Understanding the Calling of God
The Call of God is never something to be taken lightly but should be regarded with the highest dedication
God's Authentic Call as Understood through Eli and Samuel
We are considering the time of the Judges: The people are now knee-deep in idolatry, and it is getting worse with each following generation. To verify, read chapters two and three of Judges.
Regarding the boy Samuel, we read, "Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him." The salvation of Samuel was in stark contrast to Eli, the priest, who was a glutton and passed on his sinful ways to his sons. They would steal of all things the sacrificial meat from the people. After Samuel came to know the Lord, Eli, in his ignorance, asked the boy, "What is the word that He (God) spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you" (1 Samuel 3:17; emphasis added).
The Lord told Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. "On that day, I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. "For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he did not rebuke them. "Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever" (1 Samuel 3:11-14). Eli was a priest in Israel, but he was depraved, not knowing the fear of God.
God's Authentic Call of Saul was Not Permanent
The reality of where people live spiritually is when they choose to follow a man rather than the living God. After Samuel warned the people that having an earthly king rather than God would not turn out as they hoped. The people responded, "Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." (1 Samuel 8:19, 20) What king ever fought a battle instead of the people? Sin is nonsensical.
When Saul was appointed king, we read peculiar words regarding him. "Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. "It shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, for God is with you" (1 Samuel 10:6-7). The prophecy came to pass to this point, "God changed his heart, and all those signs came about on that day. When they came to the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them. It came about when all who knew him previously saw that he prophesied now with the prophets, that the people said to one another, "What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" (1 Samuel 9-11).
Saul looked good, but not to God. The point of Israel appointing a king was all outward show with no inward reality. What if some people receive what seems like salvation? They go to seminary and perfect their theology as they know it, but then it all becomes about their kingdom while they say and even think it's about Christ. On the last day, many will say to Me, Jesus said, "Have we not prophesied in your name... And I will say to them, depart from Me because I never knew you." (Matthew 7)
God's Authentic Call of Saul Revealed His Rebellion and Pride
Saul made two gigantic blunders during his kingly reign in Israel. The first intruded on the priestly ministry, reserved for the Levitical priests alone. The point in this matter is intruding on the priestly ministry of Christ. When caught by Samuel, Samuel said, "What have you done?" The telltale comment from Saul was this, "So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering." He knew his actions were wrong if he had to force himself. He was guilty of sin in the worst possible way.
As in the story of Eli, at the start of Judges, he knew that his sons sinned and they could not be atoned for because they were sins toward God. Are the following words too harsh to consider as Biblical, or are they as true as all others? "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES" (Hebrews 10:26-27). Do such harsh words not also belong in the New Testament, or are we beguiled by one hundred and fifty years of God's love to the exclusion of His holy wrath?
Saul's second sin was allowing the people to disobey God by keeping the best alive and sacrificing it to the Lord. That meant they would not have to sacrifice their possessions, which amounts to greed and disobedience. His lack of repentance while threatening Samuel is in his words, "I have sinned; [but] please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, that I may worship the LORD your God" (15:30-31). In Saul's mind, sin merits honor, so he could worship not his but Samuel's God. He was a fake and a phony but he looked good.
God's Authentic Call Abolishes the 1st to Establish the 2nd
Samuel stated his view of Saul most clearly. "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from [being] king over Israel" (verse 28). Samuel then prophesied, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you" Verse 28.
The ultimate and best person is the Lord Jesus Christ, who will sit on David's seat during the millennial kingdom of Israel. God's authentic call abolishes the first to establish the second.
"After saying above, "SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them" (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, "BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL." He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:8-10).
Conclusion: Samuel was saved, dedicated to God, a judge, and a no-nonsense prophet. We would expect a gentlemanly spirit and loving disposition. However, God hates worldliness, especially in those who represent Him to the world and His people. Therefore, Samuel hated it also.
"Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites." And Agag came to him cheerfully. 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 hewed Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal'" (1 Samuel 15:32-33). The final blow that brought death to Saul was by an Amalekite in 2 Samuel 1:8.
Amalek (our worldly flesh) was put to death through Christ, and our call is to identify with Christ by faith, so it is put to death in us also.
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