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The First King of Israel: Saul - The Book of 1 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then Samuel took a vial of oil,
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  Speaker 1: and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said,
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  Speaker 1: Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to
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  Speaker 1: be captain over his inheritance? 1 Samuel 10.1 God, as
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  Speaker 1: this new day greets me, thank you for being the
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  Speaker 1: God of twenty-four hours. I thank you that, like Saul,
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  Speaker 1: You can send someone into my life to change the
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  Speaker 1: trajectory of my future. Guide my feet and my actions
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  Speaker 1: so that I will be able to cross paths with
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  Speaker 1: designated destiny igniters. I declare that my name is being
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  Speaker 1: spoken in rooms I have not yet entered into. I
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  Speaker 1: thank you that you've already prepared my promotion and you
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  Speaker 1: know the date of my elevations. Place men and women
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  Speaker 1: of God around me that will help guide and teach
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  Speaker 1: me the position of influence that I am about to
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  Speaker 1: walk in. Enlarge my heart so that I will have
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  Speaker 1: a newfound passion and love for the calling and assignment
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  Speaker 1: you've created for me. I declare that I am ready,
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  Speaker 1: and even in my weaknesses, I know that I am
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  Speaker 1: still covered. because I have not rejected you as king
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  Speaker 1: over my life, Lord. So, I will arise. I will
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  Speaker 1: take the weapons and gifts you've given me and take
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  Speaker 1: territory for your kingdom. I'm ready. Let's do this, God.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story brought to you.
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  Speaker 2: The first king of Israel, Saul. In our last story,
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  Speaker 2: Israel cried out for a king. Israel, God's chosen people,
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  Speaker 2: shouted and begged for a king to rule over them.
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  Speaker 2: Despite Samuel's warnings, Israel desired for a man to reign
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  Speaker 2: over them completely and protect them from their enemies. Now
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  Speaker 2: we see God acknowledging their desires by raising up a king.
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  Speaker 2: For Israel's first king, God chooses Saul. And with Saul
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  Speaker 2: begins a story that would pave the way for God's
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  Speaker 2: true king and savior.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we learned
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  Speaker 3: that Samuel served God faithfully as Israel's judge and prophet
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  Speaker 3: for many years. And because the people turned back to
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  Speaker 3: God and cast out their idols, God prospered the nation greatly.
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  Speaker 3: But Israel's longing to be like other nations was too great,
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  Speaker 3: and they ultimately insisted on being given an earthly king,
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  Speaker 3: just like the rest of the world. This grieved God
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  Speaker 3: as they were rejecting not Samuel, but God himself. But
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  Speaker 3: God would not force his children to follow him. He
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  Speaker 3: never does. And after warning Israel that having a king
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  Speaker 3: would not go as they desired, God told Samuel to
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  Speaker 3: give them what they wanted. Today, we'll hear of the
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  Speaker 3: first king that God raises up for Israel. Saul had
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  Speaker 3: all the makings of a king, strength, good looks, wealth, charm,
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  Speaker 3: and yet he was also humble, at least at that moment.
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  Speaker 3: Saul will seem to be the right man for the job.
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  Speaker 3: Let's listen now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Despite Saul's stature, wealth, and good looks, he was a
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  Speaker 2: relatively humble young man. He enjoyed tending to his father's
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  Speaker 2: land One day, one of Kish's donkeys went missing, so
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  Speaker 2: he sent Saul out to look for it. Saul and
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  Speaker 2: his servant went looking for the donkey and searched all
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  Speaker 2: the nearby villages to no avail. When they ventured through
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  Speaker 2: the land of Zulf, days had passed, and Saul grew worried.
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  Speaker 2: Saul said to his servant, We should return. I am
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  Speaker 2: sure my father is more anxious about our safety than
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  Speaker 2: the donkey's. Saul's servant stopped him and said, I heard
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  Speaker 2: that there is a man of God in this city.
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  Speaker 2: The people hold him in high esteem. Maybe he can
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  Speaker 2: tell us where we should go. So the two men
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  Speaker 2: gathered some gifts to bring to the prophet. They went
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  Speaker 2: up the hill to the city that rested above. As
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  Speaker 2: they were on their way, God came to Samuel and said,
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  Speaker 2: I have heard the people's cries for a king. Tomorrow
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  Speaker 2: I will reveal to you Israel's first king. He shall
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  Speaker 2: deliver my people from the Philistines. The next day Samuel
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  Speaker 2: saw Saul and his servant approaching his home. God whispered
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  Speaker 2: to Samuel, saying, There is the man who shall restrain
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  Speaker 2: my people. Saul approached Samuel. He stood a few feet
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  Speaker 2: above him, and his smile was infectious. Clearly Saul was
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  Speaker 2: a man of charisma. Someone people would not mind following.
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  Speaker 2: Where might I be able to find the prophet? Saul
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  Speaker 2: asked politely. I am the prophet, Samuel answered. Without prompting
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  Speaker 2: or explanation, Samuel took Saul and said, Go up before
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  Speaker 2: me to the high place where we make sacrifices. Today
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  Speaker 2: you and I shall eat together, and I will reveal
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  Speaker 2: the deepest desires of your mind. Saul was confused by
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  Speaker 2: the request, for all he wanted to do was ask
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  Speaker 2: about his donkeys. Before Saul got a chance to ask,
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  Speaker 2: Samuel said, Saul was dumbfounded. Not only did this prophet
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  Speaker 2: know about his donkeys, but he wanted to eat with
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  Speaker 2: him near the altar of God. Saul asked, Without an answer,
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  Speaker 2: Samuel took Saul up to the hall. He asked the
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  Speaker 2: cook to prepare a meal, and Saul sat down with
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  Speaker 2: Samuel among thirty other people. They spent the night there,
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  Speaker 2: and Saul lay awake, wondering what was happening to him.
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  Speaker 2: An anxious excitement rushed over Saul, though he did not
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  Speaker 2: know why. The prophet spoke to him in riddle and ambiguity.
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  Speaker 2: So Saul waited patiently to find out why he was
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  Speaker 2: being kept. Samuel sent Saul's servant back home. and took
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  Speaker 2: Saul on a walk through the streets of the city.
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  Speaker 2: It was still dawn, and the sunlight trickled in through
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  Speaker 2: the alleys. The city was still quiet and undisturbed. Samuel
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  Speaker 2: and Saul walked silently in the coolness of morning. Samuel
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  Speaker 2: took Saul up to a secluded place. The sun was
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  Speaker 2: breaking over the horizon, and the people were stirring below
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  Speaker 2: in the city. The two of them sat on a
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  Speaker 2: rock and looked down at the people. The men and
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  Speaker 2: women of the city began their work. while the children
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  Speaker 2: played on the streets. It was a beautiful sight. Samuel
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  Speaker 2: took a flask of oil and poured it over Samuel's head.
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  Speaker 2: Samuel kissed him on the cheek and said, God has
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  Speaker 2: anointed you to be the king over his people. Saul's
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  Speaker 2: eyes widened, but he did not say a word. Samuel continued, saying,
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  Speaker 2: You shall reign and rule over God's people. The Lord
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  Speaker 2: has appointed you to save them from the fist of
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  Speaker 2: their enemies. On that hill, God gave Saul a new heart.
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  Speaker 2: Saul welled up with love and affection for the people
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  Speaker 2: of Israel, and he was filled with the Spirit of God.
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  Speaker 2: Seven days later, Samuel called the people of Israel together.
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  Speaker 2: A sea of people stood before him, and the crowd
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  Speaker 2: hung on every word Samuel said. Samuel spoke for God
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  Speaker 2: as a prophet and said, I brought you out of Egypt,
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  Speaker 2: and since then I have delivered you from every kingdom
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  Speaker 2: that sought to oppress you, But today you have rejected
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  Speaker 2: your God. You seek a king to rule over you
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  Speaker 2: instead of me. You will have the blessings and curses
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  Speaker 2: that come from having a man rule over you. So
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  Speaker 2: Samuel brought Saul up from the tribe of Benjamin. He
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  Speaker 2: stood tall and his head was above the entire crowd.
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  Speaker 2: Saul looked upon the people, eyes wide and afraid. Behold,
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  Speaker 2: Samuel shouted, your king has The people roared in applause.
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  Speaker 2: Trumpets blared as the people erupted in shouts of praise.
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  Speaker 2: The earth shook below Saul because of the sound. In
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  Speaker 2: one voice, he could hear the crowd chant, Long live
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  Speaker 2: the king. Samuel read Saul the duties of kingship before
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  Speaker 2: the people, and he vowed to rule and protect them
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  Speaker 2: for all his days. Mighty men of Israel rose up
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  Speaker 2: from among the crowd to pledge their loyalty to Saul,
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  Speaker 2: and from there he departed to his home, ready to
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  Speaker 2: take on the Philistine army. Some doubted Saul's ability to
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  Speaker 2: lead and despised him, yet Saul had spent plenty of
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  Speaker 2: time doubting himself, so he paid no attention to their protests.
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  Speaker 2: Saul held his peace and readied his sword and shield.
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  Speaker 2: With a deep breath and calm spirit, Saul began his
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  Speaker 2: march against the enemies of God.
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  Speaker 3: We begin the story today with a man named Saul.
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  Speaker 3: He was physically imposing, young, handsome, and wealthy. This would
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  Speaker 3: be the kind of man that the people would expect
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  Speaker 3: to be their king. One day Saul and his servant
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  Speaker 3: went in search of one of his father's donkeys. They
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  Speaker 3: searched for days without any luck. Saul wanted to go
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  Speaker 3: home thinking his father would be worried about his safety,
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  Speaker 3: but the servant told him a man of God was
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  Speaker 3: in town and suggested they ask him where to search.
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  Speaker 3: That man was Samuel. To an outside observer, it may
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  Speaker 3: look like that this was just dumb luck that Saul
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  Speaker 3: would encounter Samuel. But God's hand and his plan was
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  Speaker 3: in all of this. He told Samuel the next day
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  Speaker 3: that he would reveal to him the man that was
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  Speaker 3: going to be king over all of Israel. When Samuel
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  Speaker 3: saw Saul approaching him bearing gifts to the prophet, God
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  Speaker 3: spoke to Samuel saying, this is the one. So when
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  Speaker 3: Saul approached Samuel, Samuel then told him he was the prophet.
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  Speaker 3: Then he told Saul to go to the place where
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  Speaker 3: they would offer sacrifices and they would eat together there.
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  Speaker 3: Samuel told Saul he would reveal to him what was
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  Speaker 3: on his mind. Saul's response reveals his humility, even insecurity
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  Speaker 3: in the moment. Despite being a young, wealthy, good-looking man
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  Speaker 3: that cut an imposing figure, he did not think highly
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  Speaker 3: of himself. And in 1 Samuel 9, 21, this is
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  Speaker 3: what Saul says. Am I not a Benjaminite from the
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  Speaker 3: least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my
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  Speaker 3: clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe
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  Speaker 3: of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in
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  Speaker 3: this way? Saul did not yet understand that God delights
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  Speaker 3: and desires to take the least, the unlikely, even the
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  Speaker 3: forgotten people and do great things through them. God takes
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  Speaker 3: ordinary people and does extraordinary things through their lives when
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  Speaker 3: they trust in him. But Samuel does not respond to
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  Speaker 3: Saul's questions. They simply went up to the high place
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  Speaker 3: where Saul ate with Samuel. Then they rested for the night.
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  Speaker 3: The next morning, Samuel told Saul to send his servant home.
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  Speaker 3: He had something important to tell him. This was to
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  Speaker 3: be a word from God. Samuel then took the flask
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  Speaker 3: of oil, anointed Saul's head, and gave him the life-changing news.
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  Speaker 3: God has chosen you to be king of Israel. Saul
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  Speaker 3: would lead Israel in battle and God would save his
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  Speaker 3: people from their enemies that surrounded them. What a shock
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  Speaker 3: this must have been for Saul. What an amazement. He
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  Speaker 3: went out in search of a donkey and returned home
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  Speaker 3: as the soon-to-be king of the nation of Israel. All
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  Speaker 3: that was left was to tell Israel who their king
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  Speaker 3: would be. Samuel spoke God's words to the people, reminding
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  Speaker 3: them that they had rejected God and chosen an earthly king.
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  Speaker 3: Saul was pronounced king and the people rejoiced. They didn't
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  Speaker 3: care what this meant to God. They had gotten their
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  Speaker 3: own way, at least for now. Saul would serve as
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  Speaker 3: God's man, leading with confidence, calm, and peace that God
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  Speaker 3: had given him. And soon it would be time to
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  Speaker 3: fight the first battle against the Ammonites. We'll hear about
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  Speaker 3: that tomorrow. Dear God, thank you that you choose the lowly,
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  Speaker 3: the humble, and the unlikely to accomplish your purposes. That
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  Speaker 3: includes us. May we always be sensitive to hear your
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  Speaker 3: call upon our lives and obey you. May we always
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  Speaker 3: do the things that you have prepared for us because
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  Speaker 3: we know that we are your workmanship, created in Jesus
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  Speaker 3: Christ unto good works and for your glory. Amen. Thank
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  Speaker 3: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 3: God through Jesus Christ, then visit jackgram.org.