Introduction

On the fifth Sunday we want to have more focus on the Lord’s Supper.

Above Jesus on the cross was a sign, written in three languages so that everybody could see:

John 19:19–21 ESV

¹⁹ Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ”

Of all the Gospels, John stresses the irony of the crucifixion. Here is the king that God has set on his throne, the one that they have all rejected.

And they rejected him because he didn’t look anything like a king.

He was from a poor town
He didn’t lead any military campaigns
He didn’t take charge of the nation and lead them to victory – he tried leading them to repentance

So in rejecting Jesus they rejected God’s king and God himself.

This isn’t the first time Israel has made a mistake like this. When we go back to the Book of Samuel we read of Israel’s first two kings. Saul, who is Israel’s idea of a king, and David – a man after God’s own heart. The book of Samuel is a proof of concept. Put the most impressive and awe inspiring man at the head of the nation without God, and he will fall. But when you put even the most unassuming man on the throne with God empowering him, his victory is assured.

So today we’re going to look at the kind of king the world values and the kind of king God gives us.

A King Like the Nations

The Book of Samuel follows after the chaotic times of the judges. Israel is caught in a downward spiral, always running to and away from God, going through periods of blessings and then extreme oppression as God punishes them for their faithlessness. And every time Israel repents and turns back to God he sends them a judge – a hero to save them from their enemies and bring them back to God.

But over the years, as the cycle continues, Israel keeps getting further and further away and each Judge seems like less and less a hero. The whole book ends with a civil war in Israel that was caused by a village raping a woman to death.

So Israel is in a tough spot and it’s time to end the cycle. Eventually we have Samuel, who’s the best leader Israel has had in decades at this point. But Samuel is getting old, and his sons aren’t worthy to take over his responsibilities.

So the solution?

1 Samuel 8:4–5 ESV

⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah ⁵ and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

We can immediately notice one problem with Israel’s request: they want a king to judge them like all the nations. Instead of being God’s distinctive people, a city set on a hill, they were ready to throw that all away and be like everybody else.

Given their history, that’s understandable – at first. After all, who was it that was oppressing Israel throughout history so far?

Pharaoh, King of Egypt
Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia
Eglon, King of Moab
Jabin, King of Canaan
Zebah and Zalmunna, Kings of Midian
The King of the Ammonites

So Israel gets to thinking “Maybe the reason we’re bullied so much is because we don’t have a king to stand up for us. Every time a Judge dies we’re powerless again. So let’s set up a dynasty and finally be safe!”

1 Samuel 8:6–7 ESV

⁶ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

God is not inherently against the idea of Israel having a king. He’s explicitly allowed it back in Deuteronomy and much of Israel’s hope in fulfilling it’s purpose as a light to the nations is associated with the king. Again, the problem is that they want a king like the nations.

Connect

AI can be a decent reflection of our popular stereotypes. Here’s what you get when asking Microsoft CoPilot to generate an image of a strong leader

Tall
Handsome
Wearing a suit – rich

Those are things we like to see in a leader.

One of the watershed moments in American politics was the Kennedy-Nixon debate – the first televised Presidential debate. Nixon had just gotten out of the hospital, refused stage make-up, and had five-o-clock shadow. Kennedy had been getting a tan on the campaign trail and had his team touch him up before the cameras began to roll.

So America got to see a tall, good looking candidate next to a pale and weak looking one. Nixon had been ahead of Kennedy by six points until people began looking at them. Suddenly, looking like a leader became one of the most important things.

And then when it comes to qualities of the our leaders plenty of people think you have to be mean. Some people prefer their leaders to be jerks! Someone who is decisive, adapts to situations, and doesn’t take no for an answer!

We like leaders like Saul!

Tall Saul

When God hears that Israel wants a king like everybody else, he gives them what they ask for. Immediately after Israel’s request in chapter 8, we’re introduced to Saul in chapter 9:

1 Samuel 9:1–2 ESV

¹ There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. ² And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

He’s tall
He’s rich
He’s good looking
He’s the kind of strong leader we like to see today!

But there are some dark hints that Saul may not be what he seems.

Remember that horrible story of a woman being raped to death and culminating in a civil war? That’s in Judges 19, and it happened at the city of Gibeah.

Look at where Saul is from

1 Samuel 10:26 ESV

²⁶ Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched.

And while we like to see a tall leader, there an important prayer at the beginning of the book by Samuel’s mother. It does a good job of setting the tone for the rest of the book.

It’s all about how God reverses the expectations of victory. It’s not to the strong, the rich, or the impressive. God raises up the weak and humble and gives them the win.

1 Samuel 2:1–3 ESV

¹ And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. ² “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. ³ Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

A literal translation of verse 3 could be “No more speaking tall tall” the word is repeated twice. We can smooth it out and say – “No more tall talk!” Tall being the same word that describes Tall Saul.

The Fall of Tall Saul

We start seeing the fall of Tall Saul pretty early on in his reign.

One of his first campaigns is against the Philistines and he’s told by Samuel

1 Samuel 10:8 ESV

⁸ Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”

And Saul does:

1 Samuel 13:8–9 ESV

⁸ He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.

You know what we’d call that today? Decisive leadership. Saul’s waited for seven days and Samuel still hasn’t shown up. And every moment longer that Saul waits is another chance for the Philistines to out-maneuver him, and a chance for his own people to slip away from him.

So Saul, being the tall and impressive leader that he is, seizes the initiative and offers sacrifices to God. If Samuel won’t show up to intercede for him, he’ll just have to do it himself.

And that’s when Samuel shows up.

1 Samuel 13:10–12 ESV

¹⁰ As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. ¹¹ Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, ¹² I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”

I’m not gonna lie, Saul sounds pretty reasonable to me.

The people were scattering
Samuel was nowhere to be seen
The Philistines were mustering at Micmash
I’m about to battle them whether I want to wait or not, and I haven’t sought God’s favor!

The ESV says forced, other translations will say that Saul

Felt obligated
Had to work up his courage

It wasn’t the ideal situation, but what more could Saul have done?

But again, the kind of king and leadership that appeals to us is not the kind God looks for.

1 Samuel 13:13–14 ESV

¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Saul is making the same mistake that all of Israel did when waiting on God – he’s looking at his problems and judging them from his perspective and standards. They saw a tall, rich and handsome man and thought “He must be a great king!” Saul saw the problems he faced and thought “I must do something!” Saul acts by what he sees and not by what God commands.

Saul continues to fall further and further by insisting on his way over God’s.

He continues to disobey God all the while insisting that he actually is
He let’s the people have more influence over him than God’s word
Instead of fighting Goliath himself, he sends out a young boy
He grows increasingly jealous of David, his competition for the throne and the hearts of the people, and tries to kill him
He even slaughters the priests of God in his pursuit of David

And so in the end, Saul has abandoned God, trusting in his own ways, his own might, and his own politicking to win the day. But when you stand against God you only end up losing.

Back top Hannah’s prayer at the beginning of the book:

1 Samuel 2:9–10 ESV

⁹ “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. ¹⁰ The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

A Man After God’s Own Heart

When Saul is rejected for his disobedience, we’re told of the kind of king that God will set up for himself

1 Samuel 13:14 ESV

¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

That phrase is often understood as a man whom God is just really fond of, because God just has favorites apparently.

We associate the heart with emotions, but in the bible it’s also associated with logical thoughts. Our distinction of heart and mind, I know this but feel that, are modern distinction that biblical author’s didn’t make.

So to be a man after God’s own heart is to be a man who thinks the same things God does.

Here we have a man who disobeys God – so he’s obviously not thinking the same things
Look at Acts 13:22 to see how Paul defines it.

Acts 13:22 ESV

²² And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’

And David does do that

He defeats the enemies who blaspheme God
He refuses to kill Saul twice because God never commanded him to

But even David behaves too much like the nations at times.

The infamous story of how he stole Uriah’s wife and then had him murdered to cover it up
One of the last stories we have of David is ordering a census of Israel – depending on the number of soldier he could command rather than on God.

Even the best kings of Israel still fail to be what God requires. Even the best kings reject God as their own king at times.

Jesus as King

So we shouldn’t be surprised that when Jesus comes declaring himself as king, looking nothing like the kings we like to see, that history replays itself.

John 19:13–16 ESV

¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵ They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” ¹⁶ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,

In rejecting Jesus they chose Caesar. They chose a king aptly described by Samuel when he first warned Israel of the ways of the king.

1 Samuel 8:10–11 ESV

¹⁰ So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. ¹¹ He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.

He will take.

He will take your sons

For his chariots
To appoint officers for himself
To work his ground
To reap his harvest
To make his weapons

He will take your daughters:

for his life of luxury

He will take your goods:

Your best fields for his servants
Your grain for his officers
Your servants and donkeys for his work

And in the end he will have made you his slaves.

These are the ways of the king.

Here’s the way of God

Deuteronomy 6:10–12 ESV

¹⁰ “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, ¹¹ and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, ¹² then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

The ways of the king is take everything that God wants to give.

But God also provides that which the king never could: himself

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

¹⁹ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Jesus is never said to be handsome. He definitely wasn’t rich. And the only reason he stood head and shoulders above anyone else was because they lifted him on the cross.

But he was a man after God’s own heart, who gave himself in complete submission to God and now reigns at the right hand of God.

Conclusion

Let’s not get mixed up in the ways of the nations. Their kings will do nothing but take from you.

The true king of the world gave everything to honor God and bring us home to him.

We remember the kind of king we worship, serve, and obey every memorial.