Series: Israel’s 1St King [#14]
GOOD BEGINNINGS ARE NO GUARANTEE
1 Samuel 28:1-25
Introduction:
“Lord, help us to end well”. This should be the prayer of all Christians. Good beginnings are no guarantee of successful endings. King Saul is proof of that. If any man had the great opportunity for doing God’s will, it was Saul. Yet, King Saul ended up consulting a witch and them committing suicide on the battlefield.
This was going to be a decisive battle. The Philistines were tired of all the little battles here and there; and were determined to defeat Saul and Israel once and for all.
1 Samuel 28:3-8
The Scriptures tell us that Saul disguised himself; but he was also revealing himself. The evil in him was coming out. To get to Endor, Saul traveled 10 to 12 miles and had to pass right by the enemy’s camp. Saul risked his life in disguising himself and making that trip; but he was a desperate man because God had left him. Saul told the witch at Endor that he wanted to talk to Samuel. Ordinarily, she would’ve impersonated Samuel; but this time, God permitted Samuel to come back. The woman was surprised when she saw Samuel because she knew it had nothing to do with her; and that God was at work.
Saul told Samuel how distressed he was because God had left him and because he didn’t know what to do. Samuel replied in effect, “I told you so. I warned you, but you wouldn’t listen. You didn’t obey the will of God. You rebelled against Him, and now judgment is coming”. Then Samuel issued a warning.
1 Samuel 28:19-20
It is dangerous to rebel against the will of God. The contrast between Saul’s beginning and his ending shows us how important it is to obey the will of God.
Let’s look at these contrasts.
1. Light versus darkness.
In the beginning, Saul was in the light; but at the end, he was in the darkness. When Saul was anointed King, it was a great new day for Saul. Saul was anointed as King and God gave Saul everything he needed for success; but when we turn to 1 Samuel 28, you don’t find any sign of light- You will find darkness. Saul disguised himself and went to the witch by night.
In the Bible, darkness is the picture of sin. Satan is the prince of darkness. When Saul and his 2 friends left Endor, it was still night. Saul began his Kingship in the light but ended it in the darkness. Why? Because he rebelled against the will of God.
2. Courage versus fear.
At the beginning of Saul’s reign, he was a great man of courage. When the Ammonites invaded and the word came to Saul that the people were weeping, Saul cut up oxen, distributed the parts and said, “Everybody follow me”. With great courage, he went into battle and defeated the enemy; but at our present point in the story, Saul is trembling and afraid as he sees all of the Philistines. It’s interesting to note the growing fear in Saul’s life. In 1 Samuel 12, when the kingdom was established at Gilgal, Samuel warned Saul to fear God; but Saul didn’t have a whole-hearted commitment to the Lord. He was told to fear the Lord, but in 1 Samuel 15, he started to fear the people. Then in 1 Samuel 18, he feared David and became envious and filled with hatred. In 1 Samuel 28, when Saul saw the Philistines, he was greatly afraid, and his heart trembled.
Courage comes from a pure heart. When your heart is right with God, you have courage. David knew that he could have victory because his heart was right with God.
3. Wisdom versus folly.
In the beginning Saul used wisdom; but in the end he practiced folly. Saul began his rule by listening to the wisdom of God. He went to Gilgal and listened to Samuel teach about God’s mighty works for Israel. He listened to the Word of God. Samuel told him what to do, and Saul did it. Initially he sought the wisdom of the Lord; but gradually he became a fool. God’s people should walk in His wisdom and not in foolishness of man. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us so that we can obey the will of the Lord. It’s a tragedy when a person tries to live his own life his own way according to his own will. How do you understand what the will of God is? By being filled with the Holy Spirit.
The tragedy for Saul was that the Spirit of God had left him. As a result, Saul acted like a fool. He blamed others- Samuel, Jonathan, the people- Everyone but himself. When Saul desperately needed to know what to do, he asked God; but He did not answer him. The Priest wasn’t able to use the Urim to determine the will of God. The Prophets had no word for him. He had no direction from God, so he stooped to folly. He went to the witch to talk to Samuel. It’s a tragedy that Saul realized too late how much he needed Samuel? He had ignored Samuel when he was there to help. When Samuel had prayed for Saul, Saul didn’t care. When Samuel had given Saul direction, Saul didn’t listen. Now when he realized how valuable Samuel was, he could no longer turn to him for help. Samuel wasn’t there to pray for him or to give him guidance because he had died. Appreciate the people who try to help you.
4. Standing versus falling.
Saul began his career standing; but he ended it by falling. Saul was standing, then he was walking; but when he turned his back on God, he began falling. Saul began his reign with a lot of potential; but he fell both physically and spiritually because of his pride. The once proud King was laying on the ground in fear. Later, he fell again on the battlefield. He fell on his sword and committed suicide. The King who refused to humble himself before God ended his life in humiliation, stripped of his pride. Saul had fallen spiritually long before he fell in death.
5. Victory versus defeat.
Saul began his kingship with victory- Victory over the enemy and victory over his own spirit. He was able to control his temper and didn’t retaliate; but when we get to the end of his life, we see him in tragic defeat. God had left him, and he could only fail. Saul committed suicide rather than die at the hands of the Philistines.
Conclusion:
A good beginning is no guarantee of a successful ending. We must pray, “Lord, help us to end well”. Our opportunity for confession, for repentance, for restitution may be gone tomorrow; we need to take advantage of it today. It’s possible for us to start in light and end in darkness, to begin our Christian life with great courage and to end it in fear, to start out with God’s wisdom and end up in human folly, to begin by standing and end by falling. It’s possible to start with great victory and end in defeat. Unlike Saul, David realized how easy it is to fall and how much he needed God’s help. May God help us to end well.
