SERIES I --- THE NATION UNITES --- LESSON 10

SAUL CHOSEN

ISRAEL’S NEW KING

From 1 Samuel 9:26-10:27

At dawn the next morning, Samuel called to Saul, who was sleeping on the roof of Samuel’s house. ‘Time to get up!’ he said. ‘I will see that you get started on your way home.’ When they came to the edge of town, Samuel told Saul, ‘Send your servant ahead of us, but you stay with me, for I have a message from Adonai for you.’ From a flask, Samuel poured olive oil over Saul’s head. ‘This is to show that Adonai has anointed you to be the king of Israel,’ he said. ‘When you leave me today, you will see a sign to confirm this to you. As you approach Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, in the territory of Benjamin, you will meet two men. They will tell you that your donkeys have been found and that your father is now more concerned about your safety than the donkeys and that he is asking how he might find you. Later, as you approach the oak at Tabor, you will meet three men on their way to worship YHVH at Bethel. One will have three young goats, another three loaves of bread and the third a bottle of wine. They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves of bread. Accept them. Then you will come to the Hill of YHVH, where the garrison of the Philistines is located. As you approach the town, you will meet a band of prophets coming down the hill, playing a tambourine, a flute and a harp, prophesying as they come along the road. The Spirit of Adonai will come with great might upon you at that time and you will prophesy with them. Not only that, but you will actually seem like a different person. From this time on, do what seems best, for Adonai is with you to help you. After you reach home, go to Gilgal and wait seven days there for me. I will come then to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings and to show you what to do.’ As Saul turned to leave, YHVH changed his heart and the prophecies of Samuel came true to him that day. At the Hill of YHVH, Saul met the prophets and when the Spirit of YHVH came upon him, he prophesied with them. Some of Saul’s friends saw what was happening. ‘What is this?’ they asked. ‘Is Saul among the prophets?’ This is how the saying began, ‘Is Saul among the prophets?’ When Saul finished prophesying, he went home to Gibeah. ‘Where have you been?’ Saul’s uncle asked. ‘Looking for our lost donkeys,’ Saul answered. ‘But we couldn’t find them, so we went to see Samuel.’ ‘And what did Samuel tell you?’ the uncle asked. ‘That the donkeys had been found,’ Saul said. But Saul didn’t tell his uncle that Samuel had anointed him to be king over the people of Israel. One day Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet with him at Mizpah. ‘This is what Adonai says,’ Samuel told them. ‘I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the other nations that oppressed you. But you have turned against Me and asked for a king instead. Therefore, I’m going to give you a king! Stand up here before Adonai by tribes, then divide into clans.’ Samuel told all of the tribal leaders of Israel to come near to him and cast lots. When they did, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. Then Samuel had all of the clans or families of the tribe of Benjamin come near to him. By lot, the family of Matrites was chosen. Then the members of the family of Matrites were brought before Samuel and the lot fell upon Saul, the son of Kish. But when the people looked for Saul, he was nowhere to be found. ‘Where did he go?’ they asked Adonai. ‘Among the baggage,’ Adonai answered. ‘He is hiding there.’ Some of the people ran to get Saul. When he stood among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than anyone else. ‘Here is the one Adonai has chosen to be your king,’ Samuel told the people. ‘There is no one like him in all Israel.’ ‘Long live the king!’ the people shouted. ‘Long live the king!’ Samuel reminded the people again of the rights and duties of a king and wrote these things in a book and presented it to Adonai. Then Samuel sent all of the people back to their homes. Saul returned to his home in Gibeah, along with some brave men whom YHVH had moved to go with him. But some worthless men complained, ‘How can this fellow save us?’ They despised Saul, refusing to give him gifts, but Saul ignored their rudeness.”

COMMENTARY

ANOINTING

In Old Testament times, casting lots was sometimes used to determine the will of YHVH. A priest would reach into the pocket of his special robe, the ephod and pull out a stone which indicated an answer to specific question. All Israel watched as this process singled out Saul, the son of Kish, as YHVH’s choice to be king. Impressed with Saul, the people shouted {Long lives the king.} But YHVH, through Samuel, had already chosen Saul to be king and had anointed him for that work. In ancient times, oils and ointments were considered almost as essential to life as food and water. Both men and women regularly rubbed their skin with perfumed olive oil to protect it from the hot dry climate. This kind of anointing was such a natural part of daily life that people omitted it only during times of mourning. But on certain occasions, anointing was a way of showing that someone or something was special, set apart from the ordinary. At banquets for example, a host honoured the most important guest by brushing his forehead with a few drops of scented oil. At festive times people dabbed themselves with the {oil of gladness} as a sign of rejoicing. Even more important was the custom of dedicating persons or objects to sacred use by anointing them with oil. Following YHVH’s Command, Moses anointed the furniture and vessels of the tabernacle as well as the altar. Both priests and kings were anointed before taking office. The anointment was a necessary step in accepting their duties and was a sign that they were entering YHVH’s service. Sacred anointing oil was poured over the high priest’s head and sprinkled on the robes of other priests. Once a priest was anointed, he was part of the priesthood for the rest of his life. Making the holy oil was an art entrusted to only a few priests. The recipe called for a rich mixture of pure olive oil blended with sweet cinnamon, a fragrant gum called myrrh, sweet-smelling cane from India, and the spicy bark of the oriental cassia tree. This oil was so special that it could not be used for ordinary anointing. In fact, anyone found trying to duplicate the recipe could be killed. Kings may have been anointed with this special oil too, for the office of king was a religious one. In ancient Israel, the king was not just a political leader. He was also a spiritual leader who worked with the priests to govern Israel. For this reason, the prophets anointed the kings, pouring oil over their heads. Years later this rite became the responsibility of the priests. Anointing gave the king the authority to act as YHVH’s chosen ruler. He was called {Adonai’s anointed,} serving Adonai as His representative.

"The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit, than seven men that can render a reason."

Pr 26

Are you ready to commemorate the sacrifice of the Messiah? Have you ever wondered how you could adopt the observances of the first century Christians on how they did this? Well, here's a layman's explanation on how to commemorate Yeshua's sacrifice!

https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/commemorating

I know its not prep day yet, but i thought tomorrow might be really busy for me, so i thought id share this weeks link. Its for a Torah study that never really took off and is a blog now instead. Leave a comment if you drop by, please!

https://discord.gg/tRe3VT5c

Live at 7:30 PM Eastern Standard time, Green Pastures or dry hay. Listen where you get your favorite podcasts, use the player on our homepage or here https://www.spreaker.com/show/....give-god-90-episode- With a free account you can join the chat or leave a message, please consider liking and sharing these podcasts.

I just need a like-minded place to vent for a moment, in order to clear my head. Our family participates in a "Christian" Homeschool Co-op on Thursdays. I love teaching and expressed an interest in teaching, which was initially well-received until it came up that our family participates in Home Worship, rather than 'belonging to a church'. It was then explained that, following my application to teach, I would have to meet with a pastor at the host church to discuss doctrine and there was discussion about having to agree with "The Apostles Creed". I'm a bit bothered by this, as not only is The Apostles Creed Catholic and not in Scripture but, it's also requiring a person to agree with the Catholic (Satanic) church. Why is belonging to a church or agreeing to man-made doctrine a requirement to teach, rather than obeying Scripture and agreeing not to teach anything that contradicts Scripture?!
Moments after finding out about this, I was summoned to the classroom my 7 year old was in because he was being disrespectful and argued when, as he reported, "the teacher lied to the kids" by telling them that Christmas is "Jesus'" birthday. So, it's okay to teach kids a bald-face lie that even most of Christianity admits isn't truth but, I can't teach because I don't follow man-made doctrine? UGH!

I know that it's the world we live in and the price we pay for participating in a "Christian" group but, I'm merely frustrated and wanted to take a moment to vent while dinner finishes cooking. Thanks for being my outlet and prayers are greatly appreciated. I miss teaching but, I absolutely will not comprimise my beliefs in YHWH's word in order to be a resource for others!!!

And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the LORD regularly.
Exodus 28:30

Josephus wrote that one of the High Priest's divining stones (the urim and thumim) used to shine in God's presence, but it stopped about 100 years BC. Is this true? Nobody knows. Nobody knows much of anything at all about these two stones.

"Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? more hope is of a fool than of him."

Pr 26

SERIES I --- THE NATION UNITES --- LESSON 09

SAUL ANOINTED KING

THAT STRANGE SEARCH FOR DONKEYS

From 1 Samuel 9:1-25

During the time of Samuel, Kish was a rich and powerful man of the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, grandson of Zeror, great-grandson of Becorath and great-great grandson of Aphiah. His son Saul was tall and handsome, head and shoulders above any other man in Israel. One day Kish’s donkeys wandered away, so he asked Saul to look for them. ‘Take a servant with you and see if you can find them,’ Kish told his son. Saul and the servant looked through the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalisha, but they couldn’t find the donkeys. They went through the land of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. They were nowhere to be found in the land of Benjamin or the land of Zuph. ‘Father is probably more concerned about us than the donkeys by now,’ Saul said to the servant. ‘Let’s go home!’ ‘But there is a man of YHVH in this village who is greatly honoured,’ the servant told Saul. ‘Whatever he says is true. We should ask him about the donkeys.’ ‘What can we give him?’ Saul asked. ‘Our sacks have no more bread in them and we have nothing else with us to give.’ ‘Well, I have a quarter of a shekel of silver,’ said the servant. ‘Why don’t you give that to him? Perhaps he will tell us what we want to know so we can be on our way.’ ‘Good,’ said Saul. ‘Let’s go to see him.’ They went into the village where the man of YHVH lived. At that time prophets were called seers, so they asked people about the seer in town. As they were climbing the steep road that led into the village, Saul and the servant met some girls going to the well to draw water. ‘Is the seer in this town?’ they asked. ‘Yes, but you’d better hurry,’ the girls answered. ‘He has come back home today to eat with some people before the sacrifice on the high place. You will find him just inside the city gates. But he will soon leave for the meal, for the people will not begin until he comes to bless the sacrifice.’ Saul and the servant hurried up the hill, just in time to meet Samuel as he was leaving for the sacrificial meal. Saul and the servant didn’t know that Adonai had already talked to Samuel about them the day before they arrived. ‘Tomorrow about this same time I will send a man from the land of Benjamin,’ Adonai had said. ‘You will anoint him to become the ruler of My people Israel. He is the man who will save them from the Philistines, for I have heard the cry of My people and have seen how they are afflicted.’ When Saul arrived at the village, Adonai spoke to Samuel again. ‘This is the man I told you about yesterday,’ He said. ‘He is the one who will rule My people.’ When Saul arrived at the gate, he came up to Samuel, not knowing who he was. ‘Where can I find the seer?’ Saul asked. ‘I am the seer,’ Samuel answered. ‘Today you will be my guest and eat with me. Now go on up the hill ahead of me, tomorrow morning you may leave for home, but don’t worry about your donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have already been found. Anyway, who has the best in all Israel? Isn’t it you and your father’s household?’ ‘How can that be?’ Saul asked. ‘I’m from the smallest tribe in Israel, the tribe of Benjamin and my family is one of the least important in that tribe. Why did you say that to me?’ When Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall where the meal was to be served to thirty other guests, he placed Saul in the most honoured place at the head of the table. Then Samuel ordered the cook to give Saul the best piece of meat. ‘Bring the meat I told you to set aside,’ Samuel said. The cook brought the leg and another choice cut of meat and gave them to Saul. ‘Before I invited these other guests, I had set this aside for you,’ Samuel told Saul. ‘Please eat it, for it has been kept so that you might eat it here today with these other guests.’ That day, Saul ate with Samuel, then returned with him to the city. After they had talked for a while on the flat open space on Samuel’s roof a bed was made for Saul and there, he slept that night.

COMMENTARY

RITUAL MEALS

A search for a herd of donkeys led to Israel’s first king! His name was Saul. He was an impressive young man who was tall and strong and showed an attractive humility. Saul was YHVH’s choice to lead His inheritance, Israel. Like people of many countries, the Israelites celebrated special occasions with feasts and banquets. A birthday, a sheep shearing festival or the arrival of a stranger was reason to bring out the best food and wine. Special meals also held an important place in Israelite worship. These meals were not eaten simply to end the day’s hunger. They were ritual meals -- meals eaten as part of a religious ritual or ceremony. Some of the most important ritual meals were those celebrated every year, such as Passover or the Feast of Booths. These annual feasts were times of rejoicing over good fortune in the present and of marking YHVH’s help in the past. The foods and sacrifices were carefully chosen to remind the people of their history. For a set period after Passover, for example, the only bread eaten by the Israelites was unleavened; today this is called {matzos.} It was; and is; to remind Jews of the manna YHVH sent during their years in the wilderness. Ritual meals were also celebrated with private sacrifices. The worshiper brought special breads made with oil and fine flour to eat with the meat of the sacrifice. Often close friends would be invited to pray and share the meal. Since this was a time set apart to gather in YHVH’s presence, people were careful to prepare themselves properly. Laws of purification instructed worshipers to wash their clothes, hands and feet before a sacrificial meal. Sometimes a leader or priest would offer a sacrifice in behalf of the whole community. Important men of the town would attend the ritual meal, wearing long white banquet robes. As they arrived, servants washed their hands and feet in a final act of ritual cleanliness.

The High Priest's uniform, described in Exo 28, was of a very intricate design. It was simple and complex: white linen in one part, multi-colored with woven gold in others. Like Torah and Messiah, The High Priest isn't just one thing, but many simultaneously.

The 2 onyx stones on the High Priest's uniform have the names of the 12 tribes inscribed on them and are intended for a memorial, but of what and for whom? The priest can't see them easily because they are mounted on his shoulders. They're a memorial to the priest of his responsibility to Heaven for the spiritual health of the nation, but they point upward, so they're also a memorial to God of the 12 tribes and the divided nation.

The breastplate of judgment, adorned with twelve precious stones, is worn over the High Priest's heart. This is a reminder that his role as a judge of Israel must be guided by mercy and righteousness. Stones in Scripture often represent people and these represent the tribes of Israel.

#tetzaveh