WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.940 Good morning everyone. It's so good to be on Zoom. I know it's not ideal for a lot of people but hey, 00:00:07.219 --> 00:00:12.000 thank God for Zoom and we're able to still connect with people through this technology. 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:17.179 It's a great morning. It's a little bit of drizzling at night and which is something I just 00:00:17.179 --> 00:00:22.100 love. So when I woke up, it was a great morning. The Murphys are back in Hong Kong. Welcome back. 00:00:22.580 --> 00:00:27.640 It's so good to have you guys. And oh, let me introduce myself. For those of you who do not 00:00:27.640 --> 00:00:33.740 know me, my name is Alan. I oversee the Utes here at Watermark. So before we get into God's Word today, 00:00:34.120 --> 00:00:41.020 let me just pray for us and then we can begin. Father God, we come before you this beautiful day 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:47.640 and Father, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for your amazing grace and even God, thank you 00:00:47.640 --> 00:00:53.019 for the songs that we just sang this morning. Father, you are the true King. You are the King who 00:00:53.020 --> 00:00:59.560 who opens the eyes of the blind, who heals the sick, who has a power, who has put to death our 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:05.740 sin and who have overcome death. And Father, as we come to find you in your scripture, we pray that 00:01:05.740 --> 00:01:11.980 you'd reveal your Word to us, to your people, Lord, and that you would take your glory, edify us, convict us, 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:18.080 comfort us, and most of all, God, that you would show yourself, that you would show your gospel, 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:24.259 truth, and your beauty to us this morning. So come and be glorified, we pray in Jesus' name. 00:01:25.859 --> 00:01:32.939 Amen. So we've been going through 1 Samuel for a few weeks now. And if you remember, the series, 00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:39.539 the title of our series is All That Glitters Is Not Gold. It may look all beautiful from the outside, 00:01:39.819 --> 00:01:45.539 but it could be a whole different story on the inside. Or we could be attracted by the exterior, 00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:53.340 but it could be all decaying in the interior. So today's scripture is from chapter 8 all the way 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:59.120 till 10. Though we do not read everything today, we'll be going, we'll be summarizing here and there. 00:01:59.460 --> 00:02:04.520 But I would love to encourage you all, us all, to read the whole passage in these coming days, 00:02:04.600 --> 00:02:09.780 because such a profound story is unfolding in these few chapters. It's just amazing. 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:17.020 So let me start with this. I'm sure you have heard the phrase, you don't know what you're asking for. 00:02:18.219 --> 00:02:23.539 And it's usually with kids, right? The kids come up to you and they ask you something ridiculous 00:02:23.539 --> 00:02:29.900 and thinking that it might be fun or tasty. And then we would go like, kid, you don't know what 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:38.580 you're asking for. Seriously. So here's a video that shows exactly that. So enjoy the video. 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:52.040 This child will not stop insisting on tasting this. I keep telling him it's going to be gross, 00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:55.720 but he does not want to listen. So I'm going to let him find out for himself. 00:03:08.580 --> 00:03:26.100 Go spit it out. Come on, get to the sink. 00:03:26.099 --> 00:03:35.599 Great. I hope you enjoyed that. So many times we think that kind of incidents usually happen with 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:42.680 kids, but the reality is it happens a lot with adults too. And in fact, today's scripture is all 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:48.039 about that. It's all about people asking God for something they don't know what they're asking for. 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:54.099 So let me give a short summary of the whole chapter eight to 10, a very short and brief summary. 00:03:54.699 --> 00:03:59.899 And then we can begin today's work. So what we find in chapter eight and chapter all the way to 00:03:59.899 --> 00:04:06.399 10 is so Samuel is getting old and his two sons are not doing well. So the elders of Israel come 00:04:06.399 --> 00:04:11.859 together to him and saying, Hey, you're getting old. We need, and you guys are not doing well. So give us a 00:04:11.860 --> 00:04:18.860 king and Samuel gets upset. God gets upset and feeling like that the people have rejected them 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:25.379 as, as leaders, but eventually God gives them a king. But first God warns them, telling them, 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:29.020 you don't know what you're really getting at. This king is not going to be as you think it is. 00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:35.480 And eventually in chapter nine, we come and we saw, we are introduced to Saul who meets Samuel. And 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:40.860 finally Samuel anoints Saul as a king in private. And then in chapter 10, we find, 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:47.759 Samuel calling all Israel together in a place called Mizpah. And he warns them again, Hey, 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:53.020 this is what you're really doing. It's not great, but people make no comment. So Samuel casts lots, 00:04:53.280 --> 00:04:59.860 falls on Saul. And finally Saul is hiding when he's being called to be a king, but still Saul is brought 00:04:59.860 --> 00:05:07.319 out and he's proclaimed king. And that's where the story ends. So it's a fairly simple story, but 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:13.060 never judge a book by the cover, right? So there's a lot going on this in the story. So let's start 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:19.620 right at the beginning. So let's start from the demand of the king for a king. So let's start from 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:25.699 the beginning. So the elders come to Samuel asking for a king. They say, Hey, appoint us a king that 00:05:25.699 --> 00:05:31.420 will judge us just like all the nations. Now, one of the first questions you want to ask is, 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:39.199 why are they asking for a king? Why do they want a king? So let's go to verse five. So verse five, 00:05:39.300 --> 00:05:46.680 we see all the elders coming together and saying, behold, you are old, which is a great way to start 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:52.860 conversations, by the way. I mean, just go up to people and say, Hey, behold, you are old and your 00:05:52.860 --> 00:05:59.819 two sons are not walking in the right path. So basically what he's saying is, Hey, you're, 00:05:59.900 --> 00:06:04.480 you are getting old. Your two sons are not doing great. Your sons are accepting bribes. They're 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:11.939 perverting justice. And if you stop and think that sounds very familiar to Eli and his sons. 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:17.520 Now, if you remember a few chapters back, a few weeks back, we were looking at Eli and his two sons. 00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:24.519 Now, Eli was a priest for the nation of Israel. Basically, he was a leader and he was not a great 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:31.139 priest. And he was someone who would choose comfort rather than honoring God, who would choose comfort 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:38.120 rather than confronting his two sons who were dishonoring God badly. And his two sons were not 00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:43.819 great. They were the ones taking sacrifice away. They were the ones sleeping with women that came to 00:06:43.819 --> 00:06:51.219 serve in the tent. So they did not really have a good leaders. Now, what that led to was that led 00:06:51.219 --> 00:06:58.259 to a devastating defeat of Israel in the hands of Philistines. And in that battle, what happened? 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:03.079 And if you remember, it was the two sons were in the middle of the whole battle. What happened in the 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:08.039 battle is the Philistines come in and attack them. And the two sons thinking, we're going to use God. 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:14.660 They bring out the Ark of God and they lose the Ark of God. And if you know, the Ark of God is the 00:07:14.660 --> 00:07:20.920 most precious thing for the Israelite. It was meant to be the very presence of God in their nation. It 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:27.460 was their identity, their most precious, their holiest thing. And in that battle, they lose it. 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:35.180 And that whole event ends with this devastating sentence where it says, 00:07:35.180 --> 00:07:42.379 the glory has departed from Israel for the Ark of God has been captured. So that whole incident 00:07:42.379 --> 00:07:48.660 was very devastating. It was a huge loss. They lost God's presence. They lost God's glory. 00:07:49.900 --> 00:07:58.180 And it was pretty traumatic. So now the elders in chapter 8, they come and they're seeing a similar 00:07:58.180 --> 00:08:04.240 pattern unfolding before their eyes. Now they're seeing the same thing. The leader is getting old. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:08.939 The two sons are not walking the same path. Now they don't want to be defeated in battle like 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:15.139 that in the past again. You see, they have seen what happened in the past. They remember what 00:08:15.139 --> 00:08:20.100 happened in the past. So they're coming to Samuel and saying, no, no, we don't want to go through that. 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:28.660 Better give us a king. And if you stop here and think, what we actually find here is behind this 00:08:28.660 --> 00:08:35.540 demand for a king, behind this curtain of demand is a whole lot of insecurity and fears. 00:08:37.300 --> 00:08:43.560 What if we go down the same route in the past? What if these other nations around us and come and 00:08:43.560 --> 00:08:51.379 attack us again? We don't want to lose in a battle. So what they do is they look for a solution. 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:56.100 We don't want to go through the same way. So they look for a solution. They look at all the nations 00:08:56.100 --> 00:09:03.060 around them and what do they see? They see kings. And they realize that the kind of ruling that they 00:09:03.060 --> 00:09:07.379 had, the kind of governing they had, the leaders they had, the two sons they had is not going to 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:12.940 work. They want a king. They need a king, someone who will lead them, someone who would represent 00:09:12.940 --> 00:09:17.840 them, someone who's strong and powerful. That's why when you come to verse 20, you see them saying, 00:09:18.259 --> 00:09:24.820 hey, give us a king who will go out before us and fight our battles. Now they're looking for a king 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:28.420 who's going to bring them victory, who's going to lead them, who's going to represent them, 00:09:28.680 --> 00:09:34.360 who's going to give them security and take away their fears. They're saying, give us that king. 00:09:37.140 --> 00:09:44.580 So now they are saying, appoint us a king who will judge us like all the nations. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:51.820 Now, before we quickly judge them for asking for a king when they already had a leader, 00:09:51.820 --> 00:09:57.360 for asking for a king and trying to be like all the nations, let's look at that demand a little 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:05.100 closely. Because what we see here is we see the same sentence repeated way in the past before. 00:10:06.560 --> 00:10:12.540 If you go to in the book of Deuteronomy, way back, we actually find God in the past, 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:19.360 God through Moses, speaking to his people, giving his people a tons of laws, 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:25.000 ways to worship, ways to sacrifice, ways to live their life. And in the book of Deuteronomy, 00:10:25.100 --> 00:10:31.480 when we come to chapter 17 and verse 14 to 20, what you will find there is you will find laws 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:37.860 regarding a king. And interestingly enough, verse 14 goes, when you come to the land that the Lord, 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:43.379 your God is giving you and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, I will sit over a king like all 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:50.379 the nations that are around that are around me. Now, it's pretty interesting, the very same sentence 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:56.259 is being used way in the past. Now, what we're seeing here is God actually knew that his people 00:10:56.259 --> 00:11:02.000 were going to ask for a king one day. And God had and at that time, God did not tell them, hey, 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:07.639 no, you cannot have a king. But what we see here is in Deuteronomy is that God had actually given 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:12.819 them guidelines regarding a king. Hey, this is how you're going to have a king. This is the type of 00:11:12.819 --> 00:11:19.580 king you'd want to have. So now the elders come in chapter 8, Samuel, we come back there and we see 00:11:19.580 --> 00:11:25.919 that the elders come and say the same sentence to Samuel, asking for a king like all the nation, 00:11:26.319 --> 00:11:35.279 which is a pretty good thing. So the question arises, so why was God displeased with that demand? 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:43.679 Why did God say that the people were rejecting him in verse 7? You see, if you think about it, 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:52.360 the fact that they were asking for a king was not bad in itself. But what was wrong with the demand 00:11:52.360 --> 00:12:00.879 for a king? And for that, to answer that question, we need to go back and see the whole story that has 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:09.259 been unfolding in 1 Samuel. Here's a little graph to help us see it. So in 1 Samuel, in 1 Samuel chapter 00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:15.639 1 and 2, what we see here is we see Hannah, right? Hannah has a problem. The problem is she has no child. 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:21.919 And her solution was that she would run off to God and she would give herself in prayer and 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:29.759 surrendering herself to God and God being the center of her solution. But then we come to chapter 4. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:35.019 Now there's a problem again. And the problem is the battle between Philistines and Israelites. 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:40.299 So there's a huge problem. They're being defeated. It's not going great. So there's a problem. And 00:12:40.299 --> 00:12:45.819 what's their solution? Their solution is not to go to God. But as we're seeing last week, 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:52.480 they try to use God. So they bring out the Ark of God as if it's a big secret weapon. And they try to 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:58.879 use God. They don't go to God in repentance. They come up with their own solution. And that does not go well. 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:05.240 And again, we come in chapter 7, the chapter previous to this scripture, and we see there's 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:10.439 a problem again. The Philistines are attacking them again. But this time, their solution is what? 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:16.539 Their solution is to actually go back to God. So in chapter 7, we see Samuel bringing people back 00:13:16.539 --> 00:13:21.059 to God. And he's telling, leave all these idols, leave all these things that you're worshiping and 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:28.220 come back to God. Seek Him. And then in chapter 7, we see that God delivering them away from 00:13:28.220 --> 00:13:34.680 Philistines and giving them victory. So now we come to chapter 8, today's scripture, 00:13:35.300 --> 00:13:41.940 and we are back to square 1. We have a problem here. The problem is that they don't have good 00:13:41.940 --> 00:13:46.920 future leaders. Their two sons are not doing well. Their leaders are getting old. There's 00:13:46.920 --> 00:13:53.840 a fear that all this other nation would attack them. They're insecure. They're in fear. 00:13:53.840 --> 00:14:01.240 Now, and their solution for this time is not to go back to God looking for a solution, not 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:06.740 to go back to God in prayer and repentance and back to the relationship. But this time, 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:13.060 what they do is, just like chapter 4, they come up with their own solution to the problem. 00:14:13.059 --> 00:14:20.839 So which they did. So they come up to Samuel and said, hey, this is our solution. Give 00:14:20.839 --> 00:14:27.859 us a king. Do you see what's happening there? And if you stop and think about it, hey, that 00:14:27.859 --> 00:14:33.519 solution is not a bad solution, right? The solution is not that bad. I mean, you would want 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:38.419 a king so that the other nation would not bully you, right? You don't want other nations to 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:42.319 look at you and like, oh, look at this country. They don't even have a king or a governing system. 00:14:42.319 --> 00:14:48.219 They're taking progress. You don't want other nations to put you down because that would be 00:14:48.219 --> 00:14:55.019 reason for attack and conquer. You would want a strong and charismatic leader. You'd want someone 00:14:55.019 --> 00:15:00.519 who would represent the country, someone who would fight and bring victory to your nation. You'd want a 00:15:00.519 --> 00:15:06.899 king who would bring justice through the authority that he's given. I mean, think about it. When we all 00:15:06.899 --> 00:15:12.879 have problems, we want to think about it systematically, right? We want to analyze it, discuss it, and we 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:20.919 want to come up with the best solution that we can find. And that's the thing. But one of the things 00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:28.919 that the elders did, and which we do many times, is that when looking for a solution, we tend to leave 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:38.819 God behind it. We tend to forget God and leave and come up with our own solution. Now, how many times 00:15:38.819 --> 00:15:46.719 have we made decisions based on our own wisdom? How many times have we made plans and then asked God 00:15:46.719 --> 00:15:55.299 to bless them? You know, decisions regarding investment, school for your children, career, even where to live, 00:15:55.299 --> 00:16:02.719 are our finances, or how we spend our time? Think about the decisions that you have made. 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:07.579 Because you see, we make decisions every day, every minute. 00:16:11.419 --> 00:16:19.479 So, now we see that the demand for a king is not just a demand, but it is something that came out of 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:26.840 insecurity. It came into a place where they're finding a solution that leaves God behind without 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:35.259 God. But you see, let's stop there, because there's still more to this demand. There's still more 00:16:35.259 --> 00:16:43.379 behind this demand for a king. Because let's look at how God responds to this demand. Let's go to verse 00:16:43.379 --> 00:16:50.360 7. And verse 7, Lot tells Samuel, he says, hey, obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:57.679 for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, God saying me, from being a king 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:05.640 over them. You see, God is saying here, hey, these people have not just rejected me, but they have 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:11.940 rejected me from being a king over them. That he's saying that he's the king that is being rejected here. 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:20.420 And what is interesting here is to look at what the king, what the people wanted the king to do. 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:28.140 It is interesting to see what the people wanted the king to do. So, there are three things you'll 00:17:28.140 --> 00:17:33.600 find in these three chapters that the people wanted the king to look like. One is, they wanted the king 00:17:33.600 --> 00:17:39.240 to judge them. You'll see that right in verse 6 and 13. The second thing you want, the people wanted 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:44.740 was the king to go out before them. You'll find that in verse 20. And finally, the people wanted 00:17:44.740 --> 00:17:51.700 the king to go out and fight their battles. Now, look at these three things. It's very interesting. 00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:59.279 Now, the first one is to judge. Now, to judge does not mean as we think it is, like courtroom and the 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:05.660 hair thingy and order, order. It's not that kind of judge. Judge in those times meant someone who would 00:18:05.660 --> 00:18:09.680 govern. In simple words, it's someone who is the leader of that nation. Someone who would judge. 00:18:10.040 --> 00:18:14.540 Someone who would say what is right and wrong and do justice and stuff like that. Someone who is 00:18:14.540 --> 00:18:21.420 governing them. Now, which is why Samuel was first displeased, right? When they asked for a king to 00:18:21.420 --> 00:18:26.360 judge them and Samuel was like angry. How could you do that? I'm the judge right now. I'm the leader. 00:18:27.060 --> 00:18:31.500 But eventually, God tells Samuel, no, no, no. God, they have not rejected you. They have rejected 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:38.880 God. Now, look at these three things. Because what you see here is that these three things 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:46.640 where what was, these three things is what God was already doing indirectly or directly. 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:55.240 For number one, God would appoint judges and the judges would listen to God and God would actually 00:18:55.240 --> 00:19:01.319 govern his people indirectly through the judges. In fact, it was directly in most of the times. 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:07.599 And look at number two, that God would go out before them. If you go throughout the, 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:13.519 in the past, in Exodus, the eternal numbers, there are so many promises where God would tell his 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:18.619 people, hey, I will go out before you. I'll promise to go out before you. I promise to be with you 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:23.440 that you don't have to go alone, that I will go out before you. So there's so many promises where God 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:30.359 said that I'm going out before you. And finally, and if you see in Joshua 10 and 2 Chronicles, 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:35.439 you'll find it was always being proclaimed that whenever there was victory, it was always said 00:19:35.439 --> 00:19:40.299 that God is the one who fought the battles. There's a promise in 2 Chronicles where God says, 00:19:40.539 --> 00:19:46.179 do not worry, do not be afraid, go out into the battle because the battle is not yours, but it 00:19:46.179 --> 00:19:52.059 God's. And what we see throughout history is that God has always been the one to govern his people and 00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:56.959 lead his people. God has always been the one who had gone before them. And God has always been the 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:08.420 one who had fought their battles. So now, now we see when God said what God meant by, they have rejected 00:20:08.420 --> 00:20:15.740 me as a king over them. You see, because what they have done is that they have taken all the things that 00:20:15.740 --> 00:20:22.660 God was already doing and decided on their own to give it to someone else, to find someone else to do it. 00:20:22.660 --> 00:20:26.420 Basically, they were replacing God with another king. 00:20:29.040 --> 00:20:34.200 You see, they are in a problem and they are seeking a solution in another place. They are looking for someone 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:41.300 to come and save them in their insecurities. They are looking for someone to come and satisfy their insecurities 00:20:41.300 --> 00:20:48.980 and fears. They are basically looking and trying to look for a king that would give them salvation while they 00:20:48.980 --> 00:20:58.779 already have a king, which was God. And what we see here is that in this demand for a king, they have 00:20:58.779 --> 00:21:08.420 actually made God the rejected king. So you see, the demand for a king is not as simple as it sounds. 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:15.620 It came from a place of insecurity and fears and it went towards a place where they made a solution, 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:22.959 made a decision on their own, leaving God behind. And at the same time, they rejected God as a king by taking 00:21:22.959 --> 00:21:27.459 whatever, everything that God was doing for them, saving them, fighting their battles, protecting them, 00:21:27.579 --> 00:21:37.419 governing them and looking for another king. So it's a demand that is, that has a lot of baggages, 00:21:37.420 --> 00:21:47.779 a lot of stories, a lot of things behind it. It's not just a demand. But eventually, God does give them a king. 00:21:48.820 --> 00:21:57.580 But first, he warns them before giving them a king. He tells them what they're getting into. He basically 00:21:57.580 --> 00:22:02.539 tells them, hey, you don't know what you're getting into. And eventually, which takes us to our second point, 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:09.859 which is, he tells them the cost for a king. He's telling them it's going to be costly to have a king. 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:19.139 When we read from chapter 8, verse 10 to 18, you will see all the warnings that God give the people 00:22:19.139 --> 00:22:26.099 against kings. And now, we will not go into detail of every line and what are the warnings, but I want 00:22:26.099 --> 00:22:31.680 you to notice something in this whole paragraph. Because one thing you'll notice is that you will see the 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:38.080 phrase, he will take, being repeated a lot. You might not be able to see here, but you'll see it 00:22:38.080 --> 00:22:45.120 almost six to seven times in this whole paragraph. He will take, he will take this, he will take that, 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:53.160 he will take a lot. Now, basically, God is telling them that this is a king that will take a lot away 00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:59.920 from you. The people were thinking that this king was going to bring them salvation. But verse 17 in this 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:04.519 paragraph tells us that, no, no, no, it's not going to bring you salvation or freedom. What is this king 00:23:04.519 --> 00:23:10.660 is going to bring you? It's slavery. And just like the video we watched in the beginning, 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:16.680 the people thought that this king is going to be like chocolate. It's going to be tasty. It's going to 00:23:16.680 --> 00:23:22.759 be awesome and fun. But it's just going to be nasty. It's something that's going to take away 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:30.279 rather than give. It's not going to be what they expected him to be. And that is why even in chapter 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:36.859 10, when we go to chapter 10, verses 18 to 20, you'll see God telling them about their slavery in 00:23:36.859 --> 00:23:42.319 Egypt and about the times they were being oppressed by other nations. You know, right before Saul was 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:48.279 going to be proclaimed as a king, God warns them again, reminds them, hey, I have taken you out of 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:54.379 Egypt. I have freed you from the oppression and slavery. And it's interesting that God uses these 00:23:54.379 --> 00:24:04.220 words of slavery to warn his people once more before giving them a king. Because actually their 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:10.480 demand for a king is going to be costly. And if we take a step back from this story and look at the 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:16.359 whole Bible, biblical story, that is something you'll find throughout the Bible. From the beginning, 00:24:16.359 --> 00:24:21.759 Adam and Eve, they did not want God to be God. And they wanted themselves to be a God. 00:24:22.059 --> 00:24:26.459 So they rejected God, thinking that that's going to give them freedom. That's going to make them 00:24:26.459 --> 00:24:32.139 more wise. But eventually that led them to suffering and toiling and in another form of slavery. 00:24:32.619 --> 00:24:37.979 You come to New Testament and Jesus talks about the prodigal son, the son who wants all the money 00:24:37.979 --> 00:24:45.279 from his father. And he goes out with his idea of freedom to have party, orgies, and every kind of 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:54.359 pleasures, which eventually leads him to not freedom, but slavery, slave to his debt, and just suffering 00:24:54.359 --> 00:25:00.879 and losing everything in that whole process. And we see that kind of theme throughout the Bible, 00:25:01.180 --> 00:25:02.359 including this story. 00:25:02.359 --> 00:25:12.979 You see, we might think that coming to God is like being enslaved with all the do's and don'ts and the 00:25:12.979 --> 00:25:20.119 religion. But what God is saying here is that no, it's not about the do's and don'ts, but in him, 00:25:20.819 --> 00:25:27.699 there's actually life. You see that he is the source of life. And if you think about it, God is not saying 00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:35.220 that, hey, by asking for a king, this is what's going to, you're going to just get freedom and joy. 00:25:35.299 --> 00:25:39.580 No, no, no. He's saying that, hey, by asking for a king, you're running away from the source of life. 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:47.100 You're running away from the source of joy and hope and truth because he's saying, I am the source 00:25:47.100 --> 00:25:53.340 of life. And if you think about David, David is someone who has been so close to God, who has tasted God. 00:25:53.339 --> 00:25:59.399 And when you come to Psalm 63, there's this beautiful Psalm where he says like, even in the dry and 00:25:59.399 --> 00:26:05.439 harsh land, when there's no water in the desert place, I mean, when we are thirsty, we really want 00:26:05.439 --> 00:26:12.000 water, right? But what David says in Psalm 63 is that even in the dry and harsh land, God, I long for you. 00:26:12.659 --> 00:26:16.419 It's not that he longs for water, like I'm longing for water right now. 00:26:16.420 --> 00:26:27.300 But David says, I long for you, God. So much so that he goes on to say, God, that your love is better 00:26:27.300 --> 00:26:34.820 than life itself. Think about it. Because we as humans, life is all that we have. But David proclaims, 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:42.680 God, your love is better than life. You see, God is saying here, what God is saying here is that 00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:47.460 God is saying like, hey, you guys are thinking that another king is going to be able to save you. 00:26:47.460 --> 00:26:53.200 But no, no, no. It's me, it's God who's able to save you. It's I who is able to fight your battles. 00:26:53.640 --> 00:26:58.820 That I'm able to lead you to green pastures where you will be satisfied, where you will find your 00:26:58.820 --> 00:27:04.700 desires filled. And even when you're most difficult and suffering, that I have promised to go before you 00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:14.940 and to be with you. And that's the demand for a king is taking away from the people. 00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:26.220 But here's the thing. You see, we all have these other kings in our lives. You see, that we would 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:36.519 rather lean on than God. And especially the city of Hong Kong, there are so many other kings that we 00:27:36.519 --> 00:27:44.480 can find. There's so many other kings that are here in Hong Kong. It could be finance, could be status, 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:49.640 could be value, it could be career, school for your children, it could be relationships. 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:56.860 And we don't wake up one day suddenly thinking that, hey, today I'm going to reject God and look 00:27:56.860 --> 00:28:03.660 for another king. No, no, no. This other kings happens in a very subtle way. It happens in ways 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:11.640 that we are not really aware of. And the way it usually happens is when we see all the other nations 00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:19.500 around us and we ask for a king just like all the nations. And that means we look at all the 00:28:19.500 --> 00:28:25.799 people around us. We look at the culture that is around us. You see, in the passage, today's passage, 00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:33.500 what we find is that Saul is described as someone who's very tall and very handsome. Someone like Nathaniel. 00:28:35.079 --> 00:28:41.319 And even though in chapter 10, verse 22, you see that Saul is actually hiding away when he's being 00:28:41.319 --> 00:28:47.880 called to be a king. He was a coward. But people did not really care about that. They just saw a potential 00:28:47.880 --> 00:28:54.220 king being a coward, but they did not care because what they see is a tall and handsome guy who looks 00:28:54.220 --> 00:29:00.980 really good, who looks all like he's all that glitter, but not realizing it's not all that gold inside. 00:29:02.140 --> 00:29:08.740 Because you see, before this chapter, before this whole story, the other people in other nations and 00:29:08.740 --> 00:29:16.820 the enemies of Israel used to be described as tall people. These tall people would be a huge threat to 00:29:16.819 --> 00:29:25.319 Israel. And in a very subtle way, in a very small way, God actually did give them a king that looked like 00:29:25.319 --> 00:29:32.439 all the nations, someone who was tall and someone who was handsome. You see, basically what happened here is 00:29:32.439 --> 00:29:39.980 that the people of Israel were swept away by looking at all the nations, by the people and the culture of 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:46.679 other nations. So you see, it happens in a very subtle way when we are swept away in the currents of the culture 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:54.180 around us in Hong Kong. You know, for parents, it could be that you tell yourself, I'm not going to fall for this 00:29:54.180 --> 00:30:00.279 pressure of where my child is going to study and all and being compared with the school that they get into. 00:30:00.660 --> 00:30:05.240 But then as you meet other parents and you find the pressure and that this COVID is not helping at all, 00:30:05.580 --> 00:30:10.779 you start to worry over your kids and start looking, start being frantic and anxious. And then, 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:16.519 and then that pressure falls on you and suddenly you're looking for other kings in your life. For others, 00:30:16.599 --> 00:30:23.319 it could be money and work for where you see everyone chasing after everyone working so much, chasing after 00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:29.299 value and status, working hours and hours. And then you end up spending your whole time and energy 00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:36.099 in that, in the pursuit of finance and career. And for some, it can be jobs. And for some, 00:30:36.099 --> 00:30:43.339 it can be relationships and marriages. You see, all of these things are not bad in itself. 00:30:44.579 --> 00:30:50.339 You do want to think about your child's education. You do want to be responsible with your finance and career 00:30:50.339 --> 00:30:59.839 and relationships. But when we are swept away, unconsciously or even knowingly, we come up with our own solution, 00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:08.000 leaving God behind and rejecting him as a king by looking for other kings or in most of the time by 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:14.159 being king ourselves in our lives. You see, as the Israelites were looking for a king, 00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:19.899 for a king to save them, to turn away from there, to take away their insecurities and fight the battles. 00:31:20.399 --> 00:31:26.519 We too look for other kings who will come, who will save our lives, who will bring security in our lives. 00:31:26.519 --> 00:31:31.940 And in those small moments, we go and look for another king, which most of the time is ourselves. 00:31:34.379 --> 00:31:36.680 So what is that small king in our lives? 00:31:40.139 --> 00:31:41.059 But church, 00:31:41.740 --> 00:31:43.759 here's the good news. 00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:47.160 You don't have to look for these other kings 00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:51.139 because the true king was sent on this earth. 00:31:51.140 --> 00:31:56.640 The promised king that would bring salvation to all people and creation did come. 00:31:57.460 --> 00:31:59.120 And unlike the king in chapter 8, 00:31:59.700 --> 00:32:01.720 this king did not come to take away, 00:32:02.060 --> 00:32:03.020 but he came to give. 00:32:03.120 --> 00:32:05.340 This king came to give eternal life. 00:32:05.420 --> 00:32:08.759 He came to give the living water that would satisfy you. 00:32:09.080 --> 00:32:10.200 He came to give life, 00:32:10.320 --> 00:32:11.280 to show the truth, 00:32:11.420 --> 00:32:12.340 to show the way, 00:32:12.660 --> 00:32:14.400 because this king was the truth, 00:32:14.560 --> 00:32:15.320 was the way, 00:32:15.380 --> 00:32:16.320 and was the life. 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:17.539 And above all, 00:32:17.700 --> 00:32:18.899 he was the true king 00:32:18.899 --> 00:32:21.279 that came to pay the price, 00:32:21.740 --> 00:32:23.319 which takes us to our last point, 00:32:23.740 --> 00:32:26.599 the price paid by this true king. 00:32:27.619 --> 00:32:28.240 You see, 00:32:28.339 --> 00:32:30.019 because God knew 00:32:30.019 --> 00:32:32.399 that his people and his creation 00:32:32.399 --> 00:32:33.579 would reject him 00:32:33.579 --> 00:32:35.339 generation after generation, 00:32:35.960 --> 00:32:37.599 and our rejection 00:32:37.599 --> 00:32:38.299 would mean 00:32:38.299 --> 00:32:39.960 separation from him. 00:32:40.399 --> 00:32:40.939 It would mean 00:32:40.939 --> 00:32:41.980 our separation 00:32:41.980 --> 00:32:43.279 from the source of life. 00:32:43.279 --> 00:32:44.420 It would mean 00:32:44.420 --> 00:32:44.680 that 00:32:44.680 --> 00:32:45.519 it would be 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:46.139 our separation 00:32:46.139 --> 00:32:46.720 from him 00:32:46.720 --> 00:32:47.639 who made us, 00:32:48.059 --> 00:32:48.960 who knows us, 00:32:49.099 --> 00:32:50.299 who knows our inmost being. 00:32:51.259 --> 00:32:52.460 He knows how we function. 00:32:52.879 --> 00:32:54.139 He knows everything about us 00:32:54.139 --> 00:32:55.039 from the way we think 00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:55.740 and the way we 00:32:55.740 --> 00:32:56.879 we are made 00:32:56.879 --> 00:32:58.460 and the way we are brought up. 00:32:59.259 --> 00:32:59.599 You see, 00:32:59.660 --> 00:33:00.059 it would mean 00:33:00.059 --> 00:33:01.519 separation from the truth. 00:33:02.339 --> 00:33:03.899 But God sent his son, 00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:05.180 Jesus Christ, 00:33:05.539 --> 00:33:06.440 the true king, 00:33:07.220 --> 00:33:07.759 who 00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:10.139 takes all of our shame, 00:33:10.539 --> 00:33:11.740 all of our sin, 00:33:11.740 --> 00:33:13.299 which is the cost, 00:33:13.579 --> 00:33:14.359 which is the price 00:33:14.359 --> 00:33:15.220 of our rejection, 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:16.640 on the cross 00:33:16.640 --> 00:33:18.120 and puts it to death 00:33:18.120 --> 00:33:19.559 so that whoever 00:33:19.559 --> 00:33:20.700 believes in him 00:33:20.700 --> 00:33:22.720 does not have to search 00:33:22.720 --> 00:33:24.480 for other kings anymore. 00:33:25.359 --> 00:33:26.319 So that whoever 00:33:26.319 --> 00:33:28.120 believes in this true king 00:33:28.120 --> 00:33:30.039 does not have to search 00:33:30.039 --> 00:33:31.460 and look for other kings 00:33:31.460 --> 00:33:33.059 to bring salvation 00:33:33.059 --> 00:33:34.240 and to take away 00:33:34.240 --> 00:33:34.960 the insecurity 00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:36.039 and fear. 00:33:37.400 --> 00:33:37.839 So you see, 00:33:37.940 --> 00:33:38.839 for he is the king 00:33:38.839 --> 00:33:39.680 that will satisfy. 00:33:39.680 --> 00:33:40.900 He is the one 00:33:40.900 --> 00:33:42.060 who is able to save us 00:33:42.060 --> 00:33:43.120 and he is the one 00:33:43.120 --> 00:33:44.220 who is able to bring life. 00:33:44.320 --> 00:33:44.980 He is the king 00:33:44.980 --> 00:33:46.759 that promises to be 00:33:46.759 --> 00:33:47.860 in your suffering 00:33:47.860 --> 00:33:48.640 and hardships 00:33:48.640 --> 00:33:50.140 not because he is just 00:33:50.140 --> 00:33:50.600 a promise 00:33:50.600 --> 00:33:52.120 but because he himself 00:33:52.120 --> 00:33:52.860 has gone through 00:33:52.860 --> 00:33:53.480 the suffering 00:33:53.480 --> 00:33:54.460 and he himself 00:33:54.460 --> 00:33:55.220 has gone through 00:33:55.220 --> 00:33:56.580 the worst of the worst 00:33:56.580 --> 00:33:57.640 that we can ever 00:33:57.640 --> 00:33:58.220 go through. 00:33:59.160 --> 00:33:59.500 You see, 00:33:59.580 --> 00:34:00.960 he comes not to take away 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:02.299 but he comes to give. 00:34:02.500 --> 00:34:03.820 He comes to give you life 00:34:03.820 --> 00:34:04.880 and he comes to give you 00:34:04.880 --> 00:34:06.500 all that was promised. 00:34:06.500 --> 00:34:08.480 But one thing 00:34:08.480 --> 00:34:09.619 that he does ask 00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:11.260 is that he calls you 00:34:11.260 --> 00:34:12.260 to himself. 00:34:13.679 --> 00:34:14.360 You see, 00:34:14.440 --> 00:34:15.159 he calls you 00:34:15.159 --> 00:34:16.119 to himself 00:34:16.119 --> 00:34:16.760 in faith 00:34:16.760 --> 00:34:17.820 and repentance. 00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:19.639 Faith and repentance 00:34:19.639 --> 00:34:20.460 meaning that 00:34:20.460 --> 00:34:21.400 he wants you 00:34:21.400 --> 00:34:21.880 to come 00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:23.119 in total faith, 00:34:23.260 --> 00:34:24.579 total trusting on him 00:34:24.579 --> 00:34:25.760 that you would reject 00:34:25.760 --> 00:34:26.519 these other kings 00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:27.460 in our lives, 00:34:27.800 --> 00:34:28.579 that you would put away 00:34:28.579 --> 00:34:29.559 all these other kings 00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:30.300 and are seeking 00:34:30.300 --> 00:34:31.079 for other kings 00:34:31.079 --> 00:34:32.260 and come to him 00:34:32.260 --> 00:34:33.280 and in repentance 00:34:33.280 --> 00:34:34.519 that we would turn away 00:34:34.519 --> 00:34:35.480 from these other kings 00:34:35.480 --> 00:34:36.880 and to turn to him 00:34:36.880 --> 00:34:38.000 who is the true king 00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:39.760 who is able to provide, 00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:41.860 who is able to bring salvation 00:34:41.860 --> 00:34:43.780 and fight our battles. 00:34:45.280 --> 00:34:45.760 Because, 00:34:45.880 --> 00:34:46.139 you see, 00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:46.820 he is a king 00:34:46.820 --> 00:34:47.579 that is trustworthy 00:34:47.579 --> 00:34:48.740 and faithful 00:34:48.740 --> 00:34:50.659 because he is the true king. 00:34:52.780 --> 00:34:53.219 Now, 00:34:53.280 --> 00:34:53.860 if you are new 00:34:53.860 --> 00:34:54.940 to Christianity today, 00:34:55.400 --> 00:34:56.800 if this is your first time 00:34:56.800 --> 00:34:58.219 coming to church, 00:34:58.400 --> 00:34:59.360 even though it's online 00:34:59.360 --> 00:34:59.860 on Zoom, 00:35:00.699 --> 00:35:00.820 hey, 00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:01.920 I want to invite you 00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:02.880 to him, 00:35:03.019 --> 00:35:03.360 Jesus, 00:35:03.840 --> 00:35:05.000 who loves you 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:06.059 and who wants 00:35:06.059 --> 00:35:06.880 to give you life, 00:35:07.019 --> 00:35:07.840 that life that you 00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:09.079 have never dreamt of 00:35:09.079 --> 00:35:09.739 or imagined 00:35:09.739 --> 00:35:12.039 because he is the true king 00:35:12.039 --> 00:35:13.059 in our life 00:35:13.059 --> 00:35:13.960 who is able to give. 00:35:14.920 --> 00:35:16.039 And if you are a follower 00:35:16.039 --> 00:35:16.760 of Christ 00:35:16.760 --> 00:35:17.820 this morning, 00:35:18.780 --> 00:35:19.840 is there a place 00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:20.460 in our life 00:35:20.460 --> 00:35:21.940 where we are, 00:35:22.380 --> 00:35:23.579 where we need to confess 00:35:23.579 --> 00:35:24.840 and turn back 00:35:24.840 --> 00:35:25.360 from these other 00:35:25.360 --> 00:35:26.039 small kings? 00:35:26.780 --> 00:35:27.099 You see, 00:35:27.179 --> 00:35:27.619 it could be 00:35:27.619 --> 00:35:28.420 even in this time 00:35:28.420 --> 00:35:28.920 of COVID 00:35:28.920 --> 00:35:30.500 where things are 00:35:30.500 --> 00:35:31.059 unpredictable 00:35:31.059 --> 00:35:32.599 and scary 00:35:32.599 --> 00:35:34.239 that we don't know 00:35:34.239 --> 00:35:35.099 what's going to happen 00:35:35.099 --> 00:35:36.579 that we suddenly panic 00:35:36.579 --> 00:35:37.199 and we forget 00:35:37.199 --> 00:35:38.420 that God is still king, 00:35:38.940 --> 00:35:39.900 that he is still sovereign. 00:35:40.699 --> 00:35:41.380 It could be 00:35:41.380 --> 00:35:42.259 in our workplace 00:35:42.259 --> 00:35:43.799 and even in the smallest 00:35:43.799 --> 00:35:44.659 of smallest things 00:35:44.659 --> 00:35:46.759 like job or relationship, 00:35:46.980 --> 00:35:47.699 even parenting. 00:35:48.360 --> 00:35:49.239 Is there a place 00:35:49.239 --> 00:35:50.299 where we need to confess 00:35:50.299 --> 00:35:51.420 and come back to him? 00:35:51.940 --> 00:35:52.880 Places where we have 00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:53.759 made ourself 00:35:53.759 --> 00:35:55.059 and other things 00:35:55.059 --> 00:35:56.059 king 00:35:56.059 --> 00:35:58.579 because Jesus promises 00:35:58.579 --> 00:35:59.619 to be that king 00:35:59.619 --> 00:36:01.199 who is able to 00:36:01.199 --> 00:36:02.480 take away our insecurities, 00:36:02.759 --> 00:36:03.480 who is able to 00:36:03.480 --> 00:36:04.619 go out before us, 00:36:04.739 --> 00:36:05.400 to govern us, 00:36:05.519 --> 00:36:05.980 lead us 00:36:05.980 --> 00:36:08.079 and to fight our battles. 00:36:09.079 --> 00:36:10.000 Hey, can I ask us 00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:11.179 to pray right now? 00:36:12.380 --> 00:36:13.079 Father God, 00:36:13.139 --> 00:36:14.119 we come before you 00:36:14.119 --> 00:36:16.079 and we confess 00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:17.519 that there are so many times 00:36:17.519 --> 00:36:19.159 where we seek other kings 00:36:19.159 --> 00:36:20.719 and Father, 00:36:20.860 --> 00:36:21.840 as we come this morning, 00:36:21.980 --> 00:36:22.480 we pray 00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:23.779 that you would come 00:36:23.779 --> 00:36:25.420 and that you would be our king. 00:36:26.360 --> 00:36:26.840 Father, 00:36:26.960 --> 00:36:28.400 we ask your Holy Spirit 00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:29.299 right now to come 00:36:29.299 --> 00:36:32.019 and just speak in our hearts, 00:36:32.139 --> 00:36:33.699 reveal our hearts to us, 00:36:33.820 --> 00:36:33.940 Lord, 00:36:34.500 --> 00:36:36.119 the places that we have missed, 00:36:36.259 --> 00:36:37.380 the places that we have 00:36:37.380 --> 00:36:38.759 seeked other kings. 00:36:39.579 --> 00:36:39.960 So Father, 00:36:40.059 --> 00:36:40.340 come 00:36:40.340 --> 00:36:42.380 and lead us, 00:36:42.480 --> 00:36:42.759 we pray.