04.29.10 - 1 Samuel 13:1 - 15:35

Joe can tell that Susan and Steve are Christians. They go to church, wear crosses and other religious jewelery, give to charity and even serve on a commmittee at church. All the outward signs are there -- they are Christians, all right. 
Saul thought that outward appearances made all the difference. In fact, in this account he's got the outward signs covered. He's religious -- you can tell just by looking (or so he thinks.) The difference between external religious signs and true internal spirituality is hard to see for most... 
13:3-4
Jonathan attached and destroyed the Philistine outpost, but Saul took all the credit for it. Although this was normal in that culture, it didn't make his action right. Saul's growing pride started out small--taking credit for a battle that was won by his son. Left unchecked, his pride grew into an ugly obsession; thus, it destroyed him, tore his family apart, and threatened the well being of the nation. Taking credit for the accomplishments of others indicates that pride is controlling your life. When you notice pride taking a foothold, take immediate steps to put it in check by giving credit to those who deserve it. 
13:6
When we forget who is on our side or see only our own resources, we tend to panic at the sight of opposition. The Israelites became terrified and hid when they say the might Philistine army. They forgot that God was on their side and that he couldn't be defeated. As you face problems and temptations, focus your attention on God and his resources, trusting him to help you (Romans 8:31-37). 
13:11,12
It is difficult to trust God when you feel your resources slipping away. When Saul felt that time was running out, he became inpatient with God's timing. In thinking that the ritual was all he needed, he substituted the ritual for faith in God. 
When faced with a difficult decision, don't allow impatience to drive you to disobey God. When you know what God wants, follow his plan regardless of the consequences. God often uses delays to test our obedience and patience. 
13:12, 13
Saul had plenty of excuses for his disobedience. But Samuel zeroed in on the real issue: "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you." Like Saul, we often gloss over our mistakes and sins, trying to justify our actions because of our "special" circumstances. Our excuses, however, are nothing more than disobedience. God knows our true motives. He forgives, restores, and blesses only when we are honest about our sins. By trying to hide his sins behind excuses, Saul lost his kingship (13:14). 
14:1 
In this chapter we read about the miserable job Saul did as leader, he had no communication with Jonathan (14:1,17); he made a foolish curse (14:24); and he ignored the well-being of his own soilders (14:31). Saul's poor leadership was not a result of personality traits but of decaying spiritual character. What we do is often a direct result of our spiritual character. We cannot ignore the importance of spiritual character in effective leadership.   
14:6
Jonathan and his armor bearer weren't much of a force to attack the huge Philistine army. But while everyone else was afraid, they trusted God, knowing that the size of the the enemy army would not restrict God's ability to help them. God honored the faith and brave action of these two men with a tremendous victory. 
Have you ever felt surrounded by the "enemy" or faced over-whelming odds? God is never intimidated by the side of the enemy or the complexity of a problem. With him, there are always enough resources to resist the pressures and win the battle. If God has called you to action, then bravely commit what resources you have to God, and rely upon him to lead you to victory. 
14:47
Why was Saul so successful right after he had disobeyed God and been told that his reign would end (13:13,14)? Sometimes ungodly people win battles. Victory is neither guaranteed nor limited to the righteous. God provides according to his will. God might have given Saul success for the sake of the people, not for Saul. He may have left Saul on the the throne for a while to utilize his military talents so that David, Israel's next king, could spend more time focusing on the nation's spiritual battles. Regardless of God's reasons for delaying Saul's demise, his reign ended exactly the way God had foretold. The timing of God's plans and promises is known only to him. Our task is to commit our ways to God and then trust him for the outcome. 
15:2, 3
Why did God command such utter destruction? The Amalekites were a band of guerrilla terrorists. They lived by attacking other nations and carrying off their wealthy and their families. They were the first to attack the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land, and they continued to raid Israelite camps at every opportunity. God knew that the Israelites could never live peacefully in the Promised Land as long as the Amalekites existed. He also knew that their corrupt, idolatrous religious practices threatened Israel's relationship with him. The only way to protect the Israelites bodies and souls was to utterly destroy the people of this warlike nation and all their possessions, including their idols. 
15:11
When God said he was sorry that he had made Saul king, was he saying he had made a mistake? God's comment was an expression of sorrow, not an admission of error (Genesis 6:5-7). An omniscient God cannot make a mistake (15:29); therefore, God did not change his mind. He did, however change his attitude toward Saul when Saul changed. Saul's heart no longer belonged to God but to his own interests. 
15:22,23
This is the first of numerous places in the Bible where the theme "obedience is better than sacrifice" is stated (Psalms 40:6-8, 51:16, 17; Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 7:21-23; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 12:7; Mark 12:33; Hebrews 10:8,9). Was Samuel saying that sacrifice is unimportant? No, he was urging Saul to look at his reasons for making the sacrifice rather than at the sacrifice itself. A sacrifice was a ritual transaction between a person and God that physically demonstrated a relationship between them. But if the person's heart was not truly repentant or if he did not truly love God, the sacrifice was a hollow ritual. Religious ceremonies or rituals are empty unless they are performed with an attitude of love and obedience. "Being religious" (going to church, serving on a committee, giving to charity) is not enough if we do not act out the devotion and obedience to God.