Introduction:
A. The story is told of a lady who went to the Post Office to mail a gift to a friend.
1. The clerk looked at the package and said, “Is there anything breakable in here?”
2. The woman immediately responded, “Yes, there is a Bible with all its commands in that box.”
B. One man went from church to church looking for the one that seemed to fit him the best.
1. One Sunday he slipped into a little church while the congregation was reciting this statement of confession: “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things that we ought not to have done.”
2. With a sigh of relief the man thought, “Thank goodness, I’ve finally found the place I belong.”
C. Where are we most comfortable – among the obedient or the disobedient?
1. The Bible is full of instructions and commands from the Lord, and all of them are breakable.
2. None of us, myself included, have lived in perfect obedience to God’s commands, and none of us ever will.
3. Thank the Lord that we are saved by grace and not by works!
D. But just because we are saved by grace does not give us permission to treat God’s commands and obedience to them casually or indifferently.
1. Our Scripture reading from 1 John 5:3 tells us, “This is love for God to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”
2. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will do what I command.”
3. John 14:21, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
4. To love God is more than mere emotion or word, it is demonstrated by our submission to the will of God.
5. As we seek to do God’s will from the heart, we remain in God’s grace.
6. But if it becomes apparent to God that we do not intend to obey him, then he will certainly withdrawal his grace, and allow us to face the consequences of our disobedience.
E. As we continue our series on Avoiding Life’s Biggest Mistakes, we want to learn from the experience of King Saul.
1. He did not avoid the mistake of disobedience, and it cost him dearly.
2. His story is found in 1 Samuel. We will be looking primarily at chapters 13 and 15.
I. His Story
A. You might remember that God had been the king of his people, and lead them through prophets for many years.
1. But when Samuel the prophet was old, and his sons did not walk in his ways, the people asked for a king.
2. Although God warned them about this, he granted their unrelenting request.
3. The Bible says in 1 Sam. 9:1-2, “There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish…He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the others.”
4. So God chose him to become the first king of Israel.
B. Saul actually had a humble and glorious beginning to his reign.
1. When Samuel the prophet approached Saul to inform him of his new position, Saul humbly said, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?” (1 Sam. 9:21)
2. Saul was incredulous that God would seek him out to be the king. He was a nobody!
3. When Samuel gathered all the people together to anoint Saul as king, they could not find him, so the Lord told Samuel that Saul had hidden himself among the baggage.
4. So they brought him out, Samuel anointed him and said, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” (1 Sam. 9:24)
5. Most of the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
6. But a few people said, “How can this fellow save us?” And they despised him and brought him no gifts.
7. Saul could have ordered them executed, but how did Saul respond to them? The Bible says, “But Saul kept silent.” (1 Sam. 9:27)
8. After Saul’s first victory over the Ammonites, the people brought the men who had earlier spoken against Saul and suggested that they be put to death.
9. But Saul said, “No one shall be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.” (1 Sam. 11:13)
10. I think you would agree that that was a pretty good beginning!
C. In the next chapter (Chapter 12), Samuel gives his farewell speech to the people.
1. His final words to them were, “I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil; both you and your king will be swept away.” (1 Sam. 12:23-25)
2. Unfortunately, it was not very long before Saul’s humility disappeared, and disobedience took over.
3. In the very next chapter we see the first of his disastrous, disobedient decisions.
D. Saul’s good beginning caused a confidence to arise in him.
1. His army included 3000 men.
2. Saul’s son Jonathan took his armor-bearer and attacked the Philistine outpost, probably to acquire some of their weapons, for Israel had so few weapons.
3. Well, the Philistines were not going to sit back and let Israel do this to them.
4. So, the Philistine army came out in full strength, 3000 chariots, 6000 charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
5. The big boys were a little bigger than they had imagined!
6. How many chariots did Israel have? Zero! How many charioteers? Zero! And how many soldiers? 3000.
7. So what did some of Saul’s soldiers do when they assessed their situation?
8. The Bible says that many of them hid in caves and thickets and among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. Some even crossed the Jordon – they left the country!
9. The Bible says that Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.
E. Now Saul knew that their only chance for victory was in the hands of the Lord.
1. Samuel the prophet had told Saul that he would come in seven days, and that he would offer a sacrifice and call upon the Lord for victory.
2. As each day passed while Saul waited for Samuel, his army got smaller and smaller, and more and more fearful.
3. Finally, on the seventh day, when Saul could wait no longer, he offered up the burnt offering and just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived.
4. Samuel asked Saul, “What have you done?”
5. Saul gave him four good reasons why he had done what he had done.
a. First, the men were scattering. Second, Samuel had not arrived. Third, the Philistines had assembled and might attack at any time. Fourth, he needed to seek the Lord’s favor.
6. Because of those things, Saul felt compelled to offer the sacrifice.
7. Samuel simply replied, “You acted foolishly. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (1 Sam. 13:13-14)
8. There are certainly many lessons for us in this and we will discuss them after we look at one more example.
9. In spite of Saul’s disobedience, the Lord intervened and sent a panic among the Philistines, they were in total confusion, and struck each other with their swords.
10. Israel won the victory that day, but chapter 14:52 tells us that “all the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines.”
F. When we arrive at Chapter 15, it appears that years have passed, but the Lord has an assignment for Saul.
1. The Bible says, “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
2. So Saul gathered his army – Two hundred thousand foot soldiers.
3. Then Saul attacked the Amalekites and he destroyed them.
4. It sounds like he obeyed the Lord, but look at verse 9, “But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.”
5. So what did God think of that? Verse 10 says, “Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: ‘I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.’ Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.”
6. The next day Samuel went to see Saul, and Saul said to him, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
7. Samuel replied, “Oh really? You obeyed God’s instructions? What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” (vs. 14)
8. Saul immediately began to blame others, “The soldiers were the ones who did it. They saved the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice them to the Lord.”
9. Samuel couldn’t take it and said, “Stop! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
10. Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD.” (1 Sam. 15:17-19)
11. But Saul replied, “But I did obey the Lord.”
12. Samuel replied, “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Sam. 15:22-23)
13. Finally, Saul got it, and admitted to his sin. “Okay, already, I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions.” (1 Sam. 15:24)
G. The Bible says, “Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal…Then Samuel left for Ramah…until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Sam. 15:33-35)
1. What a sad ending to a story with such a good beginning!
2. Saul made the mistake of disobedience over and over again.
3. Saul often chose to do the expedient thing, rather than the obedient thing.
II. Our Lessons
A. So that’s Saul’s story and now let’s talk about our lessons.
1. What do we learn from Saul about disobedience?
2. There are five things that stand out to me.
B. First, we learn that partial obedience is really disobedience.
1. Saul assumed that God wouldn’t mind if he spared King Agag, he probably wanted to parade him around as a trophy of his great victory.
2. And even though God had told him to destroy everything, Saul assumed it would be okay to keep the best animals for sacrifice.
3. It’s tempting to let Saul off the hook by thinking, “Well, he almost did everything God said to do.”
4. But in truth, he obeyed God only as far as he wanted to, and partial obedience is really disobedience.
C. Second, we learn that we can’t do the wrong thing in a right way. The ends don’t justify the means.
1. When we get into a tight situation, it’s easy to try anything to get God to help us or to get our way.
2. Although Saul knew that the priests and prophets were the only ones allowed to offer sacrifices, he chose to do so anyway.
3. He thought if the men saw him offer sacrifices then they would gain strength and get God’s favor.
4. But we must realize that disobedience never draws us closer to God nor ensures his blessing.
5. Saul also suggested that the people had disobeyed for a higher purpose. That made it OK.
6. Similarly, some try to justify their gambling by promising to give 10% of their winnings.
7. God has a right way for us to do what needs to be done.
8. There is no right way to do wrong. It is never right to do wrong in order to do right.
D. Third, we learn that to obey is better than sacrifice.
1. We can’t make up for our disobedience by going through some kind of religious ritual or practice.
2. It is wrong to think that if I come to church on Sundays and Wednesdays and do the religious stuff, then I can disobey God’s commands the rest of the time. .
3. God is not looking for grandiose demonstrations of our love; He is looking for our normal, everyday obedience.
4. “If you love me you will do what I command.” (John 14:15)
E. Fourth, we learn that disobedience often springs from arrogance and selfishness.
1. Notice the league in which God places self-will and rebellion.
2. God says it is comparable to witchcraft and idolatry.
3. Why? Because rebellion and self-will is basically the worship of self.
4. It is placing one’s own self and will ahead of God.
F. Fifth, we learn that faith is necessary for obedience.
1. In truth, it didn’t matter how large the Philistine army was or how few men Saul had. God could handle them. All Saul had to do was obey the Lord.
2. No doubt Saul had said to himself, “I have trusted in the Lord and nothing has happened so far.” He thought that God wasn’t doing anything.
3. What he didn’t realize was that there were men who were not deserting him. He didn’t see that the Philistine army could have attacked at any moment, but never did. Just because we think God hasn’t done anything doesn’t mean that he hasn’t or isn’t doing anything.
4. Just because we do not see another way does not mean that God does not have another way.
5. Faith says, “Regardless of my situation, I will obey the Lord and trust that He will work it out.”
Conclusion:
A. Saul’s disobedience cost him more than he ever dreamed it would.
1. He should have known that his actions were determining the destiny of not only himself, but of his children and grandchildren. They would have been kings and queens.
2. God is not going to come and announce to us everyday that the decisions we make today may change the course of our lives forever.
3. Yet what seems like a mere compromise can set us on a path that we should never have gotten on in the first place.
4. We are warned in the Proverbs, “Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.” (Prov. 4:13-15)
B. As I said earlier, I’m not talking about whether or not we are perfect. None of us are.
1. But we do know if we are making a conscious decision to disobey God in some area of our lives.
2. We know if we are making a decision not to surrender parts of our lives to God.
3. Some of us may have our feet on the road which will destroy our future if we don’t decide right now to get off that road.
C. Learning how to obey God out of love is one of the most important things we can learn.
1. It is not enough to go through religious ritual – Saul did that.
2. It is not enough to talk about God – Saul did that too.
3. It is not enough to be engaged in God’s work – Saul did that as well.
4. As others have cleverly put it: The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
5. God wants me and you. He wants a heart that longs for him and seeks to obey.
6. God is looking for people who will simply follow him. People who will take the word of God seriously and live out the principles and commands found in His Word.
D. A TV news camera crew was on assignment in southern Florida filming the widespread destruction of Hurricane Andrew.
1. In the midst of the devastation and debris they noticed a house that didn’t seem to have any damage.
2. They asked the home owner, “Why is your house the only one on this block that is still standing? How did your house manage to escape the severe damage of the hurricane?”
3. The man replied, “I built this house myself, and I built it according to the Florida state building code. I was told that a house built according to this code could withstand a hurricane. I did, and it did. I suppose no one else around here followed the code.”
4. That story reminds me of the words of Jesus at the end of the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Mt. 7:24)
5. Let’s be sure we know God’s commands and obey them.
6. Then we can rest assured that our house is securely built on the rock.
7. The mistake of disobedience is one that we certainly want to avoid!
