1 Samuel 10:17

1 Samuel 10:17 says, And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh;  Samuel once again called the people of Israel together unto the LORD at Mizpeh.  If we have decisions to make in the world today, we need to gather together, at least spiritually if we cannot all gather physically, and seek God's guidance as followers of Christ.  Veres eighteen adds, And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:  Samuel told them that God He had brought them up out of Egypt.  They already knew this, but evidently had forgotten what that really meant about their dependence on God.  We as Christians should never forget that we owe everything to God, and He has already given us everlasting life with Him.  Verse nineteen continues, And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.  Samuel then said that they had rejected God and demanded a king, and they were to present themselves by tribes before the LORD.  Anytime we allow anything to become more important to us than God is, we are rejecting Him, and He will allow us to do so.  Still, one day we will stand before Him and have to answer as to why we did so.  Verse twenty states, And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.  Verse twenty-one adds, When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.  God singled out the tribe of Benjamin and then continued on down to Saul, but when they sought him, he could not be found.  When God seeks us for our particular calling as followers of Christ, will we be found?  Verse twenty-two continues, Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.  They asked God where Saul was, and He said that Saul had hidden among the stuff.  Samuel may have already ordained Saul to be king under God's direction, but evidently Saul wasn't ready to assume the position of king.  We can have a tendency as Christians to get hidden amongst our stuff, allowing the cares and concerns of this world to come between God and us, and keeping us from assuming the position in the church that God has appointed us to.  Verse twenty-three says, And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.  They ran and got Saul, and it points out once again that He was head and shoulders taller than any of the other people.  Physically, he was certainly what we would look fo in a leader, but we should never base who we choose as leaders in the church, or even the country, on physical appearances.  Verse twenty-four adds, And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.  Samuel pointed out that God had chosen Saul to be king, and that physically there was none like him.  Of course, God had chosen Saul to be king because of their demands for a king in the first place, and not because He had said they needed one.  God may allow us to have what we want today, but that does not mean that it is always what is best for us.  I believe this also may be the first use of the phrase, God save the king, that we know of.  Verse twenty-five continues, Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.  Samuel then told all the people of Israel what the kingdom would look like, wrote it in a book, and sent them home to their own house.  We already know what the kingdom of God should look like, because it is written in the Book.  As we go to our own home everyday, we need to remember this.  Verse twenty-six states, And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.  Saul returned home to Gibeah, accompanied by a band of men whose hearts God had touched.  As we go about everyday life, we need to be accompanied, at least spiritually, by a group of people whose hearts God has touched.  Verse twenty-seven adds, But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.  Not everyone was pleased with God's choice for a king.  The people of Belial asked how Saul could save them and resented him.  Some people are never going to be satisfied with those that God chooses as leaders in the church today, and will be resentful toward them.  We are told that Saul held his peace.  He could have exerted his authority as king and punished them, but he didn't.  God could also exert His authority as the owner of the universe when we gripe about how He is running things or those that He places in positions of authority in the church, but He chooses to hold His peace.