LEARNING DAILY

 

1 Samuel 10:6-7; 9, Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. 9) So it was, when he had turned back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart, and all those signs came to pass that day.

 

So it was that Saul was anointed king over Israel. Saul had all the physical attributes to help him be the leader of the people. Saul needed to be changed in his character to empower him to serve God in a righteous way. God changed Saul by anointing him with the Holy Spirit; Saul was filled with divine help, divine wisdom, courage and qualifications necessary to be the king God wanted him to be. The signs that Samuel gave would be to testify of God being with Saul. Saul would become another man empowered by God to do mighty things for Him.

 

It might be helpful to understand what it means to be anointed with the Holy Spirit. Obviously in the format of this blog, a comprehensive study on this topic is difficult to do. Perhaps this page of the blog will challenge you to do a mor complete study on your own.

 

Samuel anointed Saul with oil as a symbol of God’s special blessing and commission he was to fulfill. The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and represents a setting apart for doing God’s work. Saul was set apart and commissioned to lead God’s people by the wisdom and strength of God.

 The Holy spirit was to help and empower Saul to serve God. God changed Saul through the Holy Spirit; it is so important that we understand that this change was not unconditional or permanent. The change that comes through the Holy Spirit must be maintained through fellowship and obedience to God. Later when Saul moved away from dependence on God to disobedience, the Holy Spirit departed from him.

 

You and I have received the Holy Spirit in our lives to teach us about living on the narrow way to God’s kingdom. He guides us, strengthens us, protects us when temptations come. 1 John 2:27 tells us, “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as He has taught you, you will abide in Him.” As children of God, we are given His anointing (the Holy Spirit) to help us know what the truth is. We must stand with and in Christ and submit to the Word of God. Each of us can know, understand God’s truth and learn from each other.

 

What I believe you and I need to take away from this today is knowing that as Christians, we are anointed with the Holy Spirit. That means we have power, are able to give the highest praise to God and can walk in purity because He lives within us. We can do nothing on our own (walking in our flesh) that pleases God. Be thankful for the changes that the Holy Spirit has brought in your life. Learn from Saul regarding the need to be obedient to God’s Word and know you can draw strength from the Holy Spirit as you walk the narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom.