The Church of Ichabod | Ep. 166

In this revelatory teaching, we journey through 1 Samuel to uncover what happens when the glory of God departs from leadership while the structure remains intact.

The biblical account of Saul and David unveils a terrifying spiritual reality: God can reject a leader while allowing them to continue functioning in position. Saul's reign exemplifies how fear-driven decisions lead to spiritual bankruptcy, even as outward victories continue. This creates "The Church of Ichabod"—where the glory has departed but operations continue without anyone noticing the difference.

What makes this message particularly gripping is the contrast between fear and faith. While Saul and his army trembled before Goliath, young David ran toward the battle. While established leadership sought safety in numbers, Jonathan and his armor bearer demonstrated that "nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few." Their radical faith initiatives triggered divine intervention—even causing the earth to tremble.

Most sobering is the realization that success doesn't equal approval. Saul won numerous military victories after God had already rejected him, creating a dangerous self-deception where repentance seemed unnecessary. The message serves as a warning against interpreting success as divine endorsement while ignoring clear prophetic correction.

For those facing challenging church environments, David's example offers wisdom—faithfully serving where God has placed you until clearly directed elsewhere. His respect for established authority balanced with his courage to follow divine leading models how believers should navigate complex spiritual territories today.

Has the glory departed from the place where you serve? Are you measuring your spiritual condition by outward success rather than inward obedience? This message will challenge your understanding of victory, rebellion, and what it truly means to have God's presence in your life and ministry.

Chapters

• 0:00 Blood Cells Vision Introduction
• 5:43 Scripture's Purpose for Our Learning
• 15:21 Saul's Downfall Through Fear
• 27:38 Samuel's Rejection of Saul
• 39:29 David's Anointing and Spirit's Departure
• 52:31 David Facing Goliath with Faith
• 1:04:17 Jonathan's Connection with David
• 1:12:13 The Tragic End of Saul

Transcript

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:03

The vision received was that of blood cells traveling throughout the body, supplying the much-needed oxygen and other nutrients to the differing members of the body to fulfill their purpose. Once the blood cells are spent, they must return back to the heart to be refilled before being sent out again and fulfill their purpose and fulfill their purpose. When I last shared a message here, I started off in 1 Samuel, because that's what I was in 13. And I branched off from there and as I started to do this message, god wanted me to continue on in 1 Samuel and he brought to my remembrance that in Romans 15, 4, it says that whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning and that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. And for some reason, I was reading that with the kids recently and asking them how is it that we have hope through the scriptures? What are all of these stories?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:18

People say that really accounts, biblical, factual accounts, historical accounts of things that took place, and how are they supposed to help us in our learning? And as I taught the kids, I was just realizing well, it's because our lives and our struggles and our tribulations have already been experienced by many saints before us, and so everything that they've gone through is to be for our learning, and so everything that they've gone through is to be for our learning. It was the whole purpose of having a written Bible, rather than having it passed on by word of mouth. It was written down so that it would teach us and we would learn from the saints of the past, from the wicked of the past. We would learn to see how God deals with us, how God deals with the wicked, how God deals with the righteous. It says also in 1 Corinthians 10 that all these things happen unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world has come. An ensample is like another fancy type of word for an example. In this case it's an example of a pattern, a pattern that we should conform ourselves to, a pattern that we should imitate. And sometimes it's not only a pattern that we should imitate, but it's a pattern that we should not imitate, that we should dissuade us, it should be a warning to us not to follow in that footsteps or that person's footsteps.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 2:48

And so, in knowing that the scriptures were written down purposefully to teach us what and what not to follow, we can never read these scriptures. We can never read this Bible like it was a regular book of fiction where we're just entertained by the fanciful story. There's drama, there's evil, there's wickedness, there's vileness, there's adventure, there's action, there's anything that you could find in a fictional book. But it's factual and it's spiritual, because the things that happen in the past are to teach us how we are to walk out our life today with the Lord. Not only is it factual, but it's written for the express intent of teaching us unto Christ. It was our schoolmaster, it is our tutor and it's supposed to lead us to Christ.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 3:47

And we sometimes don't get that. We don't realize that all of those scriptures are not so that we have a list of do's and don'ts, because the law does not give you the power to be perfect. It's supposed to lead you to Christ, to realize that you cannot on your own do what is necessary. So I need to lead you to me, and the salvation and the redemption is through me. And so I want to start at 1 Samuel 13. So if you'll turn there, I'm. I mean, I wish I could spend all day reading every single scripture through the chapters, because I have a lot of chapters that go through. But I'm not going to do that. I'm going to do a lot of summarizing and I hope that you already know the story I'm just going to sort of highlight here.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 4:32

So I feel like a waiter and I'm just going to sort of serve you the dishes that the Lord has made for us in the scriptures and then you're going to either like it or dislike it. And what would be my fault? Because I'm not the chef, I'm simply a waiter In Saul excuse me in 1 Samuel 13,. We're in the midst of Saul's life. Saul has already been chosen and anointed by Samuel as the first king of Israel, against God's wishes, but he just did whatever the people wanted. He says do it, do it anyway.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 5:14

And he had reigned as king over Israel for approximately two years by this point, and he had already defeated the Ammonites and he now was about to go battle the Philistines. And Saul, in this particular chapter, had chosen 3,000 men. 1,000 stayed with his son Jonathan, 2,000 remained with him. And in this chapter it describes how the Philistines came with 30,000 chariots 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen. That's just chariots and horsemen. Guys, that's not men. All Saul had was 3,000 men. And they had 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen and a multitude of men that the author of Samuel could not even number. It describes them as the sand which is on the seashore. That's how many of them there were. That's 3,000 men. And what I want to highlight here is that Israel is a type of the church. The men of Israel says that the church in the wilderness.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 6:32

Well, the church in the wilderness was the Israelites that came out of Egypt.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 6:36

Well, these are the Israelites that are already out of Egypt and they're already having a king in their promised land. So they're still the church, they are the people of God. And when they saw, what do you think happened? When they saw 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen and a multitude of the enemy that they couldn't even number, what do you think they did? Pardon me, nope, they hid. They hid in caves, they hid in rocks, they hid in thickets. They hid in caves, they hid in rocks. They hid in thickets. They hid in high places. They hid in pits.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 7:07

All of this is in verse 7, if you're there, and whoever remained with Saul, because so many of them scattered, of the 3,000, so many of them scattered, and those who actually remained with Saul were trembling. There was fear run rampant through the house of God. And in this chapter of the scriptures we begin to see the downfall of Saul, and he's only, he's only reigned for two years, but we begin to see how, what he did that caused his downfall as the rain in his reign as king. Now, he went to a particular place of battle and he was told to remain there and wait for Samuel. Samuel was going to come in seven days. Samuel was the seer, he was the prophet and he told him to do this and Samuel didn't come. At the time that Saul thought he should come, time was running out, his people of the 3,000 scattered. The people that remained with him were in fear and trembling. So he didn't have 3,000 people anymore and all he saw was 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen and a multitude of the enemy that he could not even number with his wee little less than 3,000 now, and Samuel had not shown up. And so he decides to bring in sacrifices, because he said we're going to go to battle, we've got to sacrifice unto the Lord.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 8:37

And he then does things that only the priest is allowed to do, and he burned offerings and peace offerings. And he did this, it says out of fear. He feared the Philistines. His men were trembling in fear. That stayed with him. They were scattered throughout. They even left the area into other areas of Israel.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 9:04

And it says in verse 12, I want you to look at this, because it says in verse 12 that fear forced him. He believed that he was forced to do what he did and that fear led him to do that. He made a preemptive, presumptuous move and this fear marked Saul's reign, the rest of his days, and for this his destiny was forever altered. Samuel decreed that the Lord would have established his kingdom upon Israel forever. That day, read with me 1 Samuel 13, verses 14 and 15. But now thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people. Because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. But now thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 10:25

In this chapter, saul leaves Samuel. He left him in Gilgal and he went up to Gibeah. And in that moment, in verse 17, it says that the Philistines divided themselves into three companies. They were about ready to attack, and at the end of this chapter we see it says at the end of this chapter, that there was no smiths found in Israel. Smiths meaning coppersmiths, ironsmiths, people that worked with metals. There were none found in Israel. So not only do we have less than 3,000 men against a multitude of Philistines, but they don't even have weapons to fight with. They don't have swords. They don't have shields, because there's no smiths in Israel. As a matter of fact, it says that when they needed something sharpened of metal, they went to the Philistines.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 11:18

They got it sharpened and then they came back and used it, or they had their own little sharpening utensils, but they could not manufacture their own weapons of war. And the Philistines did that on purpose. So they had no swords, they had no spears, and the Philistines were about to rush them. And so we turn to 1 Samuel 14. And if you read these scriptures and you realize okay, he ends the chapter with the men stayed with. Saul only numbered 600. When Samuel left Saul, he numbered his men and there were only 600 left. There were no weapons of war and the Philistines were divided out into three companies and they were about to attack. And then we read of 1 Samuel 14.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 12:12

And here we focus on Jonathan. Jonathan is Saul's son, he's a member of the church of Israel and one of the few of the 600 that remained with King Saul. But he did something radically, radically different than anyone else in the camp, including his father. Without telling his father, he secretly tells his armor bearer we're going to go into the camp of the Philistines, he says in verse 6 and 7,. The camp of the Philistines.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 12:46

He says in verse 6 and 7, come, let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. And his armor bearer said unto him Do all that is in thine heart, turn thee. Behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. And what I see? Different in Jonathan than I saw in his father, because what we saw in his father was fear, fear in all the men. Jonathan responds in faith and his faith is proactive. This is teaching us something about faith. It needs to be proactive. It doesn't wait on the defense, it doesn't wait in fear and in trembling for the enemy to attack. So he goes out, he takes the initiative Within his delegated boundaries, he takes his faith and he goes about and does something radically different than anybody else.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 13:49

He wasn't in disobedience.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 13:51

It's not like he was told nobody go attack the Philistines. He just took the initiative. It doesn't seek to destroy his faith, but it seeks to fulfill something. And Jesus said I come to not to destroy but to fulfill. And so we read in verse 9 and 10. This is him declaring his faith. He says if they say unto us, tarry until we come to you, then we shall stand in our place, he's saying.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:20

if the Philistines will say hey, wait, a second wait till we come down to you, we're going to stay right where we're at.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:26

But then he says but if they say thus, come unto us, then we will go up, for the Lord hath delivered them into our hand and this shall be a sign unto us. There isn't anything wrong with declaring a faith with a condition of a sign, because you're waiting upon God. He comes and gives a declaration. If they call to us to come up to them, we're going to go, because that's a sign unto us that he's given them into our hands.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:55

But if they don't and they say, hey, wait till we come down to you, we're not going up. So it's the condition of faith that is within him because he's waiting on the Lord. He's got this idea, he's got this crazy idea, but he gives himself a sign Lord, speak to me. Depending on what they do, I'm going to do this. And then he just waits. What is the Lord going to do? And so faith doesn't declare what it can't do, it declares what it will do.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 15:30

When the Philistines saw Jonathan and his armor bearer, they invited them to come up and Jonathan, immediately, it says, rose up in his faith, responding to the sign that his faith declared. And so he followed. And you know what he did in a half acre you guys know what an acre is right, in a half acre of land him and his armor bear slew 20 Philistines all by themselves. And God got so excited I'm serious, God got so excited that the earth started to tremble. There was an earthquake. When Jonathan accomplished what he did, God got excited. He excites himself and rejoices when a man of faith comes up and does something in his name, in his power, and he gets excited and all the earth trembled. And when all the earth trembled, all the Philistines began to tremble and all the earth trembled,

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 16:25

all the Israelites began to tremble wondering what's going on.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 16:29

Yes, He got excited about what Jonathan was doing in his name because he wasn't responding in fear. And then Saul wonders what's going on. He starts numbering his men and he realizes he is too missing. He realizes Jonathan and his armor bearer. I'm not going very deep into that, I'm just highlighting that for you because there's a great message of faith there. It says at the end in verse 23, so the Lord saved Israel that day Because once that happened, the multitude of the enemy began to melt away. They began to attack each other. It was crazy. But see, the battle is always the Lord's. Even when we cooperate with him, the battle is always the Lord's. All he did was take out 20 men and a half acre and immediately the enemy shook in fright. And it says it melted away. But the story comes back to Saul and Saul during the upcoming battle, because he still needs to battle the Philistines. What happened was when all that earthquake happened.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 17:44

the people from far off in Israel saw whoa, what's going on, and they saw the enemy dispersing and then they started coming back. Those that were fearing and trembling, oh what's going on and then they started coming back.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 17:55

So some of his men started coming back. So he's got to still fight them and he starts to chase them. And while he's chasing them down, he makes an unwise oath and he tells all of his men you cannot eat this day, cannot eat this day, lest you be cursed. His son didn't hear his father say this, and that day he tasted a bit of honey and for somehow, some reason, when he tasted that bit of honey, his eyes were open and he realized what his father had done, even though he hadn't heard his father say it. It's an interesting way that that took place.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 18:33

But the Israelites slaughtered Philistines that day. I mean left and right. They slaughtered them, they defeated them, but by the time they were done, they were so faint, they were so exhausted because they were not allowed to eat that they began, in their faintness and desperateness and their hunger, they began to eat that they began, in their faintness and desperateness and their hunger, they began to eat of the animals and their blood. You know anything about the law? They were not supposed to do such a thing, but because of an unwise oath of the king, it drove them to sin, to walk contrary to the Lord. So Saul, when he realized what his men were doing, he made an altar and he began to slaughter the animals on the altar that he made for the Lord, because the people broke covenant with the Lord.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 19:27

And Saul is at a state he doesn't know what to do. So all of a sudden he says gather all the people. He gathers the priests, and then he asks of the Lord people. He gathers the priest and then he asks of the Lord. He seeks the counsel of the Lord. Should I go after the Philistines? The Lord doesn't answer.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 19:49

And then they go through this casting of lots. First it was Jonathan and Saul together and the rest of the Israelites, and when they cast lots it fell to Jonathan and Saul. And then they had to cast lots between Jonathan and Saul. And then the lot got cast to Jonathan and Saul said Jonathan, what have you done? I wasn't expecting this. I was expecting one of them to do what have you done? And Jonathan tells him I didn't know what you had said, but I ate the honey. And Saul said to Jonathan thou shalt surely die, jonathan. He was about to kill his own son. He was the leader, he was the head honcho of the church of Israel and he was about to murder his own son for an unwise oath that he made. The church of Israel stepped in at that point to thwart Saul's madness and would not allow Saul to kill his son, because Jonathan worked with God in defeating the enemy that day and all of the people of God knew that. They recognized that and they weren't allowed.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 21:01

Saul to do what he wanted to do to Jonathan. I'm only highlighting a few things, but it says in verse 47 that when Saul continued his campaign, he defeated Moab. Ammon Edom Zobah continued his campaign. He defeated Moab, ammon Edom Zobah, the Amalekites and the Philistines. It says that he fought and vexed all of his enemies. Don't forget what happened with Samuel. Samuel already told him I would have established your kingdom today, but now it's taken from you and given to another. But Saul is winning his battles.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 21:53

What would you think if you were in that position? Supposedly the seer, the prophet said he would establish my reign forever, but now it's lost to some other guy. But I just kicked the Philistine s butt and I've got the Ammonites under and I've got this and this and this. What would you think In his position? the prophet's off his rocker. He didn't hear the Lord. This is the seriousness that I see when I read these scriptures regarding that we must be aware, when a man or a woman of God is dull of hearing and insensitive to the Spirit of the Lord, because you begin to think that, because nothing bad has immediately happened to you, that it's okay, everything is fine, there's no need for me to repent. Think about Adam and Eve. I think that they thought this too, even though they were kicked out of the garden. Because he said hey, the day you eat of that tree, you shall surely die. Adam lived for 900 plus years. He must have thought the same way. What do you mean die? I'm still alive. I'm just not in the garden. I don't have to sweat by my brow when I'm still alive. What do you mean die? I'm still alive. I'm just not in the garden. I don't have to sweat my brow when I'm still alive. What do you mean die? He said in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 23:25

Saul thinks that, because he has attained victory after victory over the enemy, that that signifies God's stamp of approval on his life and everything that he has done thus far. It causes him to deceive himself into thinking there's nothing that needs to be repented of. And therein is the formula for the downfall of Saul. It began with fear, but what sustained him in that state of fear is that he never repented. He never thought he needed to, and this is what I call now the Church of Ichabod.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:24

If we go into verse excuse me, chapter 15, we now see that Samuel returns. He doesn't throw Saul away, he just left him during that battle. He comes back to him and he gives it, looks like he gives Saul another chance. He comes back to him and he says he gives him the words of the Lord. He says he h he gives him the words of the Lord. Hearken to the words of the Lord.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:58

Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not, but slay both man and woman and infant and suckling ox and sheep, camel and ass. Is there any question as to who he should leave alive? What he left out, the ants, I don't know. I mean, everything was supposed to die. He was very clear in what he said to him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 25:34

But we read in verse 9 of chapter 15, and I underlined this but Saul and the people, but Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and the fatlings and the lambs and all that was good and would not utterly destroy them. But everything that was vile and refuse they destroyed. It was immediately they destroyed utterly. And it was that day because it doesn't say before that Samuel heard the Lord say this, but it was that day that the Lord specifically said to Samuel it repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he is turned back from following me and hath not performed my commandments. We find it hard sometimes to write someone off, don't we, as long as they're living as long as they have breath.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 26:44

But the Lord is being very clear with Samuel. I'm not happy that I chose Saul, but why? Because he is not listening to my word. He refuses to obey me.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 27:03

But God doesn't have a hard time writing someone off. God is the type of God that knows the end from the beginning, and when He says He's done and He's through, He's done and He's through. He will not wrestle with man forever. What I find interesting in this story is that we, as men and women, never know. We never know when it's really the end for a particular person. But the Lord said it to Samuel this time. Samuel knew Saul was through. But God is the type of God that not only does He know the end from the beginning, He's righteous and just in all of His ways, and when He gives up on someone, it's because He's just in that judgment. He gives up on Saul because he knows Saul has rejected and will not turn back. God already knows that.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 28:22

So I want to stop here and think about what are the types that we see. I've already mentioned one of them. Israel is the type of the church. Samuel is an interesting figure. He's a type of transition figure, like John the Baptist. John the Baptist preached the gospel of the kingdom but he preached up to repent and water baptism, but he always alluded to the one that would come after him that would baptize in Holy Ghost and fire. So I say he was like a transition figure between the old and the new.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 28:56

He was like right there in the middle, linking the old and connecting it to the new. Samuel's like this, and we'll see how. So in a bit. But Saul is the type of the leader. He's the type of the head of the church. To me he's like type of a pastor in a church.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 29:15

And the sad thing concerning everything that we're reading right now, or everything that I'm talking about, is that Saul is in a state of self-deception and he does not perceive his actual state of being with God. He literally doesn't even entertain the idea that there's anything wrong between him and God. When he sees Samuel, he says Blessed be thou of the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord. He's oblivious to his own disobedience. And Samuel responds what is this bleeding of sheep? What is this oxen that I hear? And Saul states well, they brought them from the Amalekites. They did the people, spared them the best of the sheep and the oxen, just for you. So you have the best to offer in sacrifices. But wait a second. He says they did that. Didn't we just read in verse 9,. But Saul and the people. That's God's view of the reality of the matter. It was Saul and the people that spared this and spared that, but he says no, it was them. It was them and I've got a good reason. It was so that you have the right sacrifices.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 30:51

And then we know what Samuel says in verse 22 and 23. And Samuel said hath the Lord as great says in verse 22 and 23. 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, to obey is better than a sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 31:09

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as the iniquity and idolatry Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord. He hath also rejected thee from being king. Do you hear me now, saul? And we see this today in the church. When there is a sustained state I say sustained state, I'm qualifying this when there is a sustained state of rebellion, which is witchcraft, of stubbornness, which is iniquity and idolatry, when that's found running rampant in the church, in the house of God, or the leadership, the leadership disqualifies themselves and finds themselves rejected of the Lord and there isn't anything that can be done about it. We find that hard to grasp. There's hope. He's alive, he's breathing. Grasp. There's hope. He's alive, he's breathing. Not in Saul's case, it's one of the only well, there may be other cases.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 32:25

I didn't look into it, but this is one of the very peculiar cases where it is known I'm done with him. I'm done with him. I have rejected him, Not because I didn't like him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 32:37

I have rejected him, not because I didn't like him. He rejected me and I know he's not going to turn back. I rejected him. He says in verse 24 and 25 Saul said unto Samuel listen to these words, because I hear this in the church. You confront the person, you bring up the transgression and listen to Saul. I have sinned, I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and thy words because I feared the people. He even admits why he did it and you think that, wow, maybe he's repented and obeyed their voice. Now, therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, turn again with me that I may worship the Lord. I want to be restored.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 33:34

He sounds great. That sounds great to me. I don't know about you. That sounds very sincere. I mean, he said he didn't blame anybody. Now he said what he did, he said why he did it. Sometimes I tell my kids and they end up blaming others and they don't take responsibility. He seems to be taking responsibility. He wants to be restored so he can be able to worship the Lord. It sounds great and that fear factor, that fear factor bothers me. He even admitted it was fear. It was fear, that fear factor. But he has to be pardoned so that he may continue to worship the Lord and Samuel, because he's heard the Lord said that fear factor, but he has to be pardoned so that he may continue to worship the Lord and Samuel, because he's heard the Lord said uh-uh, uh-uh, no, I'm not returning with you. You rejected the Lord and he has rejected you Now.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 34:31

If a man of God said that in a church today, how do you think everybody else is going to respond about him? How dare you judge him? What Did you just hear? What he said? He's repenting. How dare you judge him? Who are you to judge? This is a very interesting story if you take it to heart. This is a very interesting story. If you take it to heart, all the church would be in an uproar at the audacity, at the quote-unquote prophet of the Lord. How dare he judge that man? Who does he think he is God? He has no right to say that to a man.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 35:16

Samuel begins to walk away. I'm not having nothing with you, I'm through with you. And Saul grabbed the skirt of his mantle and it ripped and it tore. And Samuel turns to Saul because what happened right there signifies that the Lord has torn away the kingdom of Israel from you this day. The Lord has given it to a neighbor better than you. Read the whole story. That's exactly how he says it. The kingdom is torn away from you this day and the Lord has given it to someone better than you, almost as if he's crushing his self-esteem.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 36:08

But Saul is oblivious. He is so oblivious to what he's saying. But I like what he said in verse 30. Because what we thought was so contrite and so humble when he when you know Saul says I have sinned, I have transgressed, I have gone against you, I've gone against the word of the Lord. Read verse 30, because Saul gives it away.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 36:35

His true motivations indict himself. Listen to it it says. Then he said I have sinned, yet honor me now. I pray thee before the elders of Israel, before the elders of Israel, and turn again with me that I may worship the Lord before the elders of Israel and turn again with me that I may worship the Lord. Think about why he said that. What would make him say that? What is he concerned about?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 37:10

Saul is concerned about not losing face before the people. He's king and the last thing that he wants is for the prophet of God, who everybody respects and highly esteems. He is the only judge that did not take advantage of them with bribes. His sons did, but not him. Everybody respected him, and to have him stand by his side is his stamp of approval in the eyes of the people. That's all he's worried about. All Saul cared about was his image before the people. Having Samuel there beside him was a public stamp of approval on his kingdom in the eyes of the people. He had the victories. He had Samuel, who was highly, highly esteemed, standing next to him. So he has what he needs To have the people continue to follow him. But the truth is, according to verse 35 if we can read that verse 35 Samuel came no more to see Saul ever again until the day of his death. Nevertheless, samuel mourned for Saul and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 38:47

In this chapter of chapter 16, God is about to do a new thing, is about to do a new thing, and he tells Saul because Saul's mourning, Samuel's grieving over Saul, he's mourning over him. Listen to how he talks to him how long will you mourn for Saul? I have rejected him from reigning over Israel and have chosen a new king among the sons of Jesse. Fill your horn with oil, Samuel. I'm moving on. No, follow me. I'm paraphrasing. You could read it for yourself I'm moving on, Samuel, fill that horn with oil. I'm going to anoint one of the sons of Jesse. Let's go. I've rejected him. Quit crying over him, quit grieving over him, quit mourning over him. Move on, Samuel. We have to go wherever the Spirit is leading, because when you've corrupted yourself to the point where God says I have rejected you, there's no reason to continue praying. You move on with the Lord.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 40:08

Now Samuel says what if Saul hears about this? He's going to kill me. This is what I like about the Lord, because if you just ask him about these little things, he's going to tell you exactly what to say and what to do. Take a heifer. You're going to go sacrifice to the Lord. Tell them you're going to go sacrifice to the Lord with your heifer. That's all. Heifer, heifer, heifer. Sacrifice to the Lord with your heifer, that's all. Heifer, heifer, heifer. So God tells him exactly what to do. He tells him exactly what to say. Samuel goes to Jesse. Samuel invites his whole family come to sacrifice and he sanctifies all the sons of Jesse. How many of you know how many sons Jesse had? Twelve, that's Isaac. No, that's Jacob, sorry, eight, you don't look sure.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:09

Seven, okay, let's find out. Seven, seven, okay, let's find out.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:28

After viewing seven sons, of which Eliab was the oldest, Abinadab was the second and Shammah was the third, we come to the understanding and you've read the story, so I'm not going to go into very much detail into it but the Lord doesn't look at the appearance of man, he looks at the heart of man. He looks at the heart of man, he looks at the inner man and by the time he finishes seeing all seven sons and they're saying nope, not him, Nope, not him, Nope, not him. I have not chosen, I have not chosen him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:50

Samuel

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:51

says

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:51

to Jesse, do you?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:52

have any more sons. Because now he's wondering am I even hearing the Lord? Oh well, I have a younger one. He's tending the sheep. Well, go get him. I'm not going to sit down until you bring that boy to me. You can read it yourself. But that's what he said. What I find so important is these two verses we come to see that not only is the last son, David, the youngest of all of Jesse's sons, but he is the last son, David, the youngest of all of Jesse's sons, but he's the eighth son in the line of Jesse. Anybody know what the number eight signifies in biblical numerology?

Unknown: 42:35

Yes, ma'am Complete completeness.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 42:37

Completeness. I think that's seven Completeness, wholeness, perfectness. You try again. Don't you stop Anyone else. What does eight mean? What does eight represent? We've gone over this. Perfection is hers completeness and perfection.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 42:55

New beginning, new birth, new beginning, and I don't mind if you use your notes to figure that out. New birth, new beginning. God was doing a new thing and Samuel was stuck in the middle. He'd already anointed, appointed a king and now, in the midst of that king's reign, he has to anoint and appoint another king. He's in that transition. He's part of the old but he's moving on into the new. So he's like that of John the Baptist. But God is doing a new thing. There's a new beginning going to take place in the life of David. David was anointed and from that day forward, the spirit of the Lord came upon him. David was anointed and from that day forward, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 43:49

And what I think is so important is that next verse, verse 14 in 1 Samuel 16. Right after he anoints David, we read but the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him, right there. I don't think there's any mistake. Why, the very next verse, we read that. Can you say Ichabod, Ichabod? Anybody know what that means? The glory of the Lord has departed. There is no glory. The Spirit of the Lord is the glory of God, and it is at this point that the church of Ichabod reigns in the house of God. The glory of the Lord is departed, it is left to Saul, just like it says in 1 Samuel 4.21, where you had the name Ichabod first and only ever mentioned the glory of the Lord is departed, there is no glory.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 45:00

Now, when I use the word the church of Ichabod, it doesn't pertain to or speak of a church that belongs to a particular person, but rather it's a church in a particular state of existence, like we say the church of joy. It doesn't belong to joy, it's a state of being, it's a church of joy. It's a church of peace. It's a state of joy. It's a church of peace. It's a state of existence describing that person.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 45:26

Well, the church of Ichabod is describing the state that it finds itself in, and right now it finds itself in a state where the spirit of the Lord is gone. It has departed, it is left, and the sad thing about the church of Ichabod is that it fails to realize its own state of depravity, its own lack, its own loss. It does not realize it. It's sort of like the Laodicean church. Anybody know why I say that? Why is it like the Laodicean church In Revelation 3.17,. Anybody know what did it think that the Laodicean church thought about itself? What I am rich, I am increased with goods and I don't need anything. Yet Jesus said of them what You're wretched, you're miserable, you are poor and blind and naked. And so, in that sense, the church of Ichabod feels very much the same way and does not realize that the glory of the Lord has departed from her.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 46:50

Saul was deceived and he remained deceived because he attained all of these victories. All of these victories led him to believe God was still with him, God was still for him. I'm the king of Israel. But he doesn't hear the voice of the Lord through the prophet. It doesn't occur to him that he ever needs to repent. And from this point on in Saul's life and you can read the story on your own Saul is ravaged, tormented, raped by fear. Fear is the mark that Saul left behind. And what fear does, given enough time, is you officially become reprobate. Reprobate means you're rejected, it says in Romans 1, 28,. Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. We don't think that God does such things. There's a perverted other gospel out there that's influenced the belief that He's so good and that He's so just that he would never treat someone like that. But we have this account showing He did reject Samuel excuse me, Saul. While he was still alive, Samuel no longer walked with Saul the rest of his reign. The rest of his reign, he says he reigned about 30 to 40 years. After the second or third year, Samuel never walked with him again. That was a sign that God was not with Saul. The rest of his days. It continues to say that God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 48:57

Think about Saul's life. Think about what you remember being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, murder. I remember that of Saul murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, backbiters, haters of God. Don't tell me Saul loved God. Look at his life and how it matches the description of a reprobate mind. Proud Boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding Covenant breakers. That was Saul. He had broke covenant with the Lord because he rejected the word of the Lord. He was, without natural affection, implacable, merciful, who, knowing the judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but have pleasure in them. That do them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 50:05

David is another type. Yes, he does the new thing. But when I started looking on David's life, which is the next chapters, I said, wow, he's like the man-child. Think about what David did. He's a type of the man-child.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 50:24

He comes out of the church so that he could go on into perfection, because he was the one now anointed to be the head, to be the king of Israel. David was full of faith, in contrast to the church of Ichabod being full of fear, and it is he who will do the great exploits in the name of the Lord. And the interesting thing is that the man-child, the one anointed, is called right back into the church. It says here that when that evil spirit came upon Saul, that one of his servants think about this, it's the church. One of his servants says I know a young boy. He plays the harp, and when he plays the harp, that evil spirit will go from you.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 51:31

He was the next king of Israel coming right back into the house the neighbor, that was better than you right back into the house of the enemy, like Joseph in the house of Egypt. Enemy Like Joseph in the house of Egypt. He comes right back in. So then David comes back into the house and, interestingly enough, saul loves David. It says he loved David greatly. Saul loves David. It says he loved David greatly. And David became his armor bearer and whenever David played his heart, the evil spirit would depart from Saul. So we come to chapter 17 and we see now the types of David and how he fulfills it. We know that Goliath came and Goliath was defying all of the armies of Israel. There was about to be a battle to take place and again, because who's leading Saul? Everybody's afraid Saul won't even go out there. Saul, being the king of Israel, should have been the one to go out there. I'm sure some of his people close to him said no, no, no, you can't.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 52:50

You're the king, you can't die.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 52:51

You know you can't go to battle, because what if you die? Then we don't have a king, no, no, no, we're protected. He should have been the one, the leader should have set the example, but his example was set of fear. And when Goliath came out, standing 11 feet four inches, having a coat of mail of 197 pounds, having a spear that weighed 23 pounds, he came out there mocking them, defying the God of Israel, defying the armies of the living God. And David comes and says why are they letting this uncircumcised Philistine defy the armies of the living God? And David reminds me of Jonathan, because he did something radically different than what everybody else was doing. And he sees his brothers there. And this is what I find interesting in regards to us. Remember, I set a stage. We read these accounts because they're for our learning. They're to teach us something. They therefore are learning. They're to teach us something. Well, as I read this, what this was teaching me is that when the anointed man of God comes in the house, remember he was the eighth son, remember how Joseph was esteemed amongst his brethren. So David was esteemed amongst his brethren Not exactly.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 54:24

And if you read in verse 28, when he says why doesn't anybody stand up to this uncircumcised Philistine. You have Eliab getting angry with David. And what'd you come down here for? Don't you have some sheep to look after in the wilderness? I know your pride, your naughtiness of heart. You just came to see the battle. Little punk, get out of here, you little punk kid. But David was serious. David was dead serious. I haven't done you any wrong. Why are you talking to me that way?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 54:58

David is the only one amongst all these mighty men of Israel who entertain the idea of killing this uncircumcised Philistine. That, to me, is a mark of a man. Child, because he's not. I don't believe that this day and age. He was an adult, old, you know. No, I think he was still quite young. And he says let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go and will fight the Philistine. There's that faith again, just like Jonathan.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 55:38

And so Saul hears about this and he says call that boy in here. He says what are you talking about out there? He says I'll go out and fight him. He says, but you're a youth and Goliath, he's a man of war from his youth. What is Saul, the leader in the church, doing with David? He's despising his youth. This should speak to the youth. Let no man despise thy youth. You have an anointing, unlike many who are well seasoned in the Lord, to do great exploits in the name of the Lord. And in 1 Timothy 4.12 it says Let no man despise thy youth. Remember how, by the laying on of hands, you were given this particular gift.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 56:40

And David, knowing what the Lord had brought him through how he took out a lion and a bear who were trying to take his sheep and did away with them, declares that this giant shall fall, just like the lion and the bear. And that is his declaration of faith. It doesn't say what it won't do, it says what it will do. And David then gives God the glory for delivering him out of the lion and the bear. So David understands that. Oh, I did it. It was the Lord that delivered them through my hands. He's giving glory to the Lord. It's not about his strength, it's not about his agility, it's not about how good he can wield this or that.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 57:25

And Saul listens to him and he says put on my armor, put on my helmet, my sword here, here's my sword. And he tries them. But in the end David does not accept them. Why? Because he's never used them before. They don't fit well, but more so. I've never needed it before. I didn't need this with the lion and the bear. I'll take them out with the things that I know how to use. And so you, youth, when you stand up in faith to do something, you're probably not going to use the things that the elders and the seasoned veterans have used, because God is going to equip you himself to do things that other people would not use.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 58:17

In the name of the Lord, David took what was proven, what was useful in his hands, a staff. He took a shepherd's staff to a battle and he took five stones and a sling Boy. You're crazy. But if you want to go, you go right ahead. Saul says not my life If he dies, oh well, we'll still be waiting until somebody takes this Goliath out. And then what happens?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 58:58

When he meets the Philistine, the church is despising David's youth. He comes before this Philistine to battle. The Philistine sees this puny little man and he cursed David by his gods Come to me and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air and to the beast of the field. He disdained him, it says, for he was youth, ruddy and of fair countenance. And so now, who does Philistine represent? Who does Goliath represent? The world? So the church and the world are despising the youth and the anointing of the man of God, the man-child, if you will. And so he's getting it from both sides.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 59:55

But David says I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. You have defied. He came to him without a sword, without a shield, without a spear, but he came in the mighty name of the Lord, because the battle is the Lord's, as it was with Jonathan. The battle is the Lord's. And notice what he says. He says David says this day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand and I will smite thee and take thy head from thee and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And when I read that, I thought of Revelation 11.6.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:00:49

We've talked about that so much last year Does anybody remember what 11.6 was about?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:00:58

I know you. Anybody have Revelation 11.6? Remember I said David is like the man-child.

Althea Harris: 1:01:07

And these have power to shut heaven that it rain, not in the days of their prophecy, and power over waters to turn them to blood, to smite the earth with all their plagues, as often as they will as often as they will.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:01:23

I think of that as often as they will because exactly how David confessed he was going to deal with Goliath is exactly what happened, word for word, exactly what happened. And so the man child is going to confess some things, and things are going to happen exactly as he decrees it, as she decrees it, as she decrees it, as they decree it. It shall decree a thing and it shall come to pass. And it came to the pass when the Philistine arose in verse 48. And drew nigh to meet David. I wish they made a really sincere, genuine movie about this, because this would be awesome to see. Philistine comes walking up. David does not come walking with a shepherd's staff and stones. He runs in haste. I mean, he's ready, I'm ready, before you're there, I'm running there. And that's the attitude of a man, of a youth of faith in this day and age that is needed. You run to the battle knowing that the Lord has your back. He didn't need a shield, he didn't need a sword, he didn't need a spear. He needed one little rock, one little stone. And you know what happened that stone, that sling, and that stone sunk. The stone into his head and the Goliath. Did he fall back or did he fall forward? Good, he fell forward, flat on his face. And then David came and stood on top of him to gloat. What did he do? He wasn't done. The work was not done. He then took the enemy's sword. He took the enemy's sword and cut off his head. Now think about that when you have to fight your battles. Quit dealing with the peripheries, quit dealing with the edges. Take the fight right to the strong man. Take him out. Because what happened when he took out the strong man? It says that the enemy began to run. The Philistines saw their champion dead and they fled. And that's exactly what the enemy is going to do when you take out the strong man.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:03:57

And then the church saw who is this boy's father? He's asking. After he defeats Goliath, he takes him in Saul. He never goes back to his father and while he's in the house of Ichabod, Jonathan and David's souls are knit like kindred spirits. And I wonder why? Because Jonathan did something so radically different from everyone. David now did something radically different from everyone, but David loved Saul. Jonathan saw that Saul, that David would never hurt him, and it says that Jonathan became so close with him that he gave all that was his to David. What do you think that signifies? Huh, covenant, yeah, covenant, and that he is the rightful heir to the throne. Son of the king.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:05:05

Hmmful heir to the throne. He's the son of a king. Jonathan was the rightful heir to the throne but he gave everything he had to David. That was a sign that it was going to him, and I don't think Jonathan knew that Samuel ever had anointed David king. It was just. These actions take place and you wonder what is the significance, what is the meaning? And it says that David did whatsoever the king asked.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:05:35

And sometimes we find ourselves in a place in a church that's so off and we buck up in rebellion. David didn't do that. That was not the example set forth by David. He faithfully served in the house that was without the glory. He faithfully served that what was in place before. Why? Because he was rightfully anointed and appointed the king of Israel. And we sometimes have trouble being in other fellowships. Now don't take this message and say, oh, you've got to stay in the worst of worst places because David did eventually leave. He did not stay in the house, but a lot had to take place before that happened. And my wife and I can testify that We've been in other fellowships. We've been there for a while, but there was a point in time where we had to leave, but while we were there. We faithfully ministered unto the Lord, to the people that were there, even though that organization, that hierarchy was in place and it was foul.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:06:54

But after Saul took out Goliath and he was sent over as captain and started having many victories, the women started singing Saul is slain in 10,000s and David his 10,000s. Saul is slain in thousands and David his 10,000s. And Saul now became jealous to the point that he opened up the door to his life to that evil spirit every time that jealousy arose in David. David avoided that javelin twice. And Saul then here it is. He developed a fear again.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:07:31

It says in verse 12 of chapter 18, saul was afraid of David. There's that fear. That fear ravaged him the rest of his days and it forced him to do things that were ungodly. His fear was rooted in jealousy of David. But it says also he recognized that the Lord had departed from him and the Lord was with David. He recognized that the Lord was with David and he became more afraid of him. And he became more afraid of him. And then Saul had this idea I'm going to take him out, I'm going to send him to battle, but now I'm only going to send him with a thousand men and he said I might give you my oldest daughter to sort of entice him to go into battle, because his idea was he'll eventually die, he's going to eventually die in a battle. But then he offers his youngest daughter and David goes out to battle.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:08:41

He didn't want anything from him, for his daughter because usually when you give away your daughter you have to give a dowry. He didn't want anything from him for his daughter, because usually when you give away your daughter you have to give a dowry. He didn't want that why? Because he thought David was going to go die in the battle. So he says, okay, I'll take 104 skins of the Philistines. David brings back 200 and takes his daughter. He gave it, he took it. He couldn't get rid of David as much as he wanted to.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:09:10

David was untouchable. We've talked about this this last year. A man- child, is going to be untouchable and anyone who tries to raise up a weapon against him with that weapon shall he be slayed. I can go on in chapter 19, speaking of Jonathan standing up and giving David a way of escape. But that's enough to highlight for you. There's so much that can be gathered from these types and these shadows and how they apply to us and how they're to teach us.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:09:52

But Saul's reign lasted 30 to 40 years, even though David was anointed many years before his reign had ended. He did not fully come into his reign until, I believe, he was 30 years old, I think. And so I'll read the end Of Saul's life 1st Samuel 31. Verse 8. And it came to pass. On the morrow, when the Philistines came To strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons sons fallen in Mount Kibboa. And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent into the land of the Philistines roundabout to publish it in the house of their idols and among the people. And they put his armor in the house of Ashtoreth and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philatines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan and came to Jabesh and burnt them there. I can't remember another time in the scriptures where the people of God burnt their own bodies. Am I correct? I can't remember burning of bodies was a pagan thing, but I guess their bodies have been completely defiled by the Philistines and what they had done to them, that they felt it best to guess their bodies have been completely defiled by the Philistines and what they had done to them, that they felt it best to burn their bodies. And then they took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh and fasted seven days. This was the finality of Saul and his children, and God saw that from the beginning. Children, and God saw that from the beginning.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:11:49

And we need to understand, we need to hear the Lord, we need to know whom we need to spend our time interceding for and when the Lord says follow me, move on, I'm doing new things.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:12:10

I hope that this message is not taken to justify any type of position that is out of order with the Lord, because you can easily take one scripture and justify yourselves and your out of orderliness.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:12:25

But I hope and pray that the word would feed, would put you on the right track and that you would accurately discern what the Spirit is saying through these old accounts and realize how they apply in your life, so that we can walk the straight and narrow in the power and the authority of the name of the Lord, amen. If you were blessed and appreciate listening to this podcast and you would like to support us in our efforts, consider lifting us up in prayer first. Then remember these four social media buzzwords Share, like, subscribe or follow. Share this podcast link with someone else by text, email or word of mouth in the hopes that they might be uplifted, as you were Like, by leaving a positive rating or review with whomever you listen to our podcast, with Subscribe to support the show monetarily with the link in our podcast description. Follow us on all our social media platforms. May God bless you and make you prosperous in Him as you listen and obey His voice.