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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Then the people asked for a king, and He gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, He made David their king.
God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’”
Acts 13:21-22
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
God had done so much for the people He chose to be His own, those who would be known as the Israelites.
This was the main theme of the opening words spoken by Paul in what was his first publicly recorded address.
In his message of exhortation, a message encouraged by the synagogue leaders in Pisidian Antioch, Paul places complete focus on God.
God chose the Israelites and then allowed them to prosper while being held captive in Egypt. At His appointed time and in His appointed way, He made the way for the Israelites to leave Egypt and then He was with them through more than forty years in the wilderness before making the way clear for them to inherit the land He promised as an inheritance.
It was quite a 450 year period for the people of Israel but God brought them through.
But what happened next? Did the Israelites show the Lord their appreciation for all He had done? Did they trust Him with their lives, remembering how He had dictated their future in the past and would surely do so in the future?
Well, not exactly.
For as we continue to look at Paul’s message of exhortation, he directs attention to how the Israelite people chose to be led once they occupied God’s Promised Land. Look again at his words here:
Then the people asked for a king, and He gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, He made David their king.
God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’Acts 13:4-20
Here we find Paul talking about how the Israelites asked for a king and indeed they did but what is missing is how leaders were chosen before this.
I’ll give you a hint. God was at the center of the choosing.
Indeed, look to the story of the Israelites after they took possession of the land God gave them and you’ll see they were ruled by people who were called judges.
What was the main qualification to be a judge?
The main one was to be right with God to the extent that He would want you to rule over His people. It was as simple as that. Go to the Book of Judges and you’ll see how there were twelve judges who were appointed to lead the Israelites after the death of Joshua. These rulers would rise up to help Israel conquer their adversaries and also lead God’s people back to good standing with Him when they went astray, something that happened quite often.
Now, while Israel was led by judges, other nations had kings and so the people of Israel petitioned the Lord to allow them to have a king as well. And as hard as God tried to convince His people that this was a big mistake, still the people insisted and so God gave them what they wanted, allowing the appointment of a king to rule over them.
The scriptures tell us the king was named Saul, the “son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin” and he ruled for forty years that were less than stellar. In fact, God ended up expelling Saul from the throne and replacing him with a young leader by the name of David, the son of Jesse and a man after God’s own heart.
Here we learn that God is more than ready to step in and correct things when His people mess things up. The people wanted their own king and so God allowed them to do it. But when the people showed they couldn’t put the right man in power, God took over and did it Himself. He fully knew that David would be obedient to “everything” the Lord wanted him to do.
And so it was. Yes, David was far from perfect. He sinned just like any other person and we learn that being chosen to lead isn’t a panacea for the problem of sinfulness, which every person is afflicted with.
But what made him successful, outside of his lapses of judgment and the transgressions that resulted, was that he was indeed a man who placed God first and when that happened, David found himself in first place as a leader.
Friends, this is the exhortation found in these two verses. We are less than perfect just like the people of Israel, often times like sheep without a shepherd and God knows it. So in times when we need special leadership and direction, God will choose the right person to govern and guide His people. Our currency in America carries the four words: “In God We Trust”. As we go through this thing called life, let’s vow to do this better, to trust the Lord who never falls short of being trustworthy. His people can always rely on Him. It was true in biblical times and it’s still true today.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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