1 Samuel 15:1-35


Power and pride can ruin a person so quickly.  Saul started out as a humble king who did not seek credit or care about what people were saying about him.  However, all of that has now changed, he is now full of pride and is seeking to attract attention to himself.  Most significantly, he has chosen to rebel against the command of God and is simply following his own way with a complete disregard for what God wants.  When we begin to live for ourselves we will inevitably live in rebellion against God.  When we rebel against God we lose the privilege of serving Him and being used by Him.  God is looking for humble servants He can use to further His work in this world; not egotistical rebels who are only interested in serving themselves.

SAUL RECEIVES CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS: God sent word to Saul that he was to go and completely destroy the Amalekites and all that they owned.  This people had gone to war with Israel in the desert and they had been an evil idolatrous nation that God wanted to wipe from the face of the earth.  The instructions were clear and Saul understood them completely.  God has been gracious enough to reveal His will to us through His Word.  The instructions are clear and we all should know what God expects of us.

SAUL REBELS AGAINST GOD: Saul goes into battle and is victorious over the Amalekites in an amazing way.  However, Saul does not kill the king and the people decide to keep the best of the animals as the spoils of war.  God had specifically said that everything: men, women, children, possessions and animals were to be killed and destroyed.  Saul and the people decided that they knew better and kept back the good things while destroying the detestable things.  Their actions are understandable; they make sense to our rational minds.  However, they go completely against the clear instruction of God and therefore are acts of rebellion.  When we disobey God and make excuses as to why, we are rationalizing our sin and in truth, are living in rebellion against God.

SAUL IS REJECTED AS KING: When God tells Samuel what Saul has done he goes and confronts Saul.  Initially Saul claims to have obeyed, but when Samuel confronts him with the sound of animals, Saul begins to make excuses and to shift blame.  He claims that the animals were kept to make sacrifices to the Lord and that is was the people who did this and not himself.  We have a strong tendency to rationalize our sin and to try to blame others for what we have done.  This is not pleasing to God and will have terrible consequences.  In this case, Samuel informs Saul that he has been rejected by God as king and that God will be rising up a king from a different family of Israel.  Rebellion and rejection walk hand and hand.

SAUL REGRETS WITHOUT REPENTANCE: When Saul hears that he has been rejected as king he pleads with Samuel to pray for him that he could be restored.  Saul admits that he has sinned but continues to make excuses and blame his sin on the people.  This is not what a leader should do.  True leaders must take the blame for the sins of their followers not blame their followers for their own sin or lack of leadership.  Had Saul truly repented, God may have been moved to compassion; instead Saul insists on “saving face” before the people and asks for Samuel to bless him.  When we sin, we must repent and take responsibility for our actions, not try to blame others for our own sin.

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