The Prince and The King's Word

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 96:1-9
• Hymn — Rejoice, the Lord Is King
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Faith — Colossians 1:15-20
• Scripture Reading — Acts 4:1-22
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Prayer
• Hymn — Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
• Sermon
• Prayer
• Hymn — What Wondrous Love Is This
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26

---

Sermon Title: The Prince and the King's Word

Scripture: 1 Samuel 10:1-16

I. The Prince Is Subject to the King's Trustworthy Word

A. Samuel anoints Saul and gives him three confirming signs (1 Samuel 10:1-8)

1. He will meet two men at Rachel's tomb in Benjamin who will report the donkeys are found
2. He will meet three men at the oak of Tabor who will give him two loaves of bread
3. He will meet a band of prophets at Gibeah-elohim, the Spirit will rush upon him, and he will prophesy

B. The first two signs demonstrate God's trustworthy word in humble, everyday circumstances

1. The donkeys found and bread provided recall Saul's needs in 1 Samuel 9
2. These humble signs are easily overlooked in favor of the dramatic third sign

C. Contrast with David: Saul moves quickly from anointing to enthronement, while David is shaped through years of humble circumstances

1. David learns the trustworthy nature of God's word while fleeing Saul
2. Psalm 59:16-17 — David praises God as fortress and refuge in days of distress
3. A skyscraper must be dug deep before it can rise high — the foundation of trust in God's word must be laid in low seasons

II. The Prince Is Subject to the King's Spiritual Word

A. The Spirit rushes upon Saul and he prophesies, becoming "another man" (1 Samuel 10:6), provoking the proverb: "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

B. The unnamed man's question — "Who is their father?" (1 Samuel 10:12) — points to the truth that prophecy does not come from human lineage

1. 2 Peter 1:21 — "Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit"

C. This rushing of the Spirit is not the Spirit of regeneration but a special empowerment for a specific kingdom purpose

1. Parallel: the Spirit given to Bezalel for crafting the tabernacle (Exodus 31)
2. Parallel: the Spirit given to the judges for military deliverance (Judges), including the same language used of Samson
3. Foreshadowing: Gibeah-elohim housed a Philistine garrison (1 Samuel 10:5); Saul is anointed to save Israel from the Philistines (1 Samuel 9:16)

D. The end goal of the Spirit's work is not ecstatic experience but obedience to God's word

1. Saul is commanded to go to Gilgal, wait seven days, and receive further instruction from Samuel
2. Acts 2:42 — after the mighty outpouring at Pentecost, the summary is devotion to the apostles' teaching
3. The greatest manifestation of the Spirit is obedience to the word of God — that dead sinners are revived and turn from the world to follow Christ

III. The Prince Is Subject to the King's Prophetic Word

A. The office of the prophet is consistently and closely tied to the king throughout the passage

1. The king was never to rule outside of God's word; the prophet was the mouthpiece of God's word to the king
2. Prophets functioned as "covenant prosecutors," laying charges against Israel and its kings for departing from God's law
3. As the king went, so went Israel — the king's ear toward or away from the prophet determined the nation's fate

B. The ideal prince of Israel holds the word of the Lord close to his heart — fulfilled perfectly in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9)

1. Matthew 5:17 — "I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them"
2. John 12 — Jesus speaks only what the Father commands; his reign is in full accord with the Father's word
3. In temptation: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God"
4. In Gethsemane: "Not my will, but your will be done" — obedience even unto the cross
5. His perfect obedience to the word secured peace by his blood; he now reigns from the Father's right hand with a scepter of righteousness

C. Application: True and lasting security is found only in the Prince of Peace, not in political leaders or parties

1. No earthly ruler has perfectly kept God's word or can give lasting peace
2. Christ alone — the Word made flesh — rules in perfect accord with God's word and pours out his Spirit to write that word on our hearts