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.”
Saul and the Israelites were forced to take this test. But before they did, they were to wait seven days for Samuel to show up and offer up a sacrifice, asking the Lord to help them beat these Philistines.
As Saul is waiting, he looked at the circumstances. WHAT WERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES?
• They were outnumbered 3 to 1
• The army of Israel was shaking in their boots
• Many fled to Gad and Gilead
While Saul was waiting and everything was going to pieces before his eyes, he began to ALLOW CIRCUMSTANCES TO INFLUENCE HIS DECISIONS.
On the seventh day, he did not see Samuel so he told them to bring him the sacrifice and he would offer it up to the Lord!
He seemed to forget that in the school of life there are times we must take matters into our own hands, and there are times we must say, “This is to big for me, GOD HAS TO DO THIS!”
As the seven days lingered, he became IMPATIENT! Listen, impatience has destroyed LIVES AND CAREERS!
When Samuel arrived, he asked Saul, "What have you done?"
Saul gave an excuse for offering up the sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel, but that is exactly what it was, it was an EXCUSE.
He is like many of us husbands who give flimsy excuses for not buying our wife a gift for Valentine’s Day.
Illus: Look at some of the ridiculous excuses that men use.
• The Florist couldn't find your house, did you move?
• I sent a candy gram. Someone must have eaten it.
• The Hallmark Store was closed, and I didn't want to send less than the best.
• I didn't know you liked jewelry.
• Your mailman must have been shot in a Post Office Massacre.
• You didn't remind me
Since the beginning of time, men have made bad decisions and then tried to cover them up with some ridiculous excuses!
When Saul was asked, “What Have You Done?”, he thought he could give a silly excuse and that would solve the problem. BUT IT DID NOT!
The thing he should have done was get on his knees and cry out to God, and say, “Lord, we are outnumbered and some of my men are going AWOL, and Samuel is no where in sight. This problem is to big for me, so I am going to TRUST YOU TO DO WHAT WE CAN NOT DO! I AM GOING TO TRUST YOU EVEN WHEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT LOOK GOOD!’
The thing he should have done was to TRUST THE LORD. The Lord will not let us down, our friends might, but not the Lord Jesus.
Illus: There was a man who was on his death bed and he called the three men that he trusted the most to come and see him.
He called his minister, his doctor and his lawyer to him and said, “When I die, I want my savings account of $90,000 divided between you three ways. When you walk by my casket, I want each of you to put your $30,000 into my casket to be buried with me.”
They didn’t understand why the man wanted to be buried with the money, but they obliged him. A week later, the man died. At the funeral, each man placed their portion into the casket as they walked by to pay their last respects.
• As they were eating dinner together afterward, the minister said, “Guys, I have something to confess to you. I kept out some of the money. We’re in the middle of the building project, so I kept out $10,000.”
• Then the doctor spoke up. He said, “Well, if were going to confess things to each other, I guess I’d better confess too. We’re adding a new maternity ward to the hospital and I kept out 20,000 of my portion to help defray the cost.”
• The lawyer had a disgusted look on his face as he shook his head and said, “You guys ought to be ashamed of yourselves. I hope you know that my $30,000 will always be with him in the ground. I wrote a personal check for the full amount!”
Listen, some of our most trusted friends will let us down, but God can always be trusted to do what we can not do!
Saul ALLOWED CIRCUMSTANCES TO INFLUENCE HIS DECISIONS, and -
II. HE ALLOWED CHOICES TO INFLUENCE HIS DECISIONS
Illus: Have you ever taken a multiple choice test? You have the option of choosing:
A.
B.
C.
D. None of the above.
Many times in the tests of life we have choices we can make. We have to look at those choices, and sometimes we need to select “NONE OF THE ABOVE.”
In some tests in life we have to take matters into our own hands. There are times when we have the ability or the resources to do something and God expects us to do it.
Illus: In 1987, a middle aged George Foreman announced to the world that he was returning to boxing.
• He said he was going for the title of Heavyweight Champion of the world once again.
• For seven years he fought and defeated younger boxers, and his success earned him a fight with Michael Moorer, the Heavyweight Champion.
• However, twenty years after he last held the Heavyweight Championship of the world in his hands, the 45-year old George Foreman found himself the butt of jokes.
Boxing fans, radio commentators, and sports columnists chided him for being overweight, out of shape and long past his prime. They urged him to save his own neck, to give way to the young, and not to tarnish the image of boxing.
Not only did Foreman win the fight, he knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round, and became not only the Heavyweight Champion of the world, but also the oldest Heavyweight Champion in history.
Foreman later said what motivated him. “I got back into boxing, and it was rough going. People were making jokes. Some said:
•“How is George Foreman ever going to become the prodigal son of boxing if he looks like the fatted calf?”
• Some said, “He can’t be heavyweight champ of the world as long as his training camp is Baskin Robbins.”
Those who are real champions in life refuse to allow circumstances to make their decisions.
At times, God has given us the talent, resources, and the opportunities to do something, and God expects us to do it. There are other times in life when we have all kinds of choices we can make, but they are all bad choices.
There are times that if we ALLOW THE CHOICES TO INFLUENCE OUR DECISIONS we are going to lose big time.
Saul was looking at a problem too big for him. He should have acknowledged this and said, “Lord, I am going to have to totally trust you on this one.”
• He was out numbered 3 to 1 by his opposition
• His men were frightened
• Some of his men were going AWOL
He had a problem that was bigger than he was, and he needed to trust God. But instead, he took matters into his own hands.
Saul had some bad choices and he ALLOWED HIS CHOICES TO MAKE HIS DECISION. He made the decision, and look what God said to Him.
Look at 1 Samuel 13:13-15, "And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee. And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.”
The bad choice he made COST HIM HIS THRONE!
Samuel was not sympathetic to Saul’s arguments. He chided Saul for blaming others and not listening to God’s word.
Twice Samuel repeated that Saul did not keep the Lord’s command (vv 13-14). We read, “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.”
There are folks each day making life changing decisions without even whispering a prayer.
WHY DID GOD PUT HIM TO THE TEST BY HAVING HIM WAIT SEVEN DAYS? Samuel revealed the answer: “…for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.”
Samuel dropped the bomb on Saul. The dynasty was Saul’s to have, but since he had flunked this big test, he would be replaced.
The presence of the Philistines was not:
• An excuse to seal his DOOM
• But a means to establish his DYNASTY
The test was supposed to be the occasion of his BIGGEST TRIUMPH, but it turned out to be his BIGGEST SETBACK. The test was to be his greatest moment. It was a moment for Saul to obtain the dynasty for his family, but he fumbled it away. The biggest offering Saul made was not the sacrifice, but the kingdom he forfeited.
Saul made the biggest gamble in his life and lost. HE FLUNKED THE TEST OF LIFE!
Just because you see no way out, doesn’t mean there is no way out. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Conclusion:
LIFE IS ONE BIG TEST, but we can not afford to flunk out on it. IT IS MUCH TO IMPORTANT!
Saul failed the test of life that he was forced to take, because:
I. HE ALLOWED CIRCUMSTANCES TO INFLUENCE HIS DECISIONS
II. HE ALLOWED CHOICES TO INFLUENCE HIS DECISIONS
