Life Is One Big Test

I do not know about you, but I have never enjoyed taking a test.

Now I can remember when I was in college. It seemed as if some of my classmates enjoyed taking a test because it gave them a chance to show off how smart they were.

But I never had a lot to show off, so I never enjoyed taking a test.

• My teachers said they gave us tests to find out how much we knew. Then all the questions they asked were about things we didn’t know.

• One teacher said, “Write your name and today's date on the top of your exam paper. Do it carefully. For many of you, it will be the only thing you get right on the entire page.”

• To me, taking a test is just like going to the dentist, except after the test you don't get a chance to rinse.

Recently I took an IQ test and I did pretty well on it. Here are some of the difficult questions I had to answer, see how you do.

• How long did The Hundred Year War last?

• Which country makes Panama hats?

• From what animal do we get catgut?

• In what month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

• What is Camel's hairbrush made from?

• What was King George VI's first name?

• What color is a Purple Finch?

• Where are Chinese Gooseberries from?

• How long did the Thirty Year War last?

You think you're so smart, don't you? Here are the answers:

• How long did The Hundred Year War last? (It lasted a 116 years, from 1337 to 1453.)

• Which country makes Panama hats? (Ecuador).

• From what animal do we get catgut? (From sheep and horses.)

• In what month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? (November. The Russian calendar was 13 days behind ours.)

• What is a Camel's hair brush made from? (Squirrel fur.)

• What was King George VI's first name? (Albert)

• What color is a Purple Finch? (Distinctively crimson.)

• Where are Chinese Gooseberries from? (New Zealand.)

• How long did the Thirty Year War last? (30 years of course. 1618 to 1648.)

Life is a TEST, and the fact is, we can not excuse ourselves from taking the test of life.

Illus: 4 tires

There are those who do well in the classroom, but they flunk out in the classroom of life. For example, there are many tests in the classroom of life that we are all forced to take and we can not be excused, such as the test of:

• The Death of a loved one

• Getting a pink slip at work

• Difficulties on the job

• Difficulties in the marriage

These are only a few of the many tests that we are forced to take in the classroom of life.

When we are forced to take these tests, it is important that we do not allow these things to make us BITTER, but BETTER!

In the text today, we find the Israelites were facing a major test.

• For decades (v 1), under Saul’s leadership, they had not lost a battle.

• The Israelite army was more than a match for other nations. At most, the Israelites retreated, but they never surrendered.

• Their biggest triumph was mustering 330,000 troops to defeat the Ammonites (1 Sam 11:8).

• But now the sight of 3,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and a Philistine army as numerous as sand on the seashore made the people go into shock and hiding.

THIS IS THE TEST THEY WERE FORCED TO TAKE. They were outnumbered 3 to 1, and you can see why they were shaking in their boots. The people were overwhelmed, to the point that they “hid” themselves. (1 Sam 10:22).

• Some fled to Gad and Gilead.

• The people that remained shook and quivered in their boots.

Any time God’s people are tested, we need to remember the scripture says WE CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS!

Illus: Major Ian Thomas says it this way:

• He does not give you strength - He is your strength

• He does not give you victory - He is your victory

(The Saving Life of Christ 182, Zondervan)

The Israelites seem to have forgotten the fact that He is OUR STRENGTH and He is OUR VICTORY!

The Israelites did not do so well on this test. Let’s learn from their mistakes! Saul failed the test of life that he was forced to take, because:

I. HE ALLOWED CIRCUMSTANCES TO INFLUENCE HIS DECISIONS

In this scripture passage, Saul allowed CIRCUMSTANCES to mold him.

Look at 1 Samuel 13:8-12, we read, “And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.”