Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / January 9 - 1 Samuel 9

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January 9 - 1 Samuel 9 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean. Here it is Tuesday, it is the
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  9th of January. And it's so great that you have
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  joined me today to read another chapter of God's Word.
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  And in fact, you have joined not just me, but everyone else who
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  chooses to take a moment from their day and lovely to have
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  your company, no matter where you are, close to me, here in
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  Tasmania or in the far reaches of the world, wherever you may
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  be. We have got people who are part
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  of this community from well, from pretty much all over the
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  world, Northern hemisphere, Southern hemisphere, Eastern,
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  Western, middle of the world blows my mind that something
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  like a podcast is able to be so spread across.
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  So far, So wherever you are, friend, I am so delighted that
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  you have pressed on play and that you and I are going to be
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  able to read God's word together.
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  What a wonderful world we live in that this is even a thing.
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  So having said all of that, let us do it.
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  Let us continue the story where Samuel has been given his orders
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  from the people and God has said go ahead, find them a king.
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  And that's exactly what he does today.
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  So join me, friends, as we read the next chapter in the story.
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  In First Samuel Chapter 9, there was a wealthy, influential
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  man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin.
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  He was the son of Abel, son of Zeror, son of Becharath, son of
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  a fire of the tribe of Benjamin. His son Saul was the most
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  handsome man in Israel, head and shoulders taller than anyone
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  else in the land. One day Kisha's donkeys strayed
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  away and he told Saul, take your servant with you and go look for
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  the donkeys. So Saul took one of the servants
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  and travelled through the Hill Country of Ephraim, the land of
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  Shalasha, the Shalom area and the entire land of Benjamin.
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  But they couldn't find the donkeys anywhere.
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  Finally they entered the region of Zaf and Saul said to his
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  servant, Let's go home. By now my father will be more
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  worried about us than about the donkeys.
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  But the servant said, I've just thought of something.
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  There is a man of God who lives here in this town.
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  He is held in high honour by all the people because everything he
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  says comes true. Let's go find him.
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  Perhaps he can tell us which way to go, but we don't have
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  anything to offer him, Saul replied.
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  Even our food is gone and we don't have a thing to give him.
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  Well, the servant said, I have one small silver piece.
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  We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens.
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  In those days, if people wanted a message from God, they would
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  say let's go and ask the seer for profits Used to be called
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  seers. All right, Saul agreed.
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  Let's try it. So they started into the town
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  where the man of God lived. As they were climbing the hill
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  to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water.
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  So Saul and his servant asked, is the seer here today?
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  Yes, they replied, stay right on this road.
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  He's at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part
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  in a public sacrifice up at the place of worship.
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  Hurry and catch him before he goes up there to eat.
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  The guests won't begin eating until he arrives to bless the
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  food. So they enter the town and as
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  they pass through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward
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  them to go up to the place of worship.
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  Now the Lord had told Samuel the previous day about this time
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  tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin.
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  Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel.
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  He will rescue them from the Philistines.
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  For I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard
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  their cry. When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord
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  said, That's the man I told you about, He will rule my people.
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  Just then Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, can
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  you please tell me where the seer's house is?
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  I am the seer, Saul replied. Go up to the place of worship
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  ahead of me. We will eat there together, and
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  in the morning I'll tell you what you want to know and send
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  you on your way. And don't worry about those
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  donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been
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  found. And I am here to tell you that
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  you and your family are the focus of all Israel's hopes,
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  Saul replied. But I'm only from the tribe of
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  Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the
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  least important of all the families of that tribe.
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  Why are you talking like this to me?
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  Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and placed
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  them at the head of the table, honouring them above the 30
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  special guests. Samuel then instructed the cook
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  to bring Saul the finest cut of meat, the peace that had been
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  set aside for the guest of honour.
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  So the cook brought in the meat and placed it before Saul.
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  Go ahead and eat it, Samuel said.
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  I was saving it for you even before I invited these others.
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  So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
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  When they came down from the place of worship and returned to
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  town, Samuel took Saul up to the roof of the house and prepared a
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  bed for him there. At Daybreak the next morning,
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  Samuel called the Saul. Get up.
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  It's time. You are on your way.
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  So Saul got ready and he and Samuel left the house together.
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  When they reached the edge of town, Samuel told Saul to send
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  his servant on a head. After the servant was gone,
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  Samuel said Stay here, for I have received a special message
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  for you from God, Lord, thank you for your love
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  for us. I love this chapter that the
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  author describes, that when you look down upon your people, you
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  look down with mercy. Thank you that this is your
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  posture. You look at us and your heart is
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  filled with mercy for us from your throne.
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  Yeah, you see everything and yet you still choose love and
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  justice and mercy, for that is who you are, God.
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  You are a just God of mercy and love and such righteousness.
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  And so we just praise you, our wonderful God, our mighty King,
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  and our loving Saviour. Thank you for being all that you
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  are for us, and we pray these things to you in the saving name
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  of Jesus. Amen.