Today, we will continue our study on the life of King Saul.
So far, we have learned from chapter 12 that Samuel gave his farewell speech to Israel.
He had lived with exemplary good moral integrity all his life and left words that encouraged Israel.
He said in 1 Samuel 12:14-15 "If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15 But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors."
Now, we will focus our study in the life of Saul.
His life was the complete opposite of the life of Samuel.
Saul's life could be summed up in one sentence: "It is not how you start that is important, but how you finish the race of life."
Saul started out very well as a king only to see his subsequent actions derail his life and pulling down his own people as well.
He started out honoring God but ended up disobeying His commands.
It seems that he did not make a good finish.
And is not leaving behind a good legacy.
How could that be possible?
How could someone so close to God at the start of his life, then after many years in power began to spiral out of control and out of favor with men and God?
What could have gone wrong along the way?
This chapter will teach us a glimpse on how his spiritual and moral decline as a leader came into being and eventually destroyed himself and his kingdom.
Let me start with this story:.
There’s a little anecdote of Leonardo da Vinci, the great painter, sculptor, and inventor, about his painting The Last Supper, one
of the most copied and sold works of art in all of history.
It took da Vinci twenty years to finish, since it was so difficult at that time to find people who could pose as models.
In fact, he had problems in starting the painting because he couldn’t find a model who could represent Jesus,
someone who could reflect in his face purity, nobility, and the loveliest feelings.
Also, the model needed to possess extraordinary manly beauty.
Finally, he found a young man with these characteristics, and it was the first figure of the picture he painted.
Later, he went looking for the twelve apostles, whom he painted together, leaving Judas Iscariot’s spot open, since he couldn’t find a suitable model.
It had to be a person of mature age who had a face with the traces of betrayal and greed.
That is why the painting remained unfinished for a long time, until they told him of a terrible criminal who had been taken prisoner.
Da Vinci went to see him, and he was exactly the Judas he wanted to finish his work.
So he asked the mayor to allow the prisoner to pose for him.
The mayor, knowing the master’s fame, gladly accepted and ordered that the prisoner be taken to the painter’s studio, chained
and accompanied by two guards.
During all that time, the prisoner showed no signs of emotion for having been chosen as a model, but remained completely quiet and distant.
Finally, when da Vinci was satisfied with the result, he called the prisoner over and showed him the painting.
When the prisoner saw it, he was greatly impressed and fell to his knees, crying.
Surprised, da Vinci asked why he was crying, to which the prisoner responded:
“Master da Vinci, don’t you remember me?”
After looking at him carefully, Da Vinci answered him, “No, I have never seen you before.”
Crying and asking for forgiveness from God, the prisoner said to him, “Master, I am the young man you chose nineteen
years ago to represent Jesus in this same painting.”
Brothers and sisters, people change over time.
There are those who change for the better.
But still others change for the worst.
But it is not how you start in life but how you finish that is more important.
God wants us to remain faithful and committed to him until the very end.
We must examine whatever sin that hinders us from serving Him and learn to deal with them.
We must avoid the mistakes that King Saul encountered.
In this chapter, there are three important things in the life of King Saul that revealed his initial flaws that ultimately brought him down.
1. His Distorted Counsel
2. His Disordered Spirit
3. His Demoralized Army
HOW THE GLORY DEPARTED FROM SAUL.
1. HIS DISTORTED COUNSEL. 1 Samuel 13:1-7 (NIV) "Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty- two years. 2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes. 3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.5 The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear."
We see in the above verses the obvious example of his moral weakness and lack of discretion as a leader.
In verse 1, we notice the amount of years he had been reigning as king - 42 long years.
During those times, he had fought many wars and he should have learned the importance of being prepared at all times.
He should have gained military wisdom with regards to building a strong army of reserve soldiers ready to defend his kingdom at any provocation by the enemy.
Yet, he did the very opposite of what a good king should do.
Notice the way he chose men for his army and how he segregated and alienated his troops in verse 2.
Here, we find Saul choosing or selecting three thousand men from all Israel.
Out of these three thousand men, he had set apart the two thousand men to be his personal bodyguard guarding his palace.
While the rest of the troops - the one thousand men were assigned to Jonathan, his son who was at Gibeah in Benjamin.
And then, notice the last sentence of verse 2, "The rest of the men he sent back to their homes."
It was a big gamble not to have a reserve army that should have been well trained and ready for any emergency.
But he just dismissed them all and ordered to go back as ordinary citizens doing their regular work of farming and watching sheep.
It was a foolish decision for a commander in chief ill-equipped for war.
There was no ongoing training of troops in the ground and continuous strengthening his fortified infantry.
There was no long term goal of defending the peace and order of all Israel.
And then, in verse 3, we find King Saul aggravating the situation by initiating a fight with the Philistines.
He instructed Jonathan, his son to attack a Philistine post at Geba without any provocation.
It was unwise and careless move showing his recklessness and irresponsible behavior.
He knew that this was an act of war because he said that Israel became "obnoxious to the Philistines."
Then, Saul blew the trumpet and summoned all the people to prepare for war.
During that time, it is said in verse 5 that the Philistines assembled their troops ready for battle.
They have three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
Surely, they have awakened a sleeping giant, a strong nation so well armed and well prepared for battle that they have no match for.
It was Saul's own making and by his own folly that he put himself and his nation in such a mess.
Then, in verse 6, we read that when Israel saw that their position was very critical, they hid themselves in caves, in thickets, among the rocks and cisterns.
Some even crossed to the other nations to hide.
The fear, the horror and the panic of the entire nation was felt everywhere.
Wherever there was a place to hide, the people filled those empty spaces in order not to be identified as Israelites and not to be seen by the enemy.
This was indeed very tragic move by the King with a distorted counsel and putting his entire constituents in great danger.
He made rash decisions without considering the impact of such decision.
You see, we all make big and hard decisions about our careers, our families and our lives.
Sometimes we make those decisions in the spur of the moment, under times of great stress when the adrenaline is pumping.
Other times, decisions are made too quickly by misspoken words.
Too often, in the heat of the moment, angry or hurtful words are said in haste, without forethought, and lives are changed forever.
Always remember that whenever we make those rash and unwise decisions, we not only put ourselves into great difficulty but our loves ones and those who depend on us.
That is what the writer of the Book of Proverbs tell us regarding the effect of lack of guidance to a nation.
Proverbs 11:14(NIV) " For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers."
It is unwise to have a distorted counsel from a leader.
He can bring the entire nation into destruction for lack of guidance.
But the text tells us that victory is assured when wise advisers come together to give suggestions.
Lesson No. 1. God wants us to take time, to listen to His direction and to seek the advise of wise counsel.
That small still voice from the Holy Spirit speaking to us is our built-in guide into our everyday decisions of life.
We must listen to Him daily through prayer.
We must be familiar to His voice and follow Him regularly.
Be still and know that He is God.
Don't make rush decisions.
Follow that inner voice.
There was this story of a man who was so upset by the looks of his shadow that he made up his mind to get rid of it.
He said to himself: "I will just run away from it."
But every time that he lifted up his foot and took another step, his shadow was right there behind him.
So then he got a new idea.
"I have to run faster."
So, he kept running faster and faster until he sank exhausted to the ground and there he died out of his making.
If he had only thought about it carefully and sought counsel from others, he would have learned the secret of dealing with his shadow.
First of all, he must not be afraid of his own shadows.
Then, if only he walked into the shadow of a tree, then his own shadow would have disappeared.
He could have sat down and would not have to take another step.
Brothers and sisters, that is what it means to be still and know that there is God.
Making rush decisions will distort our counsel and destroy our lives.
But waiting for His wise counsel and listening carefully will bring us in safety and peace.
First, we learned that one of the reasons that the glory departed from King Saul is when he allowed a distorted counsel to affect his decision making as a king.
2. HIS DISORDERED SPIRIT. 1 Samuel 13:8 - 14 (NIV) " 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. 11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” 13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “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. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not keptthe Lord’s command.”
Here in verses 8-14, we find Saul not only with distorted counsel but with disordered spirit.
He should have prayed to God and asked for God's counsel regarding the fight with the Philistines.
But he did not and when Samuel did not arrive at the appointed time, he offered up the burnt offering that was supposed to be the work of a priest.
When he was confronted by Samuel for such act of disobedience, he gave a very foolish excuse.
Verse 11 -12 Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
Examine carefully his words.
Have you noticed the blame game he played with Samuel?
"You did not come at the set time!"
It was full of accusation, full of condemnation and criticism to a man of God who has lived all his life with moral integrity.
Saul was a picture of a man with distorted spirit, unable to distinguish right from wrong.
Saul accused Samuel that since he was late, the entire nation of Israel will be defeated by the Philistines.
He was putting the entire blame of his messed up life on Samuel, not on himself.
In fact, he was justifying his own action as the hero not the culprit.
It was as if he was saying, "Now, the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor.
So, I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering. Don't you see that I did something great today? Come on, Samuel!
You should congratulate me for doing something! But you, you did not do anything at all."
This was an offense that provoked God's anger.
That is why Samuel gave some strong hard words for Saul to hear, 13 “You have done a foolish thing,”
Samuel said. “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. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
In each of these verses, Samuel told him twice that he did not keep God's command.
He disobeyed God's command.
And the consequences of his action? His kingdom will not be established over Israel for all time.
It will be taken away from him.
And, God will seek out a man after his own heart to replace him.
We all know it was David.
We now come to Lesson No. 2: We must always seek God's approval in our lives.
It means, we are always seeking His approval upon our lives.
Seek His approval upon every decision we make.
Seek His approval upon our careers.
God delights in us and we in turn delight in obeying Him.
Seeking God's favor means we are able to connect with God in a way that we can connect well with others.
We must always remember that God seeks those who love Him and love His commands so that He can bless, guide and protect us.
Isaiah 66:2New International Version (NIV) 2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word."
It means, God delights in us and we in turn delight in obeying Him.
The key is to have a humble and contrite spirit.
Brothers and sisters, let us always seek His favor over our lives.
We must humble our hearts before Him.
We must seek Him and not just the blessings that He gives.
We must arrange our lives in loving Him with all our heart, soul and mind.
When we always seek His approval over our lives every day, then we will overcome a disordered spirit.
May His delight in us be demonstrated each day.
Eileen Egan, who worked with Mother Theresa and with the Missionaries of Charity for thirty years, described Mother Theresa's outlook on life like this:
"One day, after my conversation with her had been filled with litany of problems, Mother Theresa remarked,
"Everything is a problem. Why not use gift?"
With that began a shift in vocabulary.
Shortly hereafter, we were to fly from Vancouver to New York City.
I was dismayed to learn that the trip had to be broken en route, with a long delay in the airport, and was about to inform her of the problems.
Then I caught myself and said, "Mother, I have to tell you about a gift. We have to wait four hours here, and you won't arrive at the convent until very late."
Mother Theresa settled down in the airport to read a book of meditations, a favorite of hers.
She used her time properly.
From that time on, items that presented disappointments or difficulties would be introduced with "We have a small gift here."
That is what it means to seek God's favor for everyday of our lives.
No criticism. No judgmental spirit.
No blaming of the circumstances or others.
Just humbly delighting in obedience to God's will for our lives.
First, we learned that King Saul had a distorted counsel that has affected his personal decision making as a king.
Second, we learned that king Saul has a distorted spirit that affected his obedience to God's will.
3. HIS DEMORALIZED ARMY.1 Samuel 13:15-23 (NIV) "15 Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred. 16 Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash.17 Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual,18 another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness. 19 Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened. 21 The price was two-thirds of a shekel for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads. 22 So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. 23 Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.
Here in these verses, we find Saul with a demoralized army out of his doing.
After Samuel left him, he decided to count the number of men he had.
To his surprise, out of the three thousand, he had only six hundred left.
How can he fight the Philistines numbering "as numerous as the sand on the seashore" with only six hundred men?
Just to think about it brought him much discouragement and hopelessness.
And that same feelings spread even to the entire army.
In addition, every now and then, the Philistines would attack coming from nearby detachments and plunder their goods.
But worst of all, Israel could not even defend their nation because they had no weapons for war.
They only have slings and clubs.
There were no swords or spears that could be found among them except for Saul and Jonathan.
Because the Philistines, when they had the power in their hands, were wise in conquering Israel.
They put down all the smith shops and forbade any Israelite to exercise the trade of working in brass or iron.
Such move prevented Israel from making themselves weapons of war so that they will be totally dependent upon the Philistines.
Saul, although he knew the real situation, could not even do anything about it.
It was in complete contrast to the first time he got so angry when the Ammonites were bullying the people of Gibesh Gilead.
The Ammonites wanted to take away the right eyes of the men of Gibesh Gilead so that they will forever be their slaves.
But Saul reacted with a holy anger and was able to persuade most men from Israel to have courage and come out to fight the wicked Ammonites.
But this time, he could not even do anything about it.
Over time, his character has changed from a passionate leader to becoming apathetic, cold and dull.
He had a good start, but he was not able to maintain such spiritual fervor.
And that is the kind of change that we need to avoid and stay away from as Christians.
Romans 12:11-12(NIV) 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Lesson Number 3: Keep your spiritual fervor for the Lord.
Keep your boiling hot passion to win souls, to serve God, to grow in discipleship, and to fellowship.
Don't be lazy or inactive.
Don't fall prey to negative thoughts.
Keep on reaching towards that dream that God is giving you as committed Christians.
Keep on moving towards that plan or vision that you received from God about how you should ministers.
People are dying without Christ and it is not a good move to be out of the ministry.
Take hold of that holy determination to accomplish more things for God each day.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing great is ever accomplished in life without enthusiasm.”
Enthusiasm will create inward passion.
Nurture it.
And it is only through the Holy Spirit that we receive such zeal and fervor that never grow cold.
But if we focus on other non-essential things of this world, we will lose our spiritual zeal for God.
Let me again remind you that "It is not how you start but how you finish the race that counts."
It does not matter what happens between the starting line and the finish line.
What matters most is that you cross both with the same enthusiasm that you have when you first started it.
It does not matter how many struggles or problems or difficulties you went through.
What matters is that you were able to overcome all those struggles and finish the race.
May the Lord give you enthusiasm in serving the Lord and to remain faithful even to the very end.
Summary of Lessons Learned:
Lesson No. 1. Take time, listen to His direction and to seek the advise of wise counsel.
Lesson No. 2: We must always seek God's approval in our lives.
Lesson Number 3: Keep your spiritual fervor for the Lord.
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