on entire army’s behalf – So that fate of army would be decided by fate of its champion
Philistine’s champion was a behemoth of a man named Goliath, a man who was over nine feet tall, wore 125 pounds of finely crafted bronze armor, and was armed with a sword, a shield, and bronze javelin whose iron head weighed 15 pounds
And the Israelite’s champion? – Well, they didn’t have one – Goliath went out and beckoned for a battle, but no Israelite responded – In fact, text says that, “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.” (1 Sameul 17:11) – This ordeal carried on for forty days – Every morning and evening, Goliath would trot down into valley and taunt Israelites – And every morning and evening, Saul and Israelites would curl up in cowardice
And then the anointed one appeared – David, who had been tending his father’s sheep, was sent by his father to deliver rations to his brothers, who were waiting fearfully among army of Israel – While at battlefront, David witnessed one of Goliath’s daily trots and taunts
And while others retreated with fear, David responded with faith – Because David believed that no man, however great he might be by world’s standards, could stand against promise-keeping power of Lord of Hosts – In his crisis of belief moment, David chose to believe God – By faith, David was ready to fight
His brothers tried to stop him – Saul tried to stop him – “You’re motives are wrong,” they said – “You’re too young” – “You’re too inexperienced” – “You’re too ill-equipped” – “You’ll need this special armor and sword and strategy, and you’re too weak to carry it” – But David’s faith outlasted all their fodder
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Sam. 17:34-37)
David gathered five smooth stones and his shepherd’s staff and went out to meet Goliath in a showdown – A showdown, not simply between a giant warrior and a small shepherd, but a showdown between Living Lord of Hosts and lifeless gods of Philistines
As David stood before Goliath, Goliath cursed David by his gods (17:43) – And, in return, David cursed Goliath in name of Yahweh, saying, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head…that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
And that’s exactly what Lord did – The shepherd slung his stone and struck the giant – The giant fell and the shepherd slayed him – The Philistines ran and the Israelites pursued
That’s story of how God turned a shepherd of sheep into a shepherd for his people – Of how God brought kingship in Israel from possibility, to necessity, to delivery – Story of how God put away A Bad King and exalted A Good King – A peculiar king – A king after His own heart – A king who would fight God’s battles, God’s way, for sake of God’s name – A king who would rescue God’s people from pit into which they had spiraled because of their sin
But we also know, that’s not end of David’s story – It’s only very beginning – And rest of David’s story, which we will read in coming weeks, proves that David, as good of a king as he was, was merely a type and shadow of A Better, Future King
David would not rule with perfect justice and righteousness – He would not secure lasting salvation, peace or prosperity for God’s people – Despite all good that he accomplished, he could not fully, finally, deliver them from their enemies – He could not fully, finally set God’s people free from their propensity to sin – David cut off head of Goliath, but he could not crush head of serpent
It would take A Better, Future King to do that – One thousand years later, God once again exalted A Good King – A Good King from line of David (Luke 3:31) – God anointed this King with His Spirit (Matt. 3:16, Luke 4:18, Acts 10:38) – He was the “anointed one” (John 4:25-26) – The mashiach – The Messiah – Jesus, the Christ
And Jesus would be a peculiar King – A King unlike any king world had ever known – He never acquired great material wealth – Never climbed political ladder – Never developed a great, powerful military – Never used His power to oppress and manipulate people for His own selfish gain – He was not a king like all the nations
Instead, He always did God’s will, God’s way – He always fought God’s battle for sake of God’s name – And He always shepherded God’s people with God’s heart – Because, He was, Himself, God in human form – His heart was not after God’s heart – His heart was God’s heart
And, though all of God’s people had long been held captive by great deceiver, who would daily trot out and taunt them with fear of sin, judgment, and death, Jesus would not retreat with fear – At every turn, wherever there might have been a crisis of belief, Jesus responded with faith and promise-keeping power of Lord of Hosts
And, in a move not even King David could have imagined, Jesus would defeat His enemy not by avoiding death, but by embracing it – He would accomplish His victory by His earthly enthronement – On a throne not of marble, but of rough wood – With a crown not of gold and ruby and sapphire, but of terrible, twisted thorns – At least they got the title right as they mockingly nailed it above his head: “King of the Jews”
It was here, on this throne, that Jesus won Great Battle by taking just consequences we deserved because of our rebellion against God on Himself – He was pierced for our transgressions, as we should have been – He died in our place
But that was only step one – If He’d stayed dead, we are to be pitied of all people –
But He didn’t – Three days later He defeated enemy with one, smooth stone – A stone rolled away as He rose from dead, crushing deceiver’s head and defeating sin and death in a final and decisive victory
And, having surpassed glory of His earthly throne, He ascended to His heavenly throne, where He now rules from heaven as Righteous King of Universe – This is what David never could have imagined, but we now understand – That A Bad King and A Good King all pointed toward A Better, Future King
Where does that leave us? – Well, it leaves to think about our own crisis of belief moments – I can think of a couple
Most immediate crisis of faith moment, is to decide whether or not you’ll align yourself with One True King of Universe – The King of God’s people
Jesus’s simplest, most concise summons as He went about preaching during His life on earth was this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
Jesus is capital “K” King of a universe filled with little “k” kings – Your life has a figurative throne: a focal point of worship around which everything else in your life bows down – And something will sit on that throne and rule as king of your life – Either it will be Jesus, rightful King – Or it will be some counterfeit king: yourself, another person, object, ambition, desire, ideal
And to allow anyone or anything other than Jesus to ascend that throne is sin – If Jesus is not your Lord and King, He is effectively your enemy – And for good reason –
Because you’ve chosen an object of worship that is not worthy of worship and is not able to satisfy greatest needs of your life – To give throne of your life to anyone or anything other than Jesus is to put yourself in opposition to Rightful King and Judge of Universe – And it is to make yourself an object of His righteous judgment, which you may experience in this life, and you most certainly will experience for eternity
But it doesn’t have to be that way – In face of this crisis of belief moment, Jesus calls you to repent and believe the good news of His atoning death on your behalf, His powerful resurrection, and His authoritative Kingship – To dethrone little “k” king of your life, to turn from sin, and to set Jesus on throne of your life by faith in His redeeming work and righteous reign
If you will, Jesus promises to receive you as a citizen of His Kingdom, with all accompanying rights and privileges, not least of which are forgiveness of sin, restoration to God, and abundant life of grace which starts now and stretches into eternity – That’s first choice to be made – To make Jesus Lord and King of your life
If you have trusted in Christ, you can fully expect to go on having crisis of belief moments for rest of your life – These are God’s invitation for you to know and trust Him more fully – But, in order for that to happen, you, like David, must respond with faith rather than retreating in fear
How do we do that?
Well, it starts by understanding our assignment – David understood God’s assignment – He discerned from what God had revealed that God had a plan of salvation for His people and for the world – David certainly didn’t know all the details, but He knew that God was at work and that He had a role to play – He understood his assignment
We, like David, have an assignment – We know, from what God has revealed, that He has a plan to bring people from every tribe, tongue, and nation into His Kingdom as they turn from sin and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord (Matt. 28:19-20, Rev. 7:9) – And we have a role to play in proclaiming Gospel, making disciples, and living lives reflective of God’s love and compassion in a broken and fallen world – That’s our assignment
At times, assignment can seem scary, can’t it? – Evangelism can feel scary – Mentoring younger Christians and helping them grow can feel scary – Training up our children in way they should go through parenting or even teaching in SuperChurch can feel scary – Living as salt and light in dark workplace environments can feel scary – Taking Gospel to hostile places on other side of world can feel scary – But we, like David, must trust in God’s power, God’s promises, and God’s preparation
David trusted God’s power – He knew that Yahweh was the One True God, the Living God – He knew that Dagon, god of Philistines was a fake and a fraud and figment of their imagination – David knew what God had done to protect and preserve His people throughout their history – So, He knew it would be quite a small thing for God to fell a giant for sake of His name – David trusted God’s power
So should we – And we have good reason to – Listen to what Paul writes to Corinthians in 2 Cor. 1:21-22:
“And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Cor. 1:21-22)
Did you catch what Paul is saying? – He’s saying that, through Gospel, God has established us in Christ Jesus, the Messiah – And He has anointed us with His Holy Spirit in our hearts
So, if you are a Christian, you share in Holy Spirit anointing of King Jesus – Same power that was at work to raise Jesus from dead now works in you by Spirit – And He will never leave you or forsake you – He is always with you, desiring to empower you for work of ministry to which you are called – But, in order to experience Him, you must move forward in faith rather than retreating in fear
Trust God’s power – Trust God’s promises – David trusted God’s promises – He knew that God had promised to make Israel a great nation (Gen. 12:2) – He knew that God had promised to curse those who cursed Israel (Gen. 12:3) – He knew that God had promised Israel a land in Canaan (Gen. 15:7) – David trusted God’s promises
So should we – Many New Testament promises for church to hold on to, but let me give you one as we think specifically about our assignment in God’s grand plan of redemption
John 7:27-29, 27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
Look at all that Jesus promises: My sheep hear my voice – I know them – They follow me – I give them eternal life – They will never perish – No one will snatch them of out my hand – My Father is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand
What’s that mean for us as we seek to be faithful with our assignment? – It means the results are not up to us – It means that our job is to simply be faithful to give Jesus a voice through our lives, with our words, as we proclaim truth of Word
We don’t need to worry about whether or not we say just the right thing or have just the right answers or if we are sufficient messengers – Because we know what Jesus has promised: that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will bow before His throne, and that He is absolutely capable and effective to call and keep His sheep – His promises give us courage to move forward in faith, rather than retreating in fear
Trust God’s power – Trust God’s promises – Last, trust God’s preparation – David believed that God had sufficiently prepared him for battle with Goliath – He looked back at his experiences protecting his father’s sheep from lions and bears and saw God’s providential preparation – All those hours of leading, feeding, and protecting sheep, which felt menial in moment, were God’s Divine development – David believed it – So much so that, even when Goliath came bolstered in the fancy, bronze armor of his age and Saul came offering unfamiliar weapons of war, David refused – Instead, he chose a sling and stone and trusted God’s providential preparation
So should we – What does that look like?
At individual level, means paying attention to sovereign foundations and experiences God has built into your life over years, and believing that He laid those foundations with a purpose in mind
What experiences, good or bad, have you had throughout your life, and how have they equipped you to minister to other people who encounter the same thing? – What have been most formative experiences for you as a Christian? – What are you passionate about? – What are you good at? – What do your Christian friends see and encourage in you? – What training have you received?
Don’t be surprised if God uses those things in your life to accomplish His mission – And, if you are still young, you may not have great answers to those questions yet – That’s okay – Just keep being faithful to walk with God – Trust that many of the seemingly menial things you do day-to-day are God’s preparation for your future ministry
As a church, I think it means paying attention to where God has put us, right here on corner of 21st and Oliver in Wichita, KS in 2025, and seeing unique ministry opportunities we have here at Wichita State and in our area – He’s recently given us a remodeled building and it seems He intends us to stay here for foreseeable future
I think it means looking at unique resources He has given us: staff, small group leaders, lay members of our church, partners both domestic and internationally, and asking what our church might be uniquely equipped to do
I think it means looking at how God has recently given us ability to train seminary students right here in our church
I think it means acknowledging all of these things, asking God to show us our specific assignment in His grand plan of redemption, and then preparing ourselves to move forward in faith, not withdraw in fear, trusting that we serve a Living God, with whom no man can contend
And, regardless of what shape or form our next assignment takes, there will be one, simple, time-tested, and trustworthy weapon for fight: smooth stone of simple Gospel, which is “folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18)
[1] Henry and Richard Blackaby, Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, B&H Publishing: Nashville, TN (2008), pg. 58-59.