THE LORD

Was With Him

Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. Then they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.  And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. Then the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not come in here!" Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). Now David said, "Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain." And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the City of David. And he built the city around it, from the Millo to the surrounding area. Joab repaired the rest of the city. Then David went on and became great, and the LORD of hosts was with him. 1 Chronicles 11:3-9

David a shepherd boy who became king and in the process developed and fought with many enemies including king Saul, was not a manipulative and controlling individual unlike many religious leaders I have known! It was stubborn, egotistic, rebellious Saul who was into control and manipulation and was concerned about himself, not others! God’s word tells us about Samuel’s prophecy and Saul’s change of heart:

"Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. "And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. "You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do." So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 1 Kings 10:6-10

     Saul, the first king of Israel, was not seeking to serve God, he was only concerned about lost donkeys. So when he received the spirit of God and was anointed as king, he was not inwardly prepared. Because of this, he soon lost both. King Saul, even though God have him another heart and prophesied among the prophets, had disobeyed God in not listening to the voice of the Lord as given by God’s friend and true man of God Samuel. Prophet Samuel said to King Saul,

"The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 'Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.' " 1Samuel 15:1-3

Saul did not do exactly what the Lord instructed him to do in destroying all of God’s enemies per His instructions. Saul in his egotism, selfishness and greed spared the King and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and was unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless was utterly destroyed. So the Lord told Samuel:

"I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments."  1 Samuel 15:11

It also grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night. Now some will find it strange and surprising that God wants to and speaks to people  about what is on His heart. But God who created the universe and everything in it including all its emotions, words, and vocabulary created the word friendship and trust. True men of God not only have the ear of God they also listen to His voice and know what is on God’s heart just like Samuel did.

Now King Saul, also an anointed one who prophesied with the prophets and had a change of heart given by God, did not know what was on God’s heart or else he would have done things He had done. Typical of egotistical man even when Saul was wrong he was still right. God’s word recorded:

Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD." But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed." 1 Samuel 15;13-15

But a prophet plus God is greater and carries more power and weight with God than any earthly King. So Samuel said to Saul words he never expected to hear. For those who reject God’s words will find themselves rejected:

"Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak on." So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? "Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?" And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. "But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."

Then Samuel said:  "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,  As in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,  And to heed than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,  And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,  He also has rejected you from being king." 1 Samuel 15:16-23

It does not pay to argue with God or a true man of God and to ignore God’s word which says:

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10

Those who do things in secret and not out in the light are walking in darkness. They have sinned and have by not obeying the word of the Lord and being accountable, honest and true men full of integrity and truth. They do not fool God nor His true servants. For  Saul also  told Samuel something that didn’t fool God because He looks at and knows the heart:

 "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. "Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD." But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel." 1 Samuel 15:24-26

Then King Saul not only sinned in rejecting the word of the Lord, but  he made another foolish mistake. He put his hand onto a real man of God who was God’s friend and prophet. This is something that even Kings can not do. God word records:

And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent." Then he said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God." So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me." So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel. 1 Samuel 15:27-35

Samuel did the job that King Saul did not do and he hacked King Agag before the Lord.  Samuel and the Lord had turned their face from Saul until the day of his death. God was sorry that he made Saul King over Israel. But life had to go on and He would raised up for His people a man after His own heart, who would do all His will. So the Lord said to Samuel:

 "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons." 1 Samuel 16:1

So Samuel did what the LORD instructed him to do and went to Bethlehem.  God’s word records:

And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here." So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!" Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. 1 Samuel 16:8-14

Many of God’s people get into serious trouble in the area of partnership, be it in marriage, business, ministry or a church. For they miss two important ingredients for success. The first is to hear and to discern the voice of the Lord. The second is to understand that God does not see as man sees for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. A true Man of God does not judge by what he sees but by the Spirit of the Lord. He is not  be fooled by smooth words and suave appearance of preachers, performers and con artists. Neither should any of God people be deceived or fooled but should obey the word of Jesus who said:

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15

"But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; "for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:17-22

God’s true ones just like Jesus, Stephen and others trust in the Spirit of their Father who speaks in them and not in others. They appreciate God’s word which states:

"Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, "the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, "who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." Matthew 12:39-40

"Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Luke 12:15

The enemy, even in the House of God, feels sure he has all the answers and holds all the cards. The answer is not in man it is in the Lord. But the man must cooperate or he is a good as dead because the enemy is very present waiting to come in. He does not have to come in we can resist as Joshua did. We can be as victorious and fight until the bitter end. The enemy is not as secure as he appears to be. It is all in one’s mind if they will just see. God’s people are to open their spiritual eyes and see who is their Lord and master.  It’s not the enemy it’s the Lord.

The Lord loves His people with a pure love and he desires to take them from where they were to a place that they have never been before. But they must desire to have His best in their lives and dance with the Lord. King David danced and sang and there were those who laughed at him. But he who laughs last laugh’s best and that is always the Lord! God has all His special answers waiting for His people if they will only walk with Him and listen to His voice as prophet Samuel did. God has all the answers and though they don’t fit right now, they will and when they do they will say—they knew it all along it would be that way.

The enemy has an answer but it isn’t the right path. He is liberal and deceiving pointing another way. If God’s people are not careful they will follow his direction and they will be easily led like lambs to a slaughter. They are not to be fooled by his smooth words and suave appearance for he is very deadly and definitely not their friend. They are to walk in Jesus Christ who is the real truth and they will not be dishonored, dismayed and defeated for the enemy is no friend to those who walk by the Spirit of the Lord.

WALTER KAMBULOW
EXTRACT FROM Called To Inherit A Blessing
http://walthope.tripod.com/called.htm