Your Day of Showing May Have Tarried; It Will However Come To Pass, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye

After Prophet Samuel became old and his two sons were not following his footsteps, the Children of Israel asked him to appoint a king for themselves like other nations around them. Someone who could lead them to war

Samuel warned them of the repercussion of been led by a king, but they refused. So God scanned through the nation and appointed somebody, the name Saul.

Saul was the son of Kish, who was a well know person from the tribe of Benjamin. They were herdsmen. Their tribe was however the youngest tribe in Israel.

God arranged the meeting of Samuel and Saul in an amazing way. God made the donkeys of Saul’s father to wander off, as Saul began to look for his father’s donkeys, he was moving closer to Samuel whom God had told that the first king of Israel is coming to see him.

The meeting happened and Saul was anointed by Samuel in secret, but the actual coronation of Saul didn’t happen straightaway. Samuel told Saul to go before him to Gilgal where he will join him to make burnt offerings and peace offering to God and then tell Saul what to do next.

– You may have been anointed for something great in the secret and the official or actual coronation is pending; today God will activate your coronation in Jesus name.

The meeting in Gilgal was to be in seven days, for whatever reason, it was not stated in the bible why that meeting did not take place.

Gilgal was a place of historic celebration. It was where the Israelites gathered to rejoice after crossing Jordan River into Canaan.

It is however possible that Saul developed cold feet and refused to show up. So Samuel had to think of another plan to coronate him.

– On the day of your coronation you will not develop cold feet.

On the day you are to be celebrated, you will not be absent in Jesus name.

The next plan was that Samuel called all Israel to gather unto him at Mizpah. So that Saul could come too. Mizpah was a place where Israel has had to select a leader before (Jephthah to fight against Ammonites); so that Saul might think that his choice had been abandoned.

Saul was systematically refusing the promotion God had given him. He was overwhelmed with the huge responsibility and confused. He came to Mizpah secretly and hid himself.

– Your head will not refuse your promotion from God.

For the whole of Israel to know and Saul to be sure that their king was chosen by God, Samuel had to use the Jewish spiritual system of ‘casting of lots’. Out of the 12 tribes, the Tribe of Benjamin was taken; out of heads in Benjamin tribe, the grandfather of Saul was taken, out of all his descendants, Saul was taken. Then he was nowhere to be found.

God had to reveal his hiding place before they found him.

– Regardless of your shortcomings, may God bring your destiny to the open for recognition in Jesus name.

So Saul was formally introduced to the nation as their first leader. It was however very surprising to me that the people did not fully accepted him as their leader. Despite his stature, his beautiful looks, his hardwork, his simplicity, and his Divine choice! Saul was a gentle and handsome giant. They rejected him.

Saul went home that day not as a king, but back to his father’s business. It was only a band of men whom God had touched their hearts that followed him.

1 Samuel 10:26-27

And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

– You are supposed to be a leader of a multitude, but you are leading a band, never mind as it shall still come to pass.

Certain people called ‘children of Balial’ stood against Saul – the anointed of God.

They question Saul’s ability. They despised him. They brought him no present. Thank God for Saul, he held his peace.

– Those that have questioned your ability will eat their words.

Those that have despised you will cherish you.

Those that have refused to bring you any present will beg you to take from them.

Just hold your peace and see what God will do.

Not long after this incident, the king of Ammon encamped against Jabesh-Gilead (one of the cities of Israel), the people begged Ammon to make an oath with them and they will serve them. The Ammonites asked to pluck out the right eye of everyone, so the people of Jabesh-Gilead asked for seven days to consider their response.

The weeping of the people of Jabesh-Gilead got to Saul in Gibeah that week as he was coming back from the field with his father’s animals, the Spirit of God came down mightily on him, that he went into action. He made a call throughout the land so that 330,000 men gathered to him for war. The Israelites slaughtered the Ammonites till the remaining few scattered.

What amazed me afterwards was the sentence of the same people that originally was disprove of Saul.

1 Samuel 11:12-15 – And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? Bring the men, that we may put them to death. And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for today the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel.

Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

What a journey Saul had to go through before his day of showing eventually manifested:

– Looking for donkeys that were not lost.

– Had to be anointed in secret, not even his father’s servant was allowed to witness it.

– Publicly chosen by God and introduced to the nation by Samuel, but rejected by almost all.

– He began to lead a band of men, rather than the nation.

– Had to go back to rearing of animals instead of been a king.

But when the Spirit of God came down on him, it all made the difference. Saul was eventually coronated with great joy in Gilgal.

– To someone, Hold your peace, your day of official coronation is fast approaching.

– To another person, the same people that have been talking bad about you will soon be fighting for you.

Samuel made a remarkable statement to Saul and all the people when they came back from slaughtering the Ammonites. He said “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there”.

He didn’t say, let us ‘start’ but ‘renew’. The kingdom started in Mizpah, it was rejected. It had to be renewed in Gilgal where it was supposed to start originally, but Saul didn’t come.

– You were supposed to go to Gilgal to be coronated and you didn’t, you went to Mizpah instead, even at Mizpah you are still hiding, somehow God will take you back to Gilgal.

I am not sure which stage you are regarding your journey to your day of showing. Saul also travelled a bit:

– Mount Ephraim – wooded region

– Shalisa

– Shalim – land of foxes

– Land of Benjamin

– Land of Zuph

– Situation where he had to borrow money from servant for worship

– Rachel’s sepulchre – asses are found

– Plains of Tabor – where he was saluted and given two bread (no kid, no wine)

– Hill of God (Horeb) – where he prophesied.

– Gilgal – was absent

– Mizpah – where he wasn’t accepted

– Gibeah of Saul

– Gilgal – coronation and celebration.

– “Welcome to your Gilgal”.

2 types of Altar call

When God chose Saul, one of the things God did for him was to give him a new heart. Without that he couldn’t have humble himself. God wants to give someone here a new heart. He wants to take the stony heart from you.

Just like Jonah was sent to Nineveh but went to Tashishi

Saul was Sent to Gilgal went to Gibeah

God had asked you to do something, you didn’t do it, or you did another thing.

You are hiding in Mizpah and you think God will not pay attention.

Is there someone like that here today?

Prayers

Father, let all good things that have been delayed in my life be birth right now.
Father, let Your glory that has been hidden in my life comes forth now.
Father, let all the annunciations regarding us be fulfilled right now.
Father, let everyone that hears my story be filled with awe and wonder what kind of person I am.
Father, let Your Spirit rest upon me mightily to the extent that all nations will know.
Father, make me a showpiece of Yours to the whole world.
Father, let my day of showing begin from now in Jesus name.

The sermon, Your Day of Showing May Have Tarried; It Will However Come To Pass, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye, was delivered on October 30, 2016.