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Tuesday, April 1 2014
1 Samuel 15: Saul's Impeachment
"Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the Word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel"
The English word "impeachment" originated from a Latin word, impedicare, which meant to capture, as in to stop. As a legal term, it was first used in the British political system in the 1500s for the removal of unfit or corrupt officials from office. It was adopted two centuries later in New England, before and after the rebellion of the colonies, for the same purpose.
Ancient Israel also experienced impeachment. The LORD (Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God) elected King Saul as the first human king of Israel (see 1 Samuel 10: King Saul of Israel) - and the LORD later impeached Saul when he became corrupt.
"15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
The rise and fall of Saul was stated in a single proclamation by the LORD: "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."
"15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 15:11 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.
By literal definition of the word "king" (i.e. the head of a family; see 1 Samuel 8: Our King May Judge Us), the political "term of office" of a king was and is his lifetime. Although "impeached," Saul would remain as king until he died - an event that would before long be accomplished by the very foolishness that caused him to be impeached.
"15:12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
From that incident on, Saul never again heard from the LORD or Samuel. The reason was not because they weren't talking to him, but because Saul refused to listen when they did. Nevertheless, "Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel."
"15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel." (1 Samuel 15:34-35 KJV)
Fact Finder: Is the difference between a "leader" and a "pusher" the same as the difference between a wise man and a fool?
This Day In History, April 1
286: The accession of Maximian, Roman emperor 286-310 AD (see A History Of Jerusalem: Pompey And The Caesars, A History Of Jerusalem: The Herodian Dynasty, A History Of Jerusalem: Titus And The Zealots and A History Of Jerusalem: Hadrian and Simon bar Kokhba)
325: Jin Chengdi, at age 4, succeeds his father Jin Mingdi as emperor of China's Jin Dynasty.
457: As the Roman Empire was collapsing, the Roman army proclaimed Majorian as emperor. The Roman Empire was superseded by Germany (see The Holy Roman Empire Of The German Nation).
527: Byzantine Emperor Justin I declared his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
1564: All Fools Day (in France) is said to have originated when King Charles IX of France changed the calendar on this date. Before the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar (see Pope Gregory's Calendar; also The Antichrist Calendar), April 1 was observed as New Year's Day by cultures as varied as the Roman and the Hindu.
1578: English physician William Harvey discovered blood circulation.
1621: The first colonial treaty with "Indians" (early explorers thought that they had landed in India - and so erroneously named the native people "Indians") in North America was signed between Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags, and English Pilgrims on behalf of James I at Strawberry Hill, Massachusetts.
1665: The Great Plague hit London (see also Leviticus 13: Bacteria).
1734: Canada's first lighthouse began operating, at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia.
1875: The Times of London was the first newspaper to print a daily weather chart.
1778: Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, reportedly created the dollar "$" sign.
1918: During the First World War (1939-1945; listen to our Sermon The European World Wars), the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Force merged to form the Britain's Royal Air Force.
1920: The German Worker's Party changed its name to the National Socialist German Worker's Party - Nazi.
1924: Adolf Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in jail for high treason (a strange charge because Hitler was born in Austria, not Germany - his citizenship was settled only after he came to power and invaded Austria, declaring it part of Germany) after his failed 1923 putsch. He was released December 20 of the same year (see Presidential Quotes On War, Terrorism, Religion).
1924: The Royal Canadian Air Force was established.
1925: British statesman Arthur James Balfour dedicated Hebrew University on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem (see Israel In History and Prophecy: Balfour Declaration).
1933: The Nazi government ordered a boycott of businesses owned by Jews and seized their bank accounts (see also Hate Jews?).
1937: The new constitution providing separation of Burma from India went into effect.
1939: Francisco Franco declared the end of the Spanish Civil War.
1948: The Berlin blockade began when the Russians began checking all road and rail traffic between Berlin and the Western Zones. The Berlin Airlift began in response to the blockade.
1976: Apple Inc. was established by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.
1979: Iran became an Islamic Republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah, a U.S.-backed dictator.
1997: Comet Hale-Bopp passed perihelion (the point in the orbit of a planet or comet where it is nearest to the sun).
1999: Nunavut was established as a Canadian territory, becoming a separate part of the Northwest Territories.
2001: A U.S. Navy spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet that was challenging it near the Chinese coast. The Chinese plane and pilot were lost, the U.S. plane made an emergency unauthorized landing on a nearby Chinese military base where the U.S. crew was taken into custody before being released almost 2 weeks later.