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Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then Samuel took a vial of oil

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Speaker 1: and poured it upon his head and kissed him and said,

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Speaker 1: is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to

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Speaker 1: be captain over his inheritance? First Samuel ten one, God,

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Speaker 1: as this new day greets me, thank you for being

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Speaker 1: the God of twenty four hours. I thank you that,

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Speaker 1: like Saul, you can send some one into my life

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Speaker 1: to change the trajectory of my future, guide my feet

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Speaker 1: and my actions so that I will be able to

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Speaker 1: cross paths with designated destiny igniters. I declare that my

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Speaker 1: name is being spoken in rooms I have not yet

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Speaker 1: entered into. I thank you that you have already prepared

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Speaker 1: my promotion, and you know the date of my elevation.

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Speaker 1: Place men and women of God around me that will

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Speaker 1: help guide and teach me the position of influence that

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Speaker 1: I am about to walk in. Enlarge my heart so

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Speaker 1: that I will have a new found passion and love

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Speaker 1: for the calling and assignment You've created for me. I

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Speaker 1: declare that I am ready, and even in my weaknesses,

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Speaker 1: I know that I am still covered because I have

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Speaker 1: not rejected you as king over my life. Lord, So

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Speaker 1: I will arise I will take the weapons and gifts

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Speaker 1: you've given me and take territory for your kingdom. I

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Speaker 1: am ready. Let's do this God in Jesus name, Amen,

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Speaker 1: thank you for praying with me to day. Continue listening

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Speaker 1: for an incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible

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Speaker 1: in a Year dot com.

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Speaker 2: The first King of Israel Saul. In our last story,

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Speaker 2: Israel cried out for a king. Israel, God's chosen people,

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Speaker 2: shouted and begged for a king to rule over them.

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Speaker 2: Despite Samuel's warnings, Israel desired for a man to reign

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Speaker 2: over them completely and protect them from their enemies. Now

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Speaker 2: we see God acknowledging their desires by raising up a

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Speaker 2: king for Israel's first king. God chooses Saul, and with

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Speaker 2: Saul begins a story that would pave the way for

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Speaker 2: God's true king and savior.

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Speaker 3: Hello. This is Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we learned

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Speaker 3: that Samuel served God faithfully as Israel's judge and prophet

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Speaker 3: for many years, and because the people turned back to

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Speaker 3: God and cast out their idols, God God prospered the

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Speaker 3: nation greatly, but Israel's longing to be like other nations

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Speaker 3: was too great, and they ultimately insisted on being given

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Speaker 3: an earthly king, just like the rest of the world.

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Speaker 3: This grieved God, as they were rejecting not Samuel but

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Speaker 3: God himself. But God would not force his children to

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Speaker 3: follow him. He never does, and after warning Israel that

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Speaker 3: having a king would not go as they desired, God

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Speaker 3: told Samuel to give them what they wanted. Today we'll

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Speaker 3: hear the first king that God raises up for Israel.

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Speaker 3: Saul had all the makings of a king, strength, good looks, wealth, charm,

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Speaker 3: and yet he was also humble. At least at that moment,

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Speaker 3: Saul will seem to be the right man for the job.

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Speaker 3: Let's listen now to today's reading.

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Speaker 2: In the tribe of Benjamin was a man named Saul.

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Speaker 2: Saul was the son of a wealthy man named Kish.

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Speaker 2: Saul was tall and broad shouldered. He stood ahead above

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Speaker 2: the rest of his tribe and was one of the

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Speaker 2: most handsome men in all of Israel. Despite Saul's stature, wealth,

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Speaker 2: and good looks, he was a relatively humble young man.

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Speaker 2: He enjoyed tending to his father's land. One day, one

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Speaker 2: of Kish's donkeys went missing, so he sent Saul out

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Speaker 2: to look for it. Saul and his servant went looking

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Speaker 2: for the donkey and searched all the nearby villages to

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Speaker 2: no avail. When they ventured through the land of zoof

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Speaker 2: days had passed, and Saul grew worried. Saul said to

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Speaker 2: his servant, we should return. I am sure my father

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Speaker 2: is more anxious about our safety than the donkeys. Saul's

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Speaker 2: servant stopped him and said, I heard that there is

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Speaker 2: a man of God in this city. The people hold

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Speaker 2: him in high esteem. Maybe he can tell us where

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Speaker 2: we should go. So the two men gathered some gifts

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Speaker 2: to bring to the prophet. They went up the hill

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Speaker 2: to the city that rested above. As they were on

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Speaker 2: their way, God came to Samuel and said, I have

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Speaker 2: heard the people's cries king. Tomorrow I will reveal to

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Speaker 2: you Israel's first king. He shall deliver my people from

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Speaker 2: the Philistines. The next day, Samuel saw Saul and his

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Speaker 2: servant approaching his home. God whispered to Samuel, saying, there

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Speaker 2: is the man who shall restrain my people. Saul approached Samuel.

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Speaker 2: He stood a few feet above him, and his smile

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Speaker 2: was infectious. Clearly Saul was a man of charisma, someone

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Speaker 2: people would not mind following. Where might I be able

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Speaker 2: to find the prophet? Saul asked politely, I am the prophet,

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Speaker 2: Samuel answered, without prompting or explanation. Samuel took Saul and said,

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Speaker 2: go up before me to the high place where we

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Speaker 2: make sacrifices. To day, you and I shall eat together,

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Speaker 2: and I will reveal the deepest desires of your mind.

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Speaker 2: Saul was confused by the request, for all he wanted

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Speaker 2: to do was ask about his donkeys. Before Saul got

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Speaker 2: a chance to ask, Samuel said, as for your donkeys,

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Speaker 2: it is a stupid thing to worry about. They were

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Speaker 2: found while you were gone. Saul was dumbfounded. Not only

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Speaker 2: did this prophet know about his donkeys, but he wanted

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Speaker 2: to eat with him near the altar of God. I

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Speaker 2: am from the least of the tribes of Israel. Why

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Speaker 2: do you speak with me this way? Saul asked, without

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Speaker 2: an answer. Samuel took Saul up to the hall. He

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Speaker 2: asked the cook to prepare a meal, and Saul sat

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Speaker 2: down with Samuel among thirty other people. They spent the

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Speaker 2: night there, and Saul lay awake, wondering what was happening

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Speaker 2: to him. An anxious excitement rushed over Saul, though he

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Speaker 2: did not know why the prophet spoke to him in

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Speaker 2: riddle and ambiguity, so Saul waited patiently to find out

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Speaker 2: why he was being kept. Samuel sent Saul's servant back

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Speaker 2: home and took Saul on a walk through the streets

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Speaker 2: of the city. It was still dawn and the sunlight

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Speaker 2: trickled in through the alleys. The city was still quiet

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Speaker 2: and undisturbed. Samuel and Saul walked silently in the coolness

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Speaker 2: of mourning. Samuel took Saul up to a secluded place.

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Speaker 2: The sun was breaking over the horizon and the people

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Speaker 2: were stirring below in the city. The two of them

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Speaker 2: sat on a rock and looked down at the people.

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Speaker 2: The men and women of the city began their work,

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Speaker 2: while the children played on the streets. It was a

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Speaker 2: beautiful sight. Samuel took a flask of oil and poured

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Speaker 2: it over Samuel's head. Samuel kissed him on the cheek

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Speaker 2: and said, God has anointed you to be the king

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Speaker 2: over his people. Saul's eyes widened, but he did not

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Speaker 2: say a word. Samuel continued, saying, you shall reign and

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Speaker 2: rule over God's people. The Lord has appointed you to

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Speaker 2: save them from the fist of their enemies. On that hill,

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Speaker 2: God gave Saul a new heart. Saul welled up with

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Speaker 2: love and affection for the people of Israel, and he

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Speaker 2: was filled with the spirit of God. Seven days later,

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Speaker 2: Samuel called the people of Israel together. A sea of

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Speaker 2: people stood before him, and the crowd hung on every

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Speaker 2: word Samuel said. Samuel spoke for God as a prophet

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Speaker 2: and said, I brought you out of Egypt, and since

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Speaker 2: then I have delivered you from every kingdom that sought

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Speaker 2: to oppress you. But today you have rejected your God.

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Speaker 2: You seek a king to rule over you instead of me.

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Speaker 2: You will have the blessings and curses that come from

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Speaker 2: having a man rule over you. So Samuel brought Saul

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Speaker 2: up from the tribe of Benjamin. He stood tall, and

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Speaker 2: his head was above the entire crowd. Saul looked upon

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Speaker 2: the people, eyes wide and afraid. Behold, Samuel shouted, your King.

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Speaker 2: The people roared in applause. Trumpets blared as the people

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Speaker 2: erupted in shouts of praise. The earth shook below Saul.

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Speaker 2: Because of the sound. In one voice, he could hear

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Speaker 2: the crowd chant long live the King. Samuel read Saul

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Speaker 2: the duties of kingship before the people, and he vowed

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Speaker 2: to rule and protect them for all his days. Mighty

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Speaker 2: men of Israel rose up from among the crowd to

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Speaker 2: pledge their loyalty to Saul, and from there he departed

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Speaker 2: to his home, ready to take on the Philistine army.

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Speaker 2: Some doubted Saul's ability to lead and despised him. Yet

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Speaker 2: Saul had spent plenty of time doubting himself, so he

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Speaker 2: paid no attention to their protests. Saul held his peace

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Speaker 2: and readied his sword and shield. With a deep breath

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Speaker 2: and calm spirit, Saul began his march against the enemies

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Speaker 2: of God.

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Speaker 3: We began the story today with a man named Saul.

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Speaker 3: He was physically imposing, young, handsome, and wealthy. This would

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Speaker 3: be the kind of man that the people would expect

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Speaker 3: to be their king. One day Sawaul and his servant

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Speaker 3: when in search of one of his father's donkeys. They

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Speaker 3: searched for days and without any luck. Saul wanted to

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Speaker 3: go home, thinking his father would be worried about his safety,

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Speaker 3: but the servant told him a man of God was

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Speaker 3: in town and suggested they ask him where to search.

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Speaker 3: That man was Samuel. To an outside observer, it may

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Speaker 3: look like that this was just dumb luck that Saul

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Speaker 3: would encounter Samuel. But God's hand and his plan was

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Speaker 3: in all of this. He told Samuel the next day

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Speaker 3: that he would reveal to him the man that was

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Speaker 3: going to be king over all of Israel. When Samuel

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Speaker 3: saw Saul approaching him bearing gifts to the prophet, God

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Speaker 3: spoke to Samuel saying, this is the one. So when

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Speaker 3: Saul approached Samuel, Samuel then told him he was the prophet.

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Speaker 3: Then he told Saul to go to the place where

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Speaker 3: they would offer sacrifices and they would eat together. There,

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Speaker 3: Samuel told Saul he would reveal to him what was

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Speaker 3: on his mind. Saul's response reveals his humility even in

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Speaker 3: security in the moment, despite being a young, wealthy, good

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Speaker 3: looking man that cut an imposing figure, he did not

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Speaker 3: think highly of himself. And in First Samuel nine twenty one,

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Speaker 3: this is what Saul says, am I not a Benjamin

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Speaker 3: Knight from the least of the tribes of Israel, and

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Speaker 3: is not my clan, the humblest of all the clans

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Speaker 3: of the tribe of Benjamin, Why then have you spoken

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Speaker 3: to me in this way? Saul did not yet understand

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Speaker 3: that God delights and desires to take the least, the unlikely,

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Speaker 3: even the forgotten people, and do great things through them.

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Speaker 3: God takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things through their

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Speaker 3: lives when they trust in Him. But Samuel does not

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Speaker 3: respond to Saul's question. They simply went up to the

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Speaker 3: high place where Saul ate was Samuel. Then they rested

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Speaker 3: for the night. The next morning, Samuel told Saul to

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Speaker 3: send his servant home. He had something important to tell him.

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Speaker 3: This was to be a word from God. Samuel then

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Speaker 3: took the flask of oil, anointed Saul's head, and gave

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Speaker 3: him the life changing news. God has chosen you to

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Speaker 3: be king of Israel. Saul would lead Israel in battle,

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Speaker 3: and God would save his people from their enemies that

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Speaker 3: surrounded them. What a shock this must have been for Saul,

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Speaker 3: What an amazement. He went out in search of a

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Speaker 3: donkey and returned home. As the soon to be king

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Speaker 3: of the nation of Israel. All that was left was

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Speaker 3: to tell Israel who their king would be. Samuel spoke

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Speaker 3: God's words to the people, reminding them that they had

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Speaker 3: rejected God and chosen an earthly king. Saul was pronounced king,

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Speaker 3: and the people rejoiced. They didn't care what this meant

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Speaker 3: to God. They hadn't gotten their own way. At least

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Speaker 3: for now, Saul would serve as God's man, leading with confidence,

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Speaker 3: calm and peace that God had given him, And soon

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Speaker 3: it would be time to fight the first battle against

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Speaker 3: the Ammonites. We'll hear about that tomorrow. Dear God, thank

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Speaker 3: you that you choose the lowly, the hum and the

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Speaker 3: unlikely to accomplish your purposes. That includes us. May we

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Speaker 3: always be sensitive to hear your call upon our lives

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Speaker 3: and obey you. May we always do the things that

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Speaker 3: you have prepared for us, because we know that we

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Speaker 3: are your workmanship, created in Jesus Christ, and to good

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Speaker 3: works and for your glory. Amen. Thank you for listening

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Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm pastor Jack

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Speaker 3: Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot Com app and

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Speaker 3: make Bible study and prayer a priority in your life.

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Speaker 3: If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with someone

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Speaker 3: you know because it can make a genuine, even eternal

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Speaker 3: difference in their lives. And if you want more resources

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Speaker 3: on how you can know the power of God through

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Speaker 3: Jesus Christ. Then visit Jack Graham dot org