On Sunday, we continued our journey along Godsway 66 into 1 Samuel, the beginning of the history of the Jewish monarchy. The first part tells how the Israelites demanded a king, likely after the chaos of the period of the Judges, especially in figuring out who would take power after a tribal leader died.
However, the prophet Samuel gives God's response to this request -- you don't really understand what you're asking for. A king would place huge demands on the people, money and manpower needed to provide for both the military and the royal household. Still, God accepts the Israelites' desire and guides Samuel to a man who looks and acts like a king, Saul.
After some initial success, Saul falls short. He becomes too enamored with power -- thinking himself almost a god. And he becomes desperate to maintain that power, even to the point of seeing potential threats everywhere. Interestingly, Saul's successor will not be one of his sons, but will be another man hand-chosen by God -- David.
If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.
You can also listen to the Communion meditation and the closing benediction.
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