How does it stack-up with Jesus?

1 Samuel 10:17-27

It seems that many in the church have an identity problem, they identify with a denomination but not with Jesus Christ.  In the last week, a lady asked my wife if she knew that they had removed Baptist from the name of our church, and I was so pleased with Jan’s reply, that’s fine with me.  As Jan told me about her conversation, I said, I do not recall Baptists dying for my sins, nor could we remember in times of need praying to Baptist.  We pray to Jesus the Christ each day, for He is our Savior and Lord!

As I looked at the Scripture listed above, it became apparent that this is not a new problem, humanity likes to worship people and things they can see, for to do otherwise requires faith.  One might ask, did not Israel have a history of God saving their bacon, not sure that’s a proper term, when one is talking about the Jewish people, so we will use the term “fighting for them?”  And the answer is definitely; over and over He protected his people He left no room for them to believe otherwise.

So Samuel gives them a history lesson, but it is God doing the teaching, let us pick up the story in verse17-19, “Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”

It matters not what denomination title you claim, I believe it is a great question to ask yourself, how does it stack-up with Jesus, where is my identity found, in Christ or some man-made organization?  If you were to ask me today whose church I’m a member of I would tell you that at the young age of 27 I learned that being a Baptist was not a requirement for eternal life with the Father in heaven.  And that by faith, faith that God gave me, the Scriptures convicted me that I was lost and without hope.  Jesus Christ the Son of God had taken the full wrath of His Father and took my sin, and yours to the Cross and paid in full with His blood.  And in three days, death and the grave could not hold Him, and He came out of that grave and my identity is in Him for He has become my life.

So as all the tribes of Israel came, they drew lots, and it fell on the tribe of Benjamin, and its clans and lots took the Matrites, and lots took Saul, the son of Kish.  And he was nowhere to be found, so the people inquired again of the Lord, and he told them they would see him hiding among the baggage.

Picking up the story in verse 23-27, “Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice