Shalom, shalom; peace, peace in the name of Yeshua. This is Crystal Sharpe and welcome to the Ancient Scrolls program.
The good news is Yeshua is returning. The signs we see in the world are indicators that we are in the latter days before His return. The outpouring of His Spirit is upon us in this season. He is preparing us for His return and He will have an inheritance. We have the good news that He is returning.
I am thinking to do a series on I Corinthians next week, if it is God’s will. In the past I would just read through it, and just make a mental note of a passage here and there that would catch my attention. At times the letter appears to be anti-Torah, but then scattered throughout the text are quotes from the Torah. Was Paul a fence walker? Had he succumbed to the pressure of Greek influence and somehow become permissive of their uninhibited lifestyle? Some teachings that Paul had written were not as we have interpreted them today. I hope to give some new information on the letter to the Corinthians that will bring some balance to it.
Today I am going to do just a summary on I Samuel chapters 8 and 9, then read chapter 10. I hope it will encourage you.
Shema
Shema (hear) O Israel, the Lord God the Lord is One.
Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein.
Father,
You are the King of the universe, king over heaven and earth. We thank You for being God. Your name is above every name, over every illness, over every circumstance, every situation; You alone are God. I pray over myself and the listeners more wisdom, more understanding, more knowledge, more the Spirit of might and counsel, and the fear and reverence of the LORD. Help us to be doers of Your Word and not hearers only. We desire Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray You will breathe new life in Your people. We pray for a refreshing to fall upon the weary, the discouraged, we pray for a release of Your Spirit of repentance upon the lost, we pray for the addicted to be delivered. We pray for restoration of Your Word. We thank You for Your Word, for it brings life to us. It brings revelation and light to a world that is full of distractions and vices. Help us to be lovers of Your truth. Help us to share effectively the gospel of Yeshua. We pray these things in Yeshua’s name. Amen.
I Samuel 8-9 begins with the prophet Samuel’s two sons who were unjust judges. The complaint against them, they were men out for dishonest gain, took bribes and perverted justice. The elders of Israel made their case to Samuel and then asked for a king to rule over them like the other nations. God’s response was to allow them to have a king.
God chooses Saul, the son of Kish. They are from the tribe of Benjamin, the youngest son of Rachel and Joseph. Saul’s name means “asked for.” That is what Israel had “asked for” was a king, so God gave them what they “asked for.”
The donkeys of Kish become lost and he sends Saul and a servant to go search for them. So, they pass through 5 places: Ephraim (double fruit), Shalisha (treble or triple), Shaalim (foxes), and then to the land of the Benjamites (son of my right hand), then Zuph (honeycomb), but were unable to locate them.
What we have here are some lost donkeys which symbolize those things that Christians have lost. Donkeys are beasts of burdens. In the ancient past they were an asset to a household, whether rich or poor. These donkeys had wandered off either because of distraction, or looking for greener pastures, better shades. This is a loss to the house of Kish. He had lost his possessions. Some of you listeners, you have lost some possessions, perhaps your health, finances, your spiritual life has waned because the attacks against you have been so many.
But according to this narrative about this time of searching for the donkeys is around close to the time of change. Things are about to change suddenly for the household of Kish (a bow), because his son, Saul, is going to be anointed by a prophet, Samuel, whose name means “heard of God.”
Samuel in this chapter is symbolic of our Father God, and Saul represents what you “asked for.”
“Heard of God” is going to anoint what you asked for. So what have you all been asking of God? Greater wisdom, perhaps, understanding, a deeper spiritual walk? Have you been petitioning for your lost loved ones, those in your community, acquaintances? You have been praying for healing in your bodies, and seeking better health for your loved ones, healing in your family situations, you have been longing for the restoring of things that had been taken from you. You have been crying out for the addicted (whether sexual in nature or drugs). You have been praying for loved ones in prison. Many of you have held in your heart deep secret yearnings.
I am saying you have been directing your prayers to God and you have been heard of God. The change is here now in this season.
I was going through my journals and looking at those dreams and visions I had received from God. August 3, 2018 I had a dream where I received this information that God was working on things, and those things being my prayer requests.
When I pray I will specifically mention to God to send His breath to restore, refresh, renew and regenerate His people. I will mention by name specific people. I pray that He would send His breath of revelation to the lost, His Spirit of repentance. In November 2018, I heard from God and He said back to me my prayer request: “I will breathe on them new life.” I had been praying His breath to saturate His creation for years, but He answered me.
Sometimes you wonder if God is hearing, well, He is hearing and He is answering many of you this year. Allow your prayers to be specific in this season. Tell God exactly what you desire. If your prayers are selfish in nature, having to do with greed and lust of your eyes or flesh, your prayers will not be answered. There are people who pray for God’s kingdom to advance and their prayers will be answered.
I Samuel 9:16
The LORD spoke to Samuel: Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; “I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come up before Me.”
What does this mean that the LORD would set him over his people Israel? Saul, his name means “asked for.” Listeners, what you asked for will be greater than the former. God will command it to happen. Father God is going to raise up a mighty people in these last days against the kingdom of darkness. We are at the end of the age.
So, as I said many of you have been faithful to reach out to God, in this season be comforted because God is employing Himself to act on your prayers, you have been heard of God. Some of you have been praying for years concerning specific situations. What is God doing with your requests? Samuel means heard of God. What is “heard of God” going to do about it?
I Samuel 10
10 Then Samuel (“heard of God”)took a flask of oil and poured it on his head (What does Saul mean? “Asked for,” so your prayers and fastings, your longings and yearnings are now being anointed) and kissed him(this kiss is an impartation of the Holy Spirit upon what you “asked for.” The Holy Spirit brings your prayers to fruition. The Spirit of God begins the process to manifest your prayers, the process of imparting the Spirit of repentance and restoration in your families), and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you (what you “asked for”)commander over His inheritance?
2 When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found (The donkeys have been restored in time for the change).And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ 3
Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor (broken).There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. Whatever you have “asked for” will be doubled in portion.
5 After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is (right in front of the enemy, in this next sentence). And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. A joyous occasion right in front of the enemy. These prophets had been under the tutelage of the prophet Samuel for years to learn to hear from the Lord, and Saul will not have to do that. The Spirit will just come upon him. He won’t have to practice for years, the Spirit of prophecy will just come. Sounds like Acts 2, pouring out the Spirit of prophecy. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, (what you “asked for” concerning your children or other loved ones) and you (what you asked for) will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.The people you prayed for for so long will be changed.
7 And let it be, when these signs come to you (what you “ask for” whatever has been that situation in your life,), that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you (listeners, God is with you).
8 You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”
9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.God is going to give your loved ones that you have been praying for a new heart.
10 When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.Does this not sound like Acts 2, the pouring out of the God’s Spirit in the last days and our sons and daughters will prophesy. Our sons and daughters the youth. Remember, Saul was the son of Kish.
11 And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 Then a man from there answered and said, “But who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place. In the end days, when at the end of their prophecies, the end of their testimony, they will go to be with the Lord.
14 Then Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?”
So he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15 And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.”
16 So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.
In the beginning Saul thought of himself as a humble person. I Samuel 9:21, he speaks to Samuel: Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?
Listen, there will be loved ones who will come in humbly, who have been rescued by your prayers; they are the brands plucked out of the fire. They are coming out of sexual vices, they are coming out of addictions, they are coming out of abuse and brokenness. They will think of themselves as least in the kingdom, but God is going to raise them up for such a time as this.
And your neighbors and other family members will be amazed at their transformation. God has not forgotten your labor of love for others.
The Lord has anointed your prayers, He has imparted breath, which symbolizes life, into your prayers, the manifestation of your prayers is here, the answer to your prayers is here, what you “asked for” is here now in this season.
I hope this message has encouraged you. God wants to encourage you. No longer mourn because your joy has come. Rejoice because you are going to see your prayers become evident. Begin to thank God, no matter what the situation looks like. He has made promises to you directly or through His word and He will keep every one of them. Just work with Him by believing Him. He is for you and not against you.
My husband and I are finally coming out of some deep challenges. All I knew to do was pray. Our friends continued to pray for us. Sometimes we say, all we can do is pray, without realizing that it is such a privilege to be able to pray. We take our prayers to the highest judge in the universe, the highest court, and He is just and He is righteous and He will move on our requests. We pray the changes and He delivers the changes. Amen? Bless God.
I am at the end of the program. If it is God’s will, I will be here next program.
Remember to walk by faith and not by sight. Ask God to cleanse you of all unrighteousness every day. Keep your spiritual garments clean from spots, wrinkles and blemishes. Do two things this week: Love God and love your neighbor.
Ricco Cortes will sing the Aaronic priestly blessing.
