00:00Hey everyone, and welcome back!
00:02Today, we're jumping into our time machine to visit a super important moment in history.
00:08Imagine a time when Israel didn't have a king, but leaders called judges.
00:13But the people started looking around at other countries and said,
00:17Hey, they have kings. We want one too.
00:20They wanted a king who could lead them in battles and look super impressive.
00:24So, they went to the wise prophet Samuel and demanded a king.
00:28Samuel was a bit sad because he knew God was their true king.
00:33But God told him, It's okay, listen to the people.
00:36And that's where our story begins, with the search for Israel's very first king.
00:41So, who was this guy chosen to be the first king?
00:44His name was Saul, and let me tell you, he was something else.
00:48The story says he was from the tribe of Benjamin, which was one of the smaller tribes in Israel.
00:54This was actually a clever move by God.
00:56So, the bigger, more powerful tribes wouldn't get jealous.
01:01And Saul himself, he was super tall.
01:03He stood a whole head and shoulders above everyone else.
01:07When you saw him in a crowd, you just knew he was special.
01:11He was exactly what the people imagined a king should look like.
01:14Strong, impressive, and a real leader.
01:17But here's the cool part.
01:19Even though he was this big, tall guy, Saul was actually very humble at first.
01:24He didn't think he was all that great, which made him an even better choice in God's eyes.
01:29God chose Saul, but how did Saul find out?
01:32Well, God sent him on a little adventure.
01:35Saul's father had lost his donkeys.
01:37So Saul and his servant went off to find them.
01:40They searched and searched, but no luck.
01:42Finally, his servant suggested they go ask the famous prophet Samuel for help.
01:47When they arrived, Samuel was waiting for them.
01:49God had already told Samuel, the man you're looking for is on his way.
01:54He's the one I've chosen to be king.
01:56Isn't that amazing?
01:58Saul was just looking for some lost donkeys, but he was about to find a whole kingdom.
02:03Samuel welcomed Saul and told him not to worry about the donkeys because they had already been found.
02:09Then he did something incredibly important.
02:12The next day, Samuel took a special flask of oil and poured it over Saul's head.
02:17This was called anointing, and it was a very special ceremony.
02:21The oil was a symbol that God had chosen Saul and was giving him the power and wisdom to be a great leader.
02:28Samuel told Saul, the Lord has anointed you to be the ruler over his people.
02:32Imagine how Saul must have felt.
02:34Just a day ago, he was a regular guy, and now he was chosen by God to be the king of an entire nation.
02:41Samuel then gave Saul some signs to prove that this was all real.
02:45And everything happened exactly as he said it would.
02:48Saul was filled with God's spirit and was ready for his new, gigantic job.
02:53After Saul was secretly anointed, it was time for the big public reveal.
02:58Samuel called all the people of Israel together at a place called Mitzvah.
03:02He reminded them that they had asked for a king, even though God had always been their true king and protector.
03:08But he said God had agreed to their request.
03:11Now it was time to introduce their new king.
03:14They used a special way to choose, kind of like drawing names out of a hat and guess whose name was chosen.
03:21Saul's.
03:21But wait, where was he?
03:23When they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found.
03:26It turns out he was hiding among the baggage.
03:29He was still feeling a little nervous and shy about this whole king thing.
03:33But the people found him and brought him out.
03:36When he stood in front of everyone, they all gasped.
03:39He was so tall and looked so kingly.
03:42Samuel shouted,
03:43Did you see the man the Lord has chosen?
03:45There is no one like him among all the people.
03:48And all the people cheered and shouted,
03:51Long live the king.
03:52Saul's journey from a humble farmer's son to the king of Israel was complete.
03:57The people were so excited.
03:58They finally had the king they wanted.
04:01Someone who looked apart and could lead them.
04:03Saul's reign started with so much promise and excitement.
04:06With Saul as the new king, it was time to prove he could be the leader Israel needed.
04:12And he got his chance very quickly.
04:14A nearby enemy, the Ammonites, attacked an Israelite town and were being really mean.
04:20The people of the town were terrified.
04:22When Saul heard the news, the Spirit of God came upon him powerfully and he became a bold and decisive leader.
04:29He rallied the troops of Israel together, creating a huge army.
04:33He led them into a surprise attack against the Ammonites and won a massive victory.
04:38Everyone was amazed.
04:40This was exactly what they wanted a king for.
04:43This big one showed everyone that Saul wasn't just a tall guy.
04:47He was a true leader chosen by God who could protect them.
04:50After this incredible victory, all the people were 100% behind Saul.
04:55Any doubts they had about him were gone.
04:57Samuel then gathered everyone at a place called Gilgal to officially celebrate and confirm Saul as their king.
05:04It was a huge party.
05:06They made offerings to God and celebrated their new king and their new future as a kingdom.
05:11Saul's early days as king were a huge success.
05:15He united the tribes, won important battles, and had the full support of his people.
05:20It seemed like everything was going to be perfect for King Saul and for Israel.
05:25But leading a nation isn't always easy, and Saul was about to face some very big tests.
05:31Even though Saul started out as a humble and successful king, things started to go wrong.
05:36The problem began with a little thing called impatience.
05:39The Philistines, another big enemy of Israel, gathered a massive army to fight them.
05:45The Israelite soldiers were terrified and started to run away.
05:49Samuel had told Saul to wait for him for seven days at a place called Gilgal.
05:54And Samuel would come to make a special sacrifice to God to ask for help.
05:58But seven days passed, and Samuel hadn't arrived yet.
06:02Saul got nervous.
06:03He saw his army disappearing.
06:05So, he decided he couldn't wait any longer and made the sacrifice himself.
06:11But only a prophet like Samuel was supposed to do that.
06:14Just as he finished, Samuel showed up and asked,
06:17What have you done?
06:18Saul tried to explain, saying he was scared and felt he had to do something.
06:23But Samuel told him he had done a foolish thing.
06:26He hadn't obeyed God's command.
06:29Because of this, Samuel said that Saul's kingdom wouldn't last.
06:32God would find someone else to be king, a man after his own heart.
06:36This was the first major mistake for Saul.
06:39He let his fear and impatience lead him to disobey a direct command from God.
06:44It was a sad turning point that showed a crack in his leadership and his faith.
06:49Saul's second big mistake was even more serious.
06:52God, through the prophet Samuel, gave Saul a very specific command.
06:56He was to go and completely defeat the Amalekites, another one of Israel's enemies,
07:02as a punishment for how they had treated the Israelites long ago.
07:06God's instruction was very clear.
07:08Destroy everything and everyone, and don't keep anything for yourselves.
07:13So Saul gathered his army, and he did win the battle.
07:16But he didn't follow the instructions completely.
07:19He spared the Amalekite king, Agag, and he let his soldiers keep the best sheep,
07:24cattle, and other valuable things.
07:27They only destroyed the stuff that was weak or worthless.
07:30When Samuel came to meet him, Saul greeted him cheerfully, saying,
07:34I have carried out the Lord's command.
07:36But Samuel knew better.
07:38He said, then what is this bleeding of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?
07:43Saul was caught.
07:44He tried to make excuses, saying the soldiers save the best animals to sacrifice to God.
07:50But Samuel gave him one of the most famous speeches in the Bible.
07:54He said, does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice
08:00of the Lord to obey is better than sacrifice.
08:03Because Saul had rejected God's command, God had rejected him as king.
08:08This was the final straw.
08:10Saul's reign was now officially doomed, all because he thought his own ideas were better than God's clear instructions.
08:17After these major acts of disobedience, things went downhill for King Saul.
08:21The spirit of the Lord left him, and he became troubled by jealousy, fear, and suspicion.
08:28He became incredibly jealous of a young man named David, who God had chosen to be the next king.
08:34Even though David was loyal to him, won battles for him, and even played the harp to soothe him,
08:39Saul saw him as a threat.
08:41He spent much of the rest of his reign chasing David and trying to get rid of him.
08:46He became impulsive and made poor decisions, relying on his own wisdom instead of turning to God for guidance.
08:53His story is a powerful lesson for all of us.
08:56It shows that it doesn't matter how talented, strong, or popular you are.
09:01If you don't listen to and obey God, things will fall apart.
09:06Saul started with so much promise, but his disobedience led to a tragic end.
09:10It's a cautionary tale that reminds us how important it is to be faithful and to trust in God's plan.
09:17Above our own!
09:18Thanks for watching, and don't forget to like and subscribe for more amazing stories.
09:23See you next time, and God bless!
