Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
I Samuel 8:1-9 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected ME, that I should not reign over them.
According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken ME, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
Samuel warned them but they still persisted in having a king rule over them.
So God gave them a king.
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Their king was to be a very tall, handsome man. (as the flesh would likely picture a king)
I Samuel 9:2 a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
Instead of trusting God to give what they needed, they made demands according to their own flesh.
Saul was to be placed among them as their king.
vv. 15-17 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over MY people Israel, that he may save MY people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon MY people, because their cry is come unto ME.
And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.
And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.
v. 27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on), but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.
(We, by our own wisdom, would think this was going to work out great because Saul was chosen by God. But God is already upset by the rebellion of HIS people when they demanded a king to rule over them rather than having a judge as God had done in the past.)
I Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over HIS inheritance?
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God creates both good and evil ... and God appoints the waster to destroy.
Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.
After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:
And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.
And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.
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vv. 17-24 And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh; And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:
And ye have this day rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto Him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands.
And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold he hath hid himself among the stuff. And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
And ye have this day rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto Him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands.
And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold he hath hid himself among the stuff. And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.
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vv.25-27 Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.
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 no presents. But he held his peace.
I Samuel 8:11-18 This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.
(The children of Belial are children of "the devil".)
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Prior to this king, God had set up judges to deliver the children of Israel from their enemies. But now they wanted no judges over them and they demanded to have a king over them like the other nations, though God had given them victory over the other nations through their judges.
God told Samuel to protest and to show the people what kind of king they would have. And even though Samuel showed them fully what their king would be, they insisted on having a king.
And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.
They rejected the plan of God and wanted their own plan, which God was giving them.
It is very similar to the way their fathers had rejected manna and wanted quails to eat in the wilderness and God gave them their desires.
Psalm 78:5-8 For HE established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which HE commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep HIS commandments:
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep HIS commandments:
And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
vv. 9-33 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
( You don't turn back in the day of battle when you are fully armed and ready. That would be terrible. You go forward.)
They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in HIS law; And forgat HIS works, and HIS wonders that HE had shewed them.
Marvellous things did HE in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
HE divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and HE made the waters to stand as an heap.
In the daytime also HE led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
HE clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
HE brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
And they sinned yet more against HIM by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
Behold, HE smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can HE give bread also? can he provide flesh for HIS people?
Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in HIS salvation:
Though HE had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
Man did eat angels' food: HE sent them meat to the full.
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by HIS power HE brought in the south wind.
He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
And HE let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
So they did eat, and were well filled: for HE gave them their own desire;
They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
For all this they sinned still, and believed not for HIS wondrous works.
Therefore their days did HE consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
( You don't turn back in the day of battle when you are fully armed and ready. That would be terrible. You go forward.)
They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in HIS law; And forgat HIS works, and HIS wonders that HE had shewed them.
Marvellous things did HE in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
HE divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and HE made the waters to stand as an heap.
In the daytime also HE led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
HE clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
HE brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.
And they sinned yet more against HIM by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
Behold, HE smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can HE give bread also? can he provide flesh for HIS people?
Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in HIS salvation:
Though HE had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
Man did eat angels' food: HE sent them meat to the full.
He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by HIS power HE brought in the south wind.
He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
And HE let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
So they did eat, and were well filled: for HE gave them their own desire;
They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
For all this they sinned still, and believed not for HIS wondrous works.
Therefore their days did HE consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
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