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A Study Of Prayer
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A Study Of Prayer Chapter 3
King Saul (1 Sam 15:1 NIV) Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. Saul was anointed king over Israel by the prophet Samuel. In the course of time, during a war, Saul, the king of Israel issued a command and it was violated. The important thing here is not what the command was, but that Saul had the right to inquire of the Lord and receive an answer because of his position of being chosen by God and anointed to be the rightful king of Israel. To find out who was at fault the king prayed to the Lord for guidance and by some means they cast lots to determine the guilty party. (1 Sam 14:41 NIV) Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, "Give me the right answer." And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. Now this method does not work for everyone at all times. Once again, Saul was a man in authority, the king of Israel. He had the right and the obligation to call upon the Lord for guidance as long as the Lord would have him to be king. You can’t use this method to find out who will win the Super Bowl. As we will see, when God rejected Saul as being king, the Lord would no longer give Saul guidance. God had replaced Saul with King David and Saul could no longer entreat the Lord and receive an answer. (1 Sam 15:16-28 NIV) "Stop!" Samuel said to Saul. "Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." "Tell me," Saul replied. Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.' Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?" "But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal." But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD." But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!" As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors--to one better than you. (1 Sam 15:29 NIV) He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." (1 Sam 15:30-31 NIV) Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God." So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD. Samuel then followed the Lords instructions and anointed David to be king over Israel. David did not actually assume the throne at that time. He would not actually rule over all Israel until the death of Saul. David was in effect a prince in waiting to become king. But, at the time that David received the anointing from the prophet Samuel, his fortunes began to rise and Saul’s began to fall. (1 Sam 16:11-14 NIV) So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. From the time that David was anointed to become the future king of Israel, the blessing of God departed from Saul. King Saul could no longer call upon the Lord and receive an answer to his prayers. When we pray we must pray for things that we have a right to pray for. Each of us as individuals must seek the Lord and find out from him exactly what our areas of responsibility are in God’s plan for our lives. In those areas, we have the right to seek the Lords face and receive an answer from him. We may not be kings of a nation like Saul and David, but we are kings of our castles, even if our castles are just a mobile home or an apartment. We have the right to pray for guidance concerning the things that affect those we are responsible for, such as our families and relatives we care for. In these area we can seek the Lord and expect an answer. In the course of time the prophet Samuel died and king Saul was faced with difficult circumstances. The enemy army was about to attack and the Lord would not answer him through any means. He became terrified and resorted to witchcraft and sorcery to try to find out what he should do, but it was a hopeless case. When the Lord refuses to answer, you can be sure that things are not going to go well. Resorting to sorcery got Saul and answer, but it was certainly not what he wanted to hear. He found out that both he and his son would die in the battle on the next day. (1 Sam 28:3-6 NIV) Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. The Witch At Endor
(1 Sam 28:7-11 NIV) Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her." "There is one in Endor," they said. So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name." But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?" Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this." Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" "Bring up Samuel," he said. (1 Sam 28:12-14 NIV) When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!" The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground." "What does he look like?" he asked. "An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. (1 Sam 28:15 NIV) Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do." (1 Sam 28:16-18 NIV) Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors--to David. Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. The important thing to note here is that as long as Saul was king and had God’s blessing upon him, he had the right to call upon the Lord and receive answers from him. (1 Sam 28:19-20 NIV) The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines." Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night. Saul And Jonathan Die In The Battle
(1 Sam 31:1-6 NIV) Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically. Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me." But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day. We must remember that when we pray, we must ask ourselves the question, do I have the biblical right to receive an answer to this prayer of mine? If yes, proceed. If unsure, search the scriptures to find out. If no then drop the subject and move on to something else. (2 Sam 21:14 NIV) They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land. It was not only King Saul for whom God would not answer prayer to during this time, but the majority of the nation. After Saul's death and David's rise to power God once again blessed Israel. So, we can see how the actions of one man in power can affect the Lord's dealings with an entire nation. That is a good lesson for all people in positions of leadership, from a city council member to the president or king of a nation. |