1) God's sovereignty and grace in present circumstances
God's sovereignty in this passage is first most obviously seen in his leading of Saul to Samuel, leading Saul on a three-day donkey chase. God was always in complete control of the situation and Samuel knew this, trusting God so much that he didn't even travel to the land of Benjamin, knowing that God would bring the person promised to him.
God's grace is demonstrated in how he lead Saul to Samuel. While God spoke directly to Samuel and told him of Saul's coming, he chose not to reach out to Saul the same way, using a more roundabout method of leading Saul using everyday circumstances. Saul's relationship with God probably was not as great as Samuel's relationship with God, and he probably wasn't in the habit of regularly talking to and hearing from God. Despite this, could God have spoken audibly to Saul to tell him to go meet Samuel? Sure, he could. But God chooses to meet us where we are and to use our imperfections and weaknesses rather than avoid them.
So when life seems frustrating and when it seems like God is sending you on wild goose chases, be encouraged. God is and will always be in control. Even though you don't know where your life is going or where God is leading you, know that he is always there and is always working for your good (Romans 8:28). The three days you spend frustrated searching for your donkeys will be totally worth it after you end up meeting Jesus and are crowned along with him.
Also, God can use you even if you're an ass. [Sorry, I had to. =P]
2) God's sovereignty and grace in his ultimate plan for redemption
Saul seemed like the king the Israelites had been asking for, the perfect king. Socially, he came from a well-known, well-respected family. Morally, he was respectful, humble almost to a fault, and radically obedient to his father (if my dad sent me on a 3-day hide-and-go-seek game with donkeys, I would probably run away from home). Physically, he was tall and handsome. According to Jewish tradition, Saul was also the ultimate lady's man:
He was marvelously handsome; and the maidens who told him concerning Samuel (comp. I Sam. ix. 11-13) talked so long with him that they might observe his beauty the more (Ber. 48b). [src]
Despite these physical and character traits, Saul would be later be consumed with pride and jealousy and rejected by God.
Saul being a crappy king didn't catch God off guard. God knew Saul's heart, and he knew from the beginning that all human kings would be sinful and imperfect. Luckily for his people, God is always in control and has in store for us a king greater than Saul, whom he has prepared for us before the beginning of time.
Like what Pastor Heald said yesterday, when the Israelites were begging for a king, they were actually crying out, "Show me Jesus", as Jesus is the only truly perfect king. There's no indication in the Bible of Jesus being tall or handsome, and it seemed like the only women he drew to himself were prostitutes and "sinners". Unlike Saul, Jesus came from a humble family, one that had been disowned by the community because of pre-marital pregnancy. While Jesus was not the king that the Jews expected, he is the king that all people desire. Unlike Saul, Jesus remains obedient to his heavenly Father. While Jesus didn't bring military victories like Saul did, Jesus conquered the unconquerable, death. While Saul was the fallen first king of Israel, Jesus is the ultimate, eternal king that can never be dethroned.
Long live the King.
Pop the turtle!
Here is a very good anti-predestination argument formulated by a Catholic priest who is a former Calvinist himself, Fr. Paul Rothermel...
ReplyDeletePROPOSITION:
A true Calvinist teaches that everything that happens has been predestined before the foundation of the world. Thus, according to Calvinism, because I have free agency and no true power to choose contraries (i.e., free will), I do voluntarily what I could never do otherwise.
Thus, "My sins last week happened; they were certain to happen; and they were predestined before the foundation of the world. I freely did evil, but I could not have done otherwise."
A true Calvinist admits this. Yet St. Paul teaches that, with every temptation, God has made a way to escape from committing the sinful deed (1 Cor 10:13). Therefore, the question for the true Calvinist is:
"Which way did God, in fact, provide for you to escape the temptations to do the sins you committed last week, if indeed you are so inclined? That is, if you have been predestined before the foundation of the world to do it?"
This is a clear hole in the Calvinist position, forcing one to conclude that Calvinism cannot be reconciled with St. Paul.
Clearly, if Calvin is right and one is predestined to commit a particular sin before the foundation of the world, God could not have truly provided a way out of that sin for you to take.
How could He if you were predestined not to take it? So, either Calvin is wrong or we are dealing with a God Who feigns offers of deliverance from temptation.
So, which is it? Is God a fraud or is Calvin?
Many thanks to Mark Bobocore.