After Israel's defeat under the Philistines, the Ark of God was taken from the Hebrew people and passed through several places. In Ashdod (city of the Philistines), the Lord made the idol Dagon prostrate himself before the Ark, devastated and smote the Ashdodites (1 Sam 5:1-7). They then took her to Gath (another Philistine city), and there, the men were also wounded (I Sam 5:8-9). They then sent her to Ekron (one of the five cities of the Philistines); the men were afraid and advised sending her back to Israel (I Sam 5:10-12). Seven months was the time that the Ark of the Lord remained in the land of the Philistines, and it brought heavy consequences on those people (I Sam 6:1). Let's look at something substantial: 7 These are the times of the church in this world, and the Philistines speak of those who oppose the Work of God. This opposition has occurred in all periods of the church, as the Ark is the Work of God that is a blessing for his people. It is the symbol of the presence of God in his midst. However, the Ark was difficult for the Philistines during all the seven months in their midst. The work of God is difficult for the world because they do not want a life of sanctification; they do not want to live in the direction of the Ark, in the direction of the Holy Spirit. They don't like the Ark as the center of their lives. The Work of God is not the greatest good for the world. For all this, the Ark was a difficulty for the Philistines. For this reason, it was returned, and arriving at the borders of Israel, they consecrated Eleazar, Son of Abinadab, of Kiriath-year, to guard the Ark in their house (I Sam 7:2).
Twenty years was when the Ark remained in Eleazar's house, and the Bible does not record anything that happened due to its presence there. Many years would still pass before David ordered the Ark to be taken from that place closer to him, where it would remain until Solomon constructed the temple. As the people did not know how to deal with the Ark of the Lord, they ended up bringing a heavy judgment, which culminated in the death of a man called Uzzah. David feared taking the Ark, so he consecrated another man to take care of it, Obed-Edom (2 Sam 6: 1-10). It is recorded in the Word of God that the Ark remained in this man's house for three months, and the Lord blessed his entire house (2 Sam 6:11). The Lord's word calls our attention to consider the Value God's work has in man's life.
a) Just having the work or saying that you are in the church, without having a spiritual life, does not guarantee man victory in struggles, and these can even steal the work from the believer's life (the Philistines defeated Israel and took the Ark);
b) Treating the Lord's work as any religion, comparing the Lord as an ordinary god, not discerning that we serve the only God, who is alive and rules over all things, is bringing judgment into our home (that's why the Philistines were injured when they took the Ark and placed it inside the temple of Dagon);
c) Being in the work for many years (twenty years) and not letting it transform our lives is the same thing as not being in the work; nothing happens (the Ark in Eleazar's house);
d) The Ark in Obed-Edom's house symbolizes the type of servant who pleases the Lord, which is why He blesses him in everything. The name Obed-Edom means red servant, that is, the servant who is under the Blood of Jesus. This person has experienced Jesus's death and resurrection. For this type of servant, the Lord dramatically blesses their home and family.
Saul was a herder (caretaker) of donkeys. It couldn't have been a gratifying occupation and wasn't easy. The donkey is a valuable animal but difficult to tame. It often rebels against its owner's will and, other times, runs away, causing the owner to get upset, waste time, or have to look for it further and further away. This situation prophetically represents what life is like in this time in which we live; it is full of afflictions and needs. To satisfy material needs, food, children's education, health, etc., man faces situations similar to herding donkeys. Work, studies, and preparing to face the future are challenging. And sometimes, the donkey runs away; illness, unemployment, competition, and the need to increase resources come. These things make us go further and further away from home. In search of Saul, he and his young man passed through the mountain of Ephraim; then, they went to the land of Salisa. When they did not find anything, they went to the land of Shaalim and continued to the land of Benjamin, and from there, they went to Zuph, five locations in total. The problem is that the further they went after the donkeys, the further they went from their home, and, finally, the Father, who had previously sent them to look for the donkeys, was distressed because of his son. The word teaches us that student life, work, family, and friends cannot take us so far from the Father's House: from the church. When searching for animals, the son is worth more than the donkeys. In 1 Samuel 10:2c – "thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorrowed for you" The Father is concerned about the man, saying, "What shall I do for my son?" (verse. 2d).
As we see in Saul's life, the man strayed from the Father's house, and now the Lord wants to bring him back and rescue him. In I Samuel 10:2-6, we have some prophetic examples of how the Father prepared this project to bring human beings into his presence.
I Samuel 10:2 - Two men... – "What shall I do for my son?"
First moment: The blood pact. This verse shows the Father's concern for the lost human being. The two men are the Father and the Son, who, in eternity, are dealing with our salvation. They were next to a tomb because the subject was about the death Jesus would need to go through (Is 6:8).
Second moment: Jesus is killed, resurrected, and returns to the Father. The (skin) cup of wine symbolizes the new covenant. I Samuel 10:3-4 - Three men who will ask how you are. The three men typify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who came to check on the human being and deliver everything he needs: bread - the bread of life. The Father sent his Son to know how the man is, and the Son brought the true bread from heaven (1 Sam 17:17-18).
Third moment: the man's encounter with Jesus. Moment of calling (I Sam 10:5-6)
i) God's hill is his work.
ii) The city is his church.
iii) A group of prophets with instruments and prophesy is the cult of the work of the Holy Spirit.
iv) The Holy Spirit will come upon you in baptism with the Holy Spirit.
v) You will become another man, you will be a new creature, salvation with a change of life (I Sam 10:7)
When all this is part of our life, we discover that the Lord is with us (Mt 1:23).
What characterized Saul's reign, unfortunately, was his disobedience. For this reason, he was rejected by the Lord. Saul wanted to please the Lord but in his way and not the way the Lord wanted. He did not obey what the Lord commanded and wanted the Lord to accept burnt offerings of praise. Samuel rebuked Saul, saying, "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam 15:22). Because of his disobedience the Lord raises another king better than him, for obedience (1 Sam 15:28). That King would be David.
When Saul was anointed King, Samuel said that three signs would happen in his lifetime as soon as he left where they were. All three were fulfilled. The only requirement made of him was to wait for Samuel for seven days until he came to bless the sacrifice. In I Sam 13:14, we see what happened. Saul stayed the seven days, but only when Samuel came down to him. We are living in the so-called brief time. What was prophesied, mainly in the Apocalypse: "I will soon return"; or "behold, I come quickly," has arrived. It is already the last day, the seventh prophetic day of the church in the world. The church has won so far. All that remains is for the Lord to meet the church. All Saul needed was a little more loyalty, and he would have achieved a great victory. The church will be found faithful when the Lord comes to rapture and finds it waiting for Him. "Thou shalt abide for me many days; … so will I also be toward thee" (Hosea 3:3).
As we saw previously, Saul's disobedience marked his reign. Chapter 10 of the first book of the prophet Samuel records that he did not wait for the time that the Lord had determined (I Sam 10:8), so he failed to typify the prophecy referring to the church that waits until the final moment to be raptured. In the passage of I Samuel 15:27-28, God gave Saul a specific order. The Lord waited for the opportune moment to bring judgment on the Amalekites, which He had sworn to exercise. He ordered Moses to write it in the book so that it would not be forgotten (Ex 17:14). The Amalekites rose against the people of Israel in the desert and, cowardly, came from behind and attacked the weakest and sickest. Their goal was to prevent Israel from reaching the promised land. Amalek is everything that wants to prevent man from reaching the Eternity that God prepared to give him. These things are enemies of the Lord (Ex 17:16), so God orders them to be destroyed. Even nursing children because they would grow up and form other people. Virgins would not be given as wives to the warriors of Israel so as not to bring their customs. Once again, Saul does not understand the will of the Lord and sins, disobeying and losing the opportunity to confirm the kingdom in his hands. When Samuel turned to leave, Saul wanted to hold him and pulled him by his clothes, tearing them. Samuel uttered this prophecy: "…The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou" (I Samuel 15:28).
Let us now understand two acts of David on the two occasions in which he spared Saul's life:
i) In I Samuel 24:4, David cuts the hem of Saul's robe, symbolizing that Samuel's prophecy was about to be fulfilled and Saul's kingdom would soon be torn apart and given to David.
ii) In I Samuel 26:11, David enters the middle of Israel's camp and takes Saul's spear and water jar. Two things are taken from Saul and given to David: Taking his spear symbolizes that Saul will no longer be the head of the army of Israel, and this role will be transferred to David. The jar of water symbolizes the anointing, the presence of the Holy Spirit that Saul lost but would be over David throughout his reign.
Saul's situation after he lost communion with the Lord was terrible (1 Sam 16:14). His situation is similar to that of the godless man who wanders around this world. He is tormented, oppressed, spiritually sick, disgusted, and desperate. Saul asks for a man who knows how to play well so that he can be relieved by his praise (1 Sam 16:17). The man chosen here is David, type of the Lord Jesus, the only one who can bring relief to the weary and oppressed soul (Matthew 11:28). Pilate testified saying: Behold the man (John 19:5). Saul asks David's Father, Jesse, to send him his son, but specifies: the one with the sheep (1 Sam 16:19). The cry of the soul is for the good shepherd, no other son serves, except the Only Begotten of God. The Father sends David to Saul, with him, a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a kid. Saul was King of Israel, "the owner of the country."; These gifts from Jesse were, therefore, prophetic; they were elements that Saul did not have and could not obtain with his wealth.
a) The bread that only the Father can give: the true bread only the Father can give (John 6:32), which genuinely is food and can satisfy the hungry soul (John 6:55).
b) The wineskin: the excellent wine, the blood of Jesus, the wine of the new covenant. The skin was leaked by the spear of the Roman soldier, and blood and water came out of it, typifying the wine spilled from a skin. This symbolized that Jesus would pour out the life He brought from His Eternity upon man, his Holy Spirit.
c) The goat was the animal that died replacing man as if it were the man himself (Gen 37:31-32 and many other texts).
i) Jesus brought the bread, his flesh, which was hung on the tree;
ii) Jesus brought the wine, his blood, which was spilled at his crucifixion;
iii) Jesus brought the goat, who died in our place, taking our pain and bringing us peace (Is 53:5).